Featuring
Haroon K. Ullah, Chief Strategy Officer, Broadcasting Board of Governors, advisor to three Secretaries of State and Richard Holbrooke’s Afghanistan/Pakistan team.

Haroon Ullah

Wednesday, August 29, 2018
5:30 – 7:30 pm

Dr. Ullah asks if we know that “the hottest social media star in the mid east is not an actor or sports star, but a radical Saudi cleric with 19 million followers”.
This powerful figure has gone virtually unnoticed in Western media. Why?

Social media has dominated the discourse of political events in the Muslim world — from the Arab Spring and its aftermath, to ISIS’s online recruitment. Yet the roles of social media in these events and the use of the dark web, hacking, and digital attacks have received little attention. In fact, Ullah argues most people in the West  are not attuned to how social media can be used to manipulate thinking and promote extremism.

In his book, Haroon goes on to show how political parties, corporations, and governments have learned to exploit digital tools to target and mobilize audiences, to ultimately achieve power and status.

He believes its ability to persuade is so powerful that he even asks if we need a new “Manhattan Project” to launch an effort to counter social media’s power to manipulate people's thinking, and promote terror and extremism.

Join Us for this timely program at

Loma Linda University Centennial Complex,
24760 Stewart St, Loma Linda, CA 92354
Free parking in Lot X

 Reception & Talk - Space is limited, register early
Cost:

Pre-Registered:
Reception + talk = $20 members 
Reception + talk = $25 non-members
Walk Ins:
Reception + talk = $30
Students:
Students = $0 (talk only 6:00 pm)

A former senior advisor to three U.S. Secretaries of State, with a special portfolio on digital transmedia strategy and countering violent extremism, Haroon K. Ullah has an amazingly broad area of expertise. In addition to his work for the government he is an award-winning author and Peabody TV Award recipient, an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His latest book is Digital World War: Islamists, Extremists, and the Fight for Cyber Supremacy which will be available for purchase along with a book signing after the talk.

For questions call (909) 558-7446.

Select, download and share the flier (below) or use it to register by mail
CyberSupremacy8-29-18_LLU_Flyer.pdf

HOLD THE DATE

The Dangers of Nuclear War:
Challenges for U.S. Diplomacy
featuring a discussion with Moeed Yusuf,
US Institute for Peace

Moeed Yusuf

September 27, 2018
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Location: TBA

In recent years, the world has witnessed multiple crises in regions where nuclear weapons are present: the Korean peninsula saw heightened tensions throughout 2017; China and India were involved in a major border crisis; violence between India and Pakistan on the Line of Control in Kashmir has been the highest in 15 years and the U.S. and its partners in the Middle East now face a highly uncertain future vis-à-vis Iran.

The U.S. and other strong powers of the world have an innate interest in preventing nuclear war around the world. Yet, as great power competition resurges and U.S. interests in Asia pit it against actors like Iran, Pakistan, and increasingly China, the U.S. role in crises in nuclearized regions may become more complicated.

What implications could this have for the probability of conflict and for U.S. influence as other strong powers compete more aggressively with Washington in these theaters, including possibly using crises as opportunities to overshadow the traditional U.S. role as crisis manager?

Does this dynamic increase the risk of nuclear war?

In the talk, Moeed Yusuf draws on his experience and research for his freshly released book, Brokering Peace in Nuclear Environments: U.S. Crisis Management in South Asia (Stanford University Press) [Link to book: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=29847], The speaker will discuss the opportunities, challenges, and risks of crises in regional nuclear contexts and suggest policy options for U.S. diplomacy. 

REGISTRATION OPENS THE LAST WEEK OF AUGUST