Events | 2021

On Thursday, December 2, the Clements Center for National Security and the Business, Government, & Society Department at the McCombs School of Business hosted “Afghanistan from the Ground Up”, a two part event featuring a book talk with Wesley Morgan on his recent release The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley, followed by a panel of four veterans, including Chris Doneski, Michael Garcia, John Rodriguez and Jessica Saenz, who discussed their experience during the Afghanistan War. The book talk took place from 12:15 – 1:30 and the panel will took place from 1:45 – 3:00 pm. The event was held at 12:15 CST in the Crum Auditorium, Robert B. Rowling Hall. 

On Wednesday, December 1, the Clements Center hosted Chris Kolenda, Former Senior Advisor to Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and Founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy, for a book talk on his recent release Zero-Sum Victory: What We’re Getting Wrong About War. The event took place at 12:15 pm CST in the Bass Lecture Hall at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

On Friday, November 19th, the Asia Policy Program of the Strauss and Clements Centers partnered with UT’s Center for Taiwan Studies to co-sponsor Taiwan’s Security: The View from Political Science. Topics included multilateral disputes over maritime claims in Asia, U.S. relations with Taiwan, and recent cross-Strait tensions, among other issues. The event took place on Zoom at 3:00 p.m.

On Thursday, November 18, 2021, the Intelligence Studies Project, Clements Center for National Security, and Strauss Center for International Security and Law hosted author and former CIA analyst David McCloskey for a talk on his recently released book, Damascus Station, followed by a conversation on Middle East security. 

On Tuesday, November 16, the Clements Center for National Security, the Center for European Studies and the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies hosted Mary Elise Sarotte, Kravis Chair at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, for a virtual event on her upcoming release Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate. The virtual event was convened on Zoom at 12:15 pm CDT. 

On Thursday, November 11th, the Asia Policy Program at the Strauss and Clements Centers hosted Sandra Fahy, Associate Professor in International and Global Studies with the Kroeger School of Public Affairs at Carleton University, for a virtual talk on “States, Lies and Video: A Century of States Using Video to Deny Human Rights Abuses.” The event was held on Zoom at 12:15 pm CST. 

On Thursday, November 4, the Clements Center for National Security, the Center for European Studies and the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies hosted Ian Johnson, the P. J. Moran Family Assistant Professor of Military History at the University of Notre Dame, for a book talk on his recent release Faustian Bargain: The Soviet-German Partnership and the Origins of the Second World War. The event took place at 12:15 pm CDT in Bass Lecture Hall at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

On Tuesday, November 2, the Clements Center hosted Tim Morrison, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Senior Director for Nonproliferation for the National Security Council, for “Approaches to Arms Control in an Era of Strategic Competition”. The event took place at 12:15 pm CDT in Bass Lecture Hall at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

On Wednesday, October 27, the Asia Policy Program at the Strauss and Clements Centers hosted Benjamin Young, Assistant Professor of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness in the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, for a virtual book talk on his recent release Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader: North Korea and the Third World on Zoom at 12:15 pm CDT. Virtual doors opened at 12:00 pm.

On Thursday, October 21, the Clements Center for National Security, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law and the Asia Policy Program hosted Thomas Shugart, Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, for “Red Planet: The Growing Reach of China’s Military.” The event took place at 12:15 pm in Bass Lecture Hall at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

On October 19, the Clements Center hosted Elbridge Colby, co-founder and principal of The Marathon Initiative and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development, for a book talk on his upcoming release The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict. The event was held at 12:15 pm in Bass Lecture Hall at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

On Friday, October 8, the Asia Policy Program at the Strauss and Clements Centers and the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) were pleased to co-sponsor a talk with Associate Professor Amy Liu, Associate Professor in the Department of Government at UT Austin, as she discusses her new book The Language of Political Incorporation: Chinese Migrants in Europe, with Sheena Greitens, Associate Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and director of the Asia Policy Program, as respondent. The event took place in W.C. Hogg Building (WCH) 4.118 and virtually on Zoom.

On Thursday, October 7, the Asia Policy Program at the Strauss and Clements Centers hosted Ryan Hass, author of Stronger: Adapting America’s China Strategy in an Age of Competitive Interdependence, for a talk on “Is Coexistence Possible Amidst Intensifying Rivalry? Charting a Path For the Future of U.S.-China Relations.” How can the U.S. best manage its relationship with China? The country is at once America’s most formidable challenger for regional and global leadership, a technological and economic competitor, and an important partner on a range of transnational challenges. Will it be possible for both sides to coexist amidst intensifying rivalry? How great is the risk of U.S.-China conflict, including over Taiwan? Ryan Hass addressed these questions and more in opening comments before engaging in an open Q&A on the future of the world’s most consequential bilateral relationship. Sheena Greitens, Associate Professor of Public Affairs at the LBJ School and Strauss Distinguished Scholar moderated the conversation. 12:15 pm at the LBJ Plaza, located between the LBJ School for Public Affairs and the LBJ Presidential Library. Due to COVID protocols this event was held outdoors.

On Thursday, September 30, 2021, The University of Texas at Austin’s Intelligence Studies Project, Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and Clements Center for National Security hosted Col. (Ret.) Itai Shapira, Former Deputy Head of Analysis, Israeli Defense Intelligence, for a public lecture on culture and innovation in Israeli intelligence. This lecture was the first in an occasional series of events focused on a comparative study of non-U.S. intelligence organizations. It was held at 5:30 pm at the LBJ Plaza, located between the LBJ School for Public Affairs and the LBJ Presidential Library. Due to COVID protocols this event was held outdoors, under a tent with fans.

On Tuesday, September 28, the Clements Center for National Security hosted Amanda Demmer, Assistant Professor of History at Virginia Tech University, for a virtual event on her recent release After Saigon’s Fall: Refugees and US-Vietnamese Relations, 1975-2000. 

On Wednesday, September 22, the Clements Center for National Security and the UT-Austin History Department hosted Christopher Nichols, Adriane Lentz-Smith, Andrew Preston, Charles Edel and Will Inboden for a panel discussion on their new release Rethinking American Grand Strategy. Jeremi Suri  moderated. The event took place on Zoom at 12:15 pm CDT. 

On Wednesday, September 15, 2021, The University of Texas at Austin’s Intelligence Studies Project, Clements Center for National Security, Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and Global (Dis)Information Lab (GDIL) hosted Emily Harding, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former Deputy Staff Director for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, for “Defending Democracy – Inside the Senate Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election.” 

On Thursday, September 9, 2021, the University of Texas at Austin’s Intelligence Studies Project, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and the Clements Center for National Security, in partnership with the LBJ School of Public Affairs and Texas Career Engagement hosted a Virtual National Security Career Fair. Students met with recruiters from government agencies and private companies specializing in national…

On Thursday, September 9th, the Clements Center for National Security, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and the Intelligence Studies Project hosted “Our War in Afghanistan: Recollection, Consequence, and Opportunity”, a panel discussion featuring Paul Edgar, Associate Director at the Clements Center for National Security and Afghanistan Veteran, US Army, Sheena Greitens, Associate Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, Steve Slick, Director at the Intelligence Studies Project and former CIA case officer and Senior Director of the National Security Council, Aaron O’Connell, Director of Research at the Clements Center for National Security; Afghanistan veteran, US Marine Corps and editor of Our Latest Longest War: Losing Hearts and Minds in Afghanistan, and Ruth Wasem, Professor of Public Policy Practice at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Bobby Chesney, Director of the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, moderated the panel discussion.

On June 11, 2021, Clements Center Executive Director spoke at the event “Tear Down This Wall”: A Discussion Reflecting on President Reagan’s 1987 Berlin Wall Speech. This virtual vent was hosted by the Ronald Reagan Institute and the Hoover Institution to celebrate President Reagan’s 1987 Berlin Wall speech, in which he famously called for Soviet…

On Wednesday, May 12, the LBJ School, the Clements Center and the Strauss Center hosted a virtual public lecture and toast to Admiral Bobby R. Inman to celebrate his career and retirement. 

On Tuesday, May 4, the LBJ Library hosted CNN host and bestselling author Fareed Zakaria, for a virtual talk on his recent release Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World, which explores how the COVID-19 pandemic will shape the world to come. Dr. Mark Lawrence, Director of the LBJ Library and Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar, moderated the discussion. This program was presented in partnership with the Clements Center and the Strauss Center.

On Tuesday, April 20, the Clements Center for National Security will host Karen Tumulty, political columnist for The Washington Post and University of Texas alum, for a book talk on her new release The Triumph of Nancy Reagan. Join us on Zoom at 12:15 pm CDT. 

On Thursday, April 15, the Clements Center for National Security and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law will host Martha Bárcena Coqui, outgoing Mexican Ambassador to the United States, and Kimberly Breier, Senior Adviser (Non-resident), Americas Program for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), for a conversation on “U.S. – Mexico Relations: Achievements and the Road Ahead.” Join us on Zoom at 12:15 pm CDT. Virtual doors open at 12:00 pm.

On Wednesday, April 14, the Intelligence Studies Project, the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law and the Clements Center for National Security hosted Adam Klein, Chairman of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, for a virtual talk on “Terrorism, Surveillance, and Privacy in a Free Society.” Spy agencies, police, companies, foreign governments, and hackers are eager to collect, analyze, and use data about our lives.  Klein discussed the delicate balance between using this data to defeat terrorism and other threats and preserving the rule of law in a free and open society.

On Thursday, April 8, the Clements Center for National Security will host Tom Ricks, Military history columnist for the New York Times Book Review, for a virtual book talk on his recent release First Principles: What America’s Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country. Join us on Zoom at 12:15 pm CDT. Virtual doors open at noon. 

On April 7th, the Clements Center for National Security and the UT-Austin Office of the President hosted Karl Rove, Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush, for a virtual talk on “America’s Broken Politics: How We Got Here, How We’ll Get Out of It.” University of Texas President Jay Hartzell introduced Mr. Rove. 

Have questions about our Undergraduate Fellowship program? Join us on Zoom at 4 p.m on Monday, April 5th to get them answered! We would love to see you there!  Meeting link:  https://utexas.zoom.us/j/94197606891 Zoom ID:  941 9760 6891

On Wednesday, March 24, The University of Texas at Austin’s Intelligence Studies Project, Global Internet Media and (Dis)Information (GIMI) Cluster, Clements Center for National Security, and Strauss Center for International Security and Law hosted Dr. Sean McFate for a virtual book talk on his recently released book, The New Rules of War: How America Can Win – Against Russia, China, and Other Threats. The talk was moderated by Dr. Kiril Avramov, Assistant Professor at the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies and associate of the Global (Dis)Information Lab (GDIL) research initiative for UT-Austin’s Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. 

On Tuesday, March 23, the Clements Center for National Security and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law hosted Josh Rogin, columnist for the Washington Post, for a book talk on his upcoming release Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the Twenty-First Century. 

On Thursday, March 11, the Clements Center hosted Eli Lake, National Security Journalism Fellow at the Clements Center and Columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, for a virtual talk on “The Case Against the New Noninterventionism.” 

On March 4, the Clements Center for National Security hosted Sarah C. M. Paine, William S. Sims University Professor of History and Grand Strategy in the Strategy & Policy Department of the U.S. Naval War College, for a virtual talk on “Why Russia Lost the Cold War.”