U.S.-China Rivalry in a Neomedieval World

Damaged buildings are pictured during the fighting with Islamic State's fighters in the old city of Raqqa, Syria, August 19, 2017, photo by Zohra Bensemra/Reuters

An image of the aftermath of the Battle of Raqqa, during which the Syrian Democratic Forces besieged the ISIL-held city before capturing it at great cost of human life.

Photo by Zohra Bensemra/Reuters

Event Details

Date:	Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Time:	1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Location:	RAND's Washington Office and Online

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Program

For the past two decades, since 2000, the world has experienced a weakening of states, fragmenting societies, imbalanced economies, pervasive threats, and the informalization of warfare. These trends, which a new RAND study labels neomedievalism, contrast sharply with the experiences of industrialized states of the past two centuries, yet they also evoke patterns commonly seen in preindustrial societies. What do these trends mean for U.S. national security and for America’s competition with China? How could these trends affect any potential war that might erupt between the two great powers?

Please join RAND's National Security Research Division on Tuesday, June 6th, 2023 from 1:00–2:00 p.m. Eastern for the launch of U.S.-China Rivalry in a Neomedieval World: Security in an Age of Weakening States, a new report by RAND Senior International Defense Researcher Dr. Timothy R. Heath. In conversation with Lisa Saum-Manning, acting associate director of RAND's International Security and Defense Policy Center, Tim will discuss findings and recommendations from this new analysis, one of the first to explore the security implications of the neomedieval era for the U.S.-China competition.

Panelists

Timothy R. Heath
Senior International/Defense Researcher

Timothy R. Heath is a senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corporation. Prior to joining RAND, Heath had over fifteen years of experience in the U.S. government researching and analyzing military and political topics related to China.
Lisa Saum-Manning
Acting Associate Director, International Security and Defense Policy Program; Political Scientist

Lisa Saum-Manning is acting associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Program, part of the RAND National Security Research Division. She is also currently a Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of State for the Conflict and Stabilization Office. Her research focuses on strategic planning for the U.S. Armed Forces, the Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security to include: Security Cooperation, Conflict and Stability, Counterinsurgency, WMD Nonproliferation, Deterrence, Diversity/Recruitment/Retention challenges, and Disaster Recovery. Saum-Manning's primary research focuses on optimizing the use of ally and partner military force capabilities through security cooperation efforts in Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Indo Pacific region. She has extensive experience engaging with U.S. and partner nation officials. Prior to RAND, Saum-Manning worked in the Nonproliferation and National Security Division at Brookhaven National Laboratory assessing nuclear infrastructure capacity-building in developing countries. She received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles.