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June 18, 2021

Wilson Weekly

Deterring Cyber Disaster

Nonstate actors—allied at times with state sponsors—are the primary culprits in ransomware attacks and other cyber-crimes committed against the United States. FBI Director Christopher Wray sees “lots of parallels” between such attacks and post-9/11 terrorism challenges. In a new essay, Meg King and Robert Litwak argue that the state-based strategy that countered Al Qaeda also could deter this new security threat.

READ ON

EVENT | Video & Quotes

The Ties That Bind: Supply Chain Security

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) observed that “the Belt and Road initiative is founded in corruption and ignoring the rule of law, and we saw during COVID-19 our vulnerability here [in the United States].”

EVENT | Video & quotes

Mexico: Results of the Midterm Elections

“At the federal level,” says Mexican commentator Leo Zuckermann, “if this was a soccer game, then the winner would have been [AMLO’s] Morena, because it scored more goals [and] won more representatives.”

Congressional Testimony

Nuclear Confidence and Strategic Uncertainty

Asia Program Director Abraham Denmark told the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission that “U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific are keenly attentive to the intricacies of U.S.-China competition, and their views of American credibility are similarly complex.”

WATCH NOW

EVENT | Video & Quotes

The Refugee Question in the Middle East: Towards Sustainable Solutions

“I think it's really important to think about refugees not just as a burden on society,” says Richard Albright, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration “but…as consumers and contributors, because they actually add to economic growth.”

Podcast | NEED TO KNOW

Lumbering Towards Disaster? Lumber Prices, Canada and Supply Chains

“The conscientious consumer increasingly wants transparency about where what they buy comes from,” says Christopher Sands, Director of the Canada Institute. “That could become a Canadian benefit.”

U.S.-China Relations Temperature Check

In a contentious landscape of COVID-19 origins, trade, and supply chains, U.S.-China relations are now front and center for the White House. Robert Daly, Director of the Kissinger Institute, offers his insights on the state of play almost six months into the Biden administration’s navigation of the greatest geostrategic challenge for the United States.

Upcoming Events

U.S.-EU Relations After the Summit: A Conversation with EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis

Monday, June 21 // 11am–12pm (ET)

Iran’s Pivotal Presidential Election

Tuesday, June 22 // 10:30am–12pm (ET)

LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Seats of Power: How the Incorporation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Issues and Community Members Makes for Better Diplomacy

Tuesday, June 22 // 2–3pm (ET)

Ending Wildlife Crime to Protect Animals, Human Health, and the Planet

Wednesday, June 23 // 9–10:30am (ET)

Book Discussion | Transforming Our World: President George H.W. Bush and American Foreign Policy

Thursday, June 24 // 11–12pm (ET)

Wilson In the News

Iran Moves Toward a One-Party State (New Yorker)

Robin Wright observes that Iran’s elections won’t offer voters a panoply of choices: “Five of the seven candidates approved were hard-liners deeply hostile to the West.”

Putin Has Bedeviled American Pesidents. Biden Can Learn From Their Mistakes. (Washington Post)

“Senior administration officials have said there are ‘parallels’ between cybercrime and terrorism, and that ‘all options’ are on the table to deal with the threat,” writes Matthew Rojansky.

How President Biden Can Better Defend the U.S. From Russian Hacks (The Edge / Dark Reading)

"You need to have security engineering on the front end,” says Meg King. “It can't all be down to users."

For Generations, the U.S. President and his Russian or Soviet Counterpart Have Turned to Diplomacy (CBS News)

“Staring down into the [abyss of nuclear war in 1962]…subsequent administrations really did value arms control,” observes Matthew Rojansky.

Support the independent research and open dialogue that leads to policies for a more secure, equitable, and prosperous world.

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