CAPP Events: 2004

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Dr. Henry Kissinger Visits RAND

Jim Chow (center) and Philip Anton (right) greet Dr. Henry Kissinger

Former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger visited RAND in late July for briefings and discussions with RAND researchers. Topics included future technology trends, nuclear weapon proliferation, political and economic trends within China, and counterterrorism.

Philip Antón gave a briefing based on the report The Global Technology Revolution: Bio/Nano/Materials Trends and Their Synergies with Information Technology by 2015 (MR1307), which was prepared by Antón, Richard Silberglitt, and James Schneider for the National Intelligence Council. Countries that are best poised to reap the benefits of the next technology revolution and the United States' prospects for continued technological leadership were then discussed, with the group concluding that true leaders in the technology revolution will need to take a multidisciplinary approach that cuts across multiple areas rather than focusing on individual areas (nanotechnology and bioengineering), as is presently the case among countries vying for leadership in global technology.

Michael Hynes gave a briefing on "Loose Nukes," detailing the ability of nonstate actors to produce or acquire nuclear weapons and steps the United States can take to prevent such activity.

William Overholt discussed China's resilient economic growth indicators, despite global slowdown, SARS, and WTO accession. He listed several sources for the resilience, including a shift to domestic-led growth and an increasingly vibrant free-market economy that places heavy emphasis on entrepreneurship. He addressed risk areas and keys to future success, one of which included the ability of future leadership to maintain a workable consensus on policy issues. Dr. Kissinger shared his experience on the latter, including his favorable views of China's next generation of leaders.

Charles Wolf, Jr. gave a briefing on Fault Lines in China's Economic Terrain (http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1686/), demonstrating how potential adversities to China could occur, affecting its economic growth. The group also discussed the complex relationships among China, Japan, and the United States.

David Aaron addressed key aspects of counterterrorism, starting with a recent RAND opposition exercise that examined interactions between U.S. and jihadist strategies and each entity's strengths and weaknesses.

Nina Hachigian, Robert Brook, Jed Peters, Jim Chow, and Tom Szayna also participated.