American Grand Strategy
Taught by Princeton University’s Dr. Aaron Friedberg, this virtual course provided an introduction to the concept of grand strategy and an overview of how American grand strategy has evolved since the founding of the republic. Particular attention was paid to the role of ideology in determining how successive generations of American leaders have defined objectives, perceived threats, and formulated plans to reshape the world. The course met for 5 sessions on Thursdays from 4:00pm to 6:00pm ET on the following days: June 4, 11, 18, 25, and July 2.
War and Politics
Taught by the American Enterprise Institute’s Dr. Kenneth Pollack, this virtual course explored the intimate, pervasive, and inseparable relationship between politics and warfare. Participants read selections from some of the classic works in the field, beginning with Clausewitz's masterpiece, On War, to explore how politics and war interact both in theory and practice. The course examined their interaction as it affects strategy, civil-military relations, and the conduct of military operations on land, at sea, and in the air. The course met for eight sessions from 6:00pm to 7:30pm ET on Mondays and Tuesdays during the first four weeks of June.
USAID in the Era of Great Power Competition
We hosted a virtual conversation with Bonnie Glick, Deputy Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on USAID in the Era of Great Power Competition. This event occurred on Monday, June 22nd at 12:15pm ET.
Supporting Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights in U.S. Foreign Policy
We hosted a virtual conversation with Nicole Bibbins Sedaca and Lindsay Lloyd on how American values of freedom, democracy and human rights can be effectively integrated into foreign policy. Their discussion focused on Professor Bibbins Sedaca's "Choose Freedom" report for the George W. Bush Institute, which contends with how the United States can contribute to the revitalization of global democracy after almost fifteen years of democratic regression worldwide. This event took place on Wednesday, July 1.
The American Role in the World
We hosted Professor Eliot Cohen of Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies for a virtual conversation on the America's Role in the World and the ongoing challenges we are facing today. We mailed a complimentary copy of Eliot Cohen's latest book, The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force, to the first 20 AHS students who signed up.
This event occurred on Tuesday, July 14 at 12:30pm ET. View the recording here.
Liberalization or Balance?: The China Strategy Endgame
We hosted a virtual debate between Professor Aaron Friedberg of Princeton University and Elbridge Colby of the Marathon Initiative on Liberalization or Balance? The China Strategy Endgame.
This event occurred on Monday, July 20 at 12:30pm ET. View the recording here.
Diagnosing National Security: COVID Lessons Learned
We hosted Robert Bishop, Dean of the College of Engineering and CEO & President of the Institute of Applied Engineering at the University of South Florida, Luciana Borio, Vice President of In-Q-Tel, and Dave King, Operating Partner of Pritzker Private Capital’s Healthcare Team for a panel discussion on how COVID-19 impacts national security. The discussion was moderated by Roy Katzovicz, Chairman of the AHS Board of Directors and CEO of Saddle Point Management, L.P.
This event took place on Monday, August 3.
A Conversation with General David Petraeus
Our 2020 Summer Fellows joined us for an exclusive conversation with General (Ret.) David Petraeus of KKR Global Institute.
China's Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia
Daniel S. Markey, Senior Research Professor in International Relations and Academic Director of Master of Arts in Global Policy Program at Johns Hopkins SAIS, led a discussion on his new book, China's Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia. To make the discussion more interactive, we were pleased to mail a complimentary copy of the book to the first 20 AHS students who signed up. This event took place on Thursday, June 4.
A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream
Yuval Levin, director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), joined us for a virtual conversation on his new book, A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream. To make the discussion more interactive, we were pleased to mail a complimentary copy of the book to the first 20 AHS students who signed up. This event took place on Wednesday, July 8.
The Return of Great Power Rivalry: Democracy versus Autocracy from the Ancient World to the U.S. and China
We hosted Matthew Kroenig, Associate Professor at Georgetown University and Deputy Director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, for a discussion on his new book, The Return of Great Power Rivalry. To make the discussion more interactive, we mailed a complimentary copy of the book to the first 20 AHS students who signed up. This event took place on Wednesday, July 15 at 12:15pm ET.
The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare
We hosted a discussion with Christian Brose, Chief Strategy Officer of Anduril Industries, on his new book, The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare. The discussion was moderated by David McCormick of the AHS Board of Directors and Bridgewater Associates. To make the discussion more interactive, we mailed a complimentary copy of the book to the first 20 AHS students who signed up.
This event took place on Wednesday, July 29 at 12:30PM ET. View the Recording Here.
American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony
The group read American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony by Samuel Huntington and met five times on Thursdays between 5:15pm and 6:30pm ET on the following dates: July 9, 16, 23, August 6, and 13.
The reading group was limited to twenty-five students and registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration is closed.
Officer Leadership Training
All incoming chapter presidents were required to attend a 90-minute virtual session this summer to learn strategies for running a successful chapter. All chapter members were invited to participate. The sessions were offered on the following dates: Tuesday, June 30th at 5:30pm, Friday, July 10th at 12:00pm, Tuesday, July 14th at 5:30pm, Friday, July 17th at 12:00pm, and Tuesday, July 21st at 5:30pm.
Writing and Editing Workshop
This virtual workshop focused on learning to edit and become a better writer, with an emphasis on critical reading and thinking skills. Council on Foreign Relations Editorial Director Patricia Dorff discussed the stages of the writing process and provided strategies and concrete tools to improve your writing. The class included a hands-on editing exercise, handout reviews, and writing samples. This event took place on Wednesday, June 17.
Resume+Cover Letter Workshop
Led by Kamara Toffolo, a resume writer and LinkedIn consultant, this workshop took resumes and cover letters beyond the basics, specifically for AHS officers. In addition to sound, straightforward, and simple resume and cover letter structure, she showed students how to amplify their candidacy with accomplishments and storytelling, and ultimately differentiate them as the candidate to be invited for an interview. The Resume + Cover Letter Workshop took place on Thursday, May 28 at 5:30pm.
LinkedIn Workshop
Led by Kamara Toffolo, a resume writer and LinkedIn consultant, students learned how to build a strong LinkedIn profile that emphasizes telling your unique story so that you can grab the attention of recruiters and hiring managers, and entice them to click on your profile, and connect! She also shared strategies and best practices that ensure you're making effective use of your time on LinkedIn all while keeping the "social" in this powerful social media platform. The LinkedIn Workshop took place on Wednesday, June 10 at 5:30pm.
Information Session on Think Tanks
The American Enterprise Institute’s Natalie Runkle joined us for a virtual discussion of the think tank industry, the work of the American Enterprise Institute, and opportunities to get involved as an intern or full-time staff member. This event took place on Monday, June 29 at 12:15pm ET.
Career Lessons with Dr. Paul Lettow
In this virtual career conversation, Dr. Paul Lettow, Partner at Jones Day and former Senior Director at the National Security Council, discussed his career in law, national security, and strategic planning. For the first 20 registrants, we were delighted to offer a complimentary copy of John Gaddis' Strategies of Containment: A Critical Appraisal of American National Security Policy during the Cold War, a book which Dr. Lettow cites as a formative professional influence. This event took place on Wednesday, July 22.
Private Sector and National Security Careers
We hosted Jaimik Patel of Deloitte and Eric Lindsey of Northrop Grumman to discuss careers in national security and the private sector.
This event took place on Thursday, July 30.