These six actions will put the U.S. back in the driver’s seat over China
The Boston Global Forum is delighted to introduce the article on Tampa Bay Times of Professor John Quelch, Co-founder of the Boston Global Forum.
It is a time for action, but there is precious little room for loose rhetoric or error.
Delegates applaud as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for the opening session of China’s National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday. [ ANDY WONG | AP
Confident rhetoric was abundant at last week’s Chinese National People’s Congress.
The Chinese economy grew 2.3 percent in 2020 while the United States contracted. China is expected to grow 8.3 percent this year versus 4.1 percent for the United States. The Chinese economy has grown from 4 percent to almost 20 percent of world gross domestic product in the past 20 years and will be larger than the U.S. economy by the end of this decade.
China last week unveiled a massive increase in research and development spending to close the gap on the United States in multiple technologies from semiconductor chips to hydrogen energy. China also announced a 6.8 percent increase in military expenditures this year, more than expected. President Xi Jinping is promoting not communism but “modern socialism” to the leaders of the world’s emerging economies, promising command and control economic growth as a better political insurance policy than Western democracy. The United States is on its heels against an increasingly assertive China.
Former President Donald Trump was right to call out China but clumsy in his response. He rejected promising trade deals and promoted an ill-advised tariff war that, predictably, delivered few benefits to U.S. workers and boosted prices to U.S. consumers. Trump lost the goodwill of continental Europe by walking away from the Paris Climate Accord, criticizing contributions to NATO and disrespecting European leaders.
But all is far from lost. President Joe Biden should take six initiatives to put the United States back in the global driver’s seat:
Rediscover our allies: The road to Beijing passes through Brussels. With eight years of experience as vice president, Biden knows many of the key players in Europe and he is appointing experienced diplomats to reboot quickly our traditional European alliances. He has swiftly rejoined the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization. In Asia, Trump over-emphasized India and shortchanged Japan and Korea. We must swiftly mend fences and hammer out common positions with our allies in both regions to steadfastly oppose China’s human rights violations, military incursions and economic piracy.
Invest more in research: The United States still boasts 15 of the top 20 research universities in the world. We have a terrific research infrastructure. R&D expenditures need to increase to 3.5 percent, perhaps 4 percent of GDP. Let’s offer private companies enhanced tax incentives to invest in basic research. Let’s also reopen our borders to qualified scientists who seek to immigrate here.
Don’t decouple, diversify: With bilateral trade exceeding $700 billion per year and more than 100,000 cross-border investments between China and the United States, decoupling is not an option. But a reassessment of our supply chains to insure multiple overseas sources and domestic production of strategic goods, even if there is a cost penalty, is essential. Biden’s announced $2 trillion infrastructure program will boost technological innovation in 5G and beyond, create millions of good jobs and modernize the U.S. transportation, energy and telecommunications sectors.
Call out China: Through its $1 trillion belt and road initiative, China offers loans to emerging economies to build ports, roads and other infrastructure. But when the revenues promised in the contracts don’t materialize, Chinese banks take ownership. From Sri Lanka to Argentina, countries have forfeited important assets to this “debt trap diplomacy.” We must demonstrate to world leaders how easily Chinese foreign aid can lead to indentured servitude.
Promote our values: Pointing out China’s flaws is not enough. We and our allies must do a much better job of nurturing and promoting democracy, showing the world by example how freedom of expression and respect for diversity spawns more creativity and innovation, and how a regulated free market can generate greater and more equitably distributed prosperity than a command-and-control economy with one party rule. Only one in 12 Chinese citizens is a member of the Chinese Communist party — tens of millions of Chinese want more.
Communicate to cooperate: As competition between China and the United States intensifies, there is precious little room for loose rhetoric or error. A miscalculation in the South China Sea or in Taiwanese air space could trigger a skirmish or worse. We need to restore regular high-level dialogues with China and seek opportunities for cooperation on all issues from climate change to global public health simply because the fates of both our nations are mutually dependent.
The United States cannot take for granted its continued leadership of the world economy. Through our deeds and by example, we have to earn the respect of other nations every day. China demands a much more subtle and coordinated strategy than merely outspending on military hardware. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wisely made it clear that our relationship with China must be multifaceted: “competitive when it should be, collaborative when it can be, and adversarial when it must be.”
John A. Quelch is dean of the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School and dean emeritus at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai, China.
The Artificial Intelligence International Accord Panel
9:00 EST/15:00 CET, 23:00 JST, February 19, 2021
Organizers: The Boston Global Forum and Michael Dukakis Institute
The Moderator
Douglas Frantz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author, and former Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD. Frantz served as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs in the Obama administration. He was an investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times. Frantz graduated from DePauw University and earned a M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
The Keynote Speaker
Governor Michael Dukakis
Chairman of The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation
Co-Founder and Chairman of The Boston Global Forum
Co-founder of AIWS.net and the AIWS City
Co-Author of Social Contract for the AI Age
The three-term Governor of Massachusetts and the 1988 Democratic nominee for President of the United States, Distinguished Professor of Northeastern University and UCLA
Michael Stanley Dukakis culminates a half-century career dedicated to public service, political leadership, fostering the careers of young leaders, and scholarly achievement.
Together with Nguyen Anh Tuan, this former Massachusetts governor, has established The Boston Global Forum as a globally recognized think tank noted for developing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s most contentious issues.
Panelists:
Professor Nazli Choucri
Co-author of Social Contract for the AI Age
Member of Boston Global Forum’s Board of Thinkers
Board Member of Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation
Board of Leaders of AIWS City (AIWS.city)
Professor of Political Science of MIT
Nazli Choucri is Professor of Political Science of MIT. Her work is in the area of international relations, most notably on sources and consequences of international conflict and violence. Professor Choucri is the architect and Director of the Global System for Sustainable Development (GSSD), a multi-lingual web-based knowledge networking system focusing on the multi-dimensionality of sustainability. As Principal Investigator of an MIT-Harvard multi-year project on Explorations in Cyber International Relations, she directed a multi-disciplinary and multi-method research initiative. She is Editor of the MIT Press Series on Global Environmental Accord and, formerly, General Editor of the International Political Science Review. She also previously served as the Associate Director of MIT’s Technology and Development Program.
The author of eleven books and over 120 articles, Dr. Choucri is a member of the European Academy of Sciences. She has been involved in research or advisory work for national and international agencies, and for a number of countries, notably Algeria, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Pakistan, Qatar, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. She served two terms as President of the Scientific Advisory Committee of UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformation (MOST) Program.
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga
President of Latvia (1999-2007)
World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid (WLA-CdM) Member, Co-author of Social Contract for the AI Age, Board of Leaders of AIWS City
Vaira Vike-Freiberga played a significant role in achieving membership in the EU and NATO for her country and was Special Envoy on UN reform. Vice-chair of the Reflection group on the long-term future of Europe, and chair of the High-level group on freedom and pluralism of media in the EU in 2011-12. Member of two High-level groups on European security and defense in 2015, and of the High-level Team of Advisors to the UN ECOSOC on UN development in 2016. Co-chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center.
Dr. Vike-Freiberga is a member, board member or patron of 30 international organizations and five Academies; Honorary Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford University. She has published extensively and is much in demand as speaker. Recipient of many Awards, Orders of Merit and Honorary Doctorates.
Born in Riga, she started her schooling in refugee camps in Germany, then lived in Morocco and Canada, obtaining a Ph.D. at McGill University (1965). After a distinguished career as Professor of psychology and international scholar at the University of Montreal, she returned to her native country in 1998 to head the Latvian Institute. Less than a year later she was elected President by the Latvian Parliament and re-elected in 2003.
Prime Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija
Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2001-2002)
World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid (WLA-CdM) Member
Co-author of Social Contract for the AI Age, Board of Leaders of AIWS City
Professor Dr. Zlatko Lagumdžija was Prime Minister, Acting Prime Minister, twice Deputy Prime Minister, twice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a Member of the Parliament and the leader of the largest multi-ethnic political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 2015. Member of Club de Madrid-The World Leadership Alliance and World Academy of Arts and Sciences. Founder of the Shared Societies and Values Foundation Sarajevo. Since 1989, Dr. Lagumdžija is professor of Management and Information Technologies at University of Sarajevo, and visiting professor of different universities in Europe, Asia and America. Member of numerous International Boards and Missions. Ambassador for Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations of ISESCO.
State Minister Yasuhide Nakayama
State Minister of Defense, Japan
Mentor of AI World Society Innovation Network (AIWS.net)
Yasuhide Nakayama is a Japanese politician representing the Liberal Democratic Party, elected in December 2003 as a member of the House of Representatives of Japan and was re-elected in the December 2015 and 2017 elections. Mr Nakayama is the current State Minister for Defense in the Japanese cabinet.
Career
- Secretary to the Minister of Construction
- Advertising Agency Employee
- State Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Director, Committee on Economy, Trade and Industry, HR
- Chief Director, Special Committee on North Korean Abduction and Other Issues, HR
- Director, Committee on Security, HR
- Director, Public Speeches Division, LDP
- Director-General, Information Bureau, LDP
- Chief Secretary, Research Commission on Security, LDP
Ms. Merve Hickok
Founder of AIethicist.org
Senior Researcher at Center for AI & Digital Policy
Co-author of “Artificial Intelligence and Democratic Values Report: AISCI-2020”
Merve is an independent consultant & trainer focused on capacity building in ethical and responsible AI and governance of AI systems. Merve is a founding editorial board member of Springer Nature AI & Ethics journal: one of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics 2021; Fellow at ForHumanity Center; a regional lead for Women in AI Ethics Collective; and a member in a number of IEEE & IEC work groups that set global standards for autonomous systems.
The AI Social Contract Index 2020
Click here: AISCI-2020
Club de Madrid and the Boston Global Forum advocate for Social Contract for the AI Age
In a Policy Lab organized on 16-18 September, the former heads of State and Government that that are Members of Club de Madrid joined experts from top universities convened by the Boston Global Forum, as well as other government representatives to present global policies for a better management of digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence
Club de Madrid and the Boston Global Forum just released the Final Report of the Policy Lab ‘Transatlantic Approaches on Digital Governance: A New Social Contract in the Age of Artificial Intelligence’, calling for members of World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid and world leaders to support, endorse and work for the implementation of the Social Contract for the AI Age. Among the central features of the Social Contract for the AI Age are the following:
- Defining a new TCP/IP (the platform for communication among internet users), that is, a set of norms, values and standards specifically designed as connections among governments for enabling and supporting international relations – including between governments, between companies, between companies and government.
- Communities must have control over their data, given that data literacy at all levels of society is the basis for an intelligent, thoughtful society.
- All governments should promote the Democratic Alliance for Digital Governance.
In terms of policymaking, Club de Madrid and the Boston Global Forum’s proposed SocialContract for the Digital Age involves:
- Supporting an approach that includes different actors: governments, international organizations, tech companies, civil society organizations, amongst others.
- Strengthening an inclusive, accountable, transparent and ethical system centered around human beings, where Human Rights and a rules-based order are respected.
- Supporting efforts to transform the UN Secretary General’s Roadmap on DigitalCooperation into a United Nations Convention on Artificial Intelligence.
- Promoting a Transatlantic Alliance ensuring that our multilateral system is capable ofmanaging the global health crisis and other global challenges.
- Creating a Code of Ethics for AI Developers and AI Users.
- Building a system to monitor and evaluate governments, companies, and individuals.
- Fostering the recognition of the Social Contract for the AI Age by the United Nations,OECD, and other international organizations, governments, companies, civil society
and the global AI community.
- Creating the “AIWS City”, a virtual digital city dedicated to the principle of the SocialContract for the AI Age.
Background
In the midst of the current world health emergency caused by COVID-19, and which has impacted all spheres of life, humanity has turned to digital technologies and artificial intelligence to face impending challenges. From remote working to financial services and medical equipment, the extent to which we now depend on technology is increasing at a staggering rate. Hospitals are using robots to disinfect rooms, governments have become reliant on complex databases to curb the virus’ spread, and programmers have designed phone apps from which we can remotely control outbreaks. Under the present circumstances,
In this trying context, World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid (WLA-CdM) in partnership with the Boston Global Forum (BGF), and with the generous support of the Tram Huong Khanh Hoa Company (ATC), organized the Policy Lab “ Transatlantic Approaches on Digital Governance: A New Social Contract in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,”. This multi- stakeholder dialogue analyzed global challenges and offer actionable policy solutions, as we consider the need to create a new social contract on digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). By contrasting North American and European best practices and perspectives, Club de Madrid and Boston Global Forum formulated policy recommendations and innovative ideas that help shape the role of the multilateral system in digital governance and give way to a renewed agreement between society and governments on digitalisation.
To debate these challenges, the Policy Lab will convened over 10 former democratic Heads of State and Government (all Members of Club de Madrid) Manuel Muñiz, Secretary of State for Global Spain, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain, as well as world class experts like computer scientist father of the Internet Vint Cerf, chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, MIT Professor Alex Pentland and Governor Michael Dukakis, Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States (1988), professors of Harvard, MIT, and top universities. Together, the participants will lend their experience-based critical judgement to pioneering discussions which seek, among other priorities, to identify ways of engaging different sectors of society in grounding policymaking while protecting the democratic mandate.
Safeguarding citizen rights has become imperative since technology grants substantial power to those who control it. For instance, the technology being used to track citizen movements could potentially pose a violation of privacy rights if misused or left at the hands of non- democratic governments. New communication channels have also been contributing to the rapid spread of fake news about COVID-19, which has generated disinformation and increased confusion. All in all, the rapid rollout of digital technologies and AI beyond the control of states poses a global challenge never seen before, which is why we should not set global, regional and national standards of digital governance without all societal actors. Like so, debates from this Policy Lab on “The Social Contract for the AI Age”, the first social contract in digital, Internet and AI era, a platform for connection among governments, stakeholders, and private and public institutions, and for balancing centers power, initiated by the Boston Global Forum, payed particular attention to insight presented by government representatives, academic institutions, think tanks, tech companies and civil society.
By comparing American and European approaches in the creation of a new social contract on digitalisation, with the foresight of former democratic presidents and prime ministers, this discussion generated a space to encourage and strengthen transatlantic cooperation around
technology seems to be an ally rather than a foe. Still, increasing concern from governments, academics and civil society that this technological transformation may be outpacing policy, must not be overlooked.
digital governance and under the framework of much needed multilateral reforms and urgent global responses to common problems like the COVID-19 crisis. The dialogue served as a platform to establish a Transatlantic Alliance for Digital Governance and the AIWS City, an all- digital virtual city based on the standards and norms of “the Social Contract for the AI Age”, “People Centered Economy”, “Trustworthy Economy” and “Intellectual Society”. Lastly, the discussing adressed the creation of an initiative to monitor governments as well as companies in using AI and to generate an AI Ethics Index at all levels.
ABOUT
World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid (WLA-CdM) is the largest worldwide assembly of democratic political leaders working to strengthen democratic values, good governance and the well-being of citizens across the globe. As a non-profit, non-partisan, international organization, its network is composed of more than 100 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from over 70 countries, together with a global body of advisors and expert practitioners, who offer their voice and agency on a pro bono basis, to today’s political, civil society leaders and policymakers. WLA-CdM responds to a growing demand for trusted advice in addressing the challenges involved in achieving ‘democracy that delivers’, building bridges, bringing down silos and promoting dialogue for the design of better policies for all. This alliance, providing the experience, access and convening power of its Members, represents an independent effort towards sustainable development, inclusion and peace, not bound by the interest or pressures of institutions and governments.
In 2019 the WLA-CdM launched a ‘Call to Action’ to promote a democratic approach to Digital Transformation and the Future of Democracy, developed during its 2019 Annual Policy Dialogue, whereby it invites world leaders to take proactive action to frame the development of digital technologies in an inclusive, fair and rights-based legal, political and social framework.
The Boston Global Forum (BGF) is a not-for-profit think tank based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its mission is to bring together, in an open and accessible public forum, an eclectic and engaging spectrum of esteemed academic leaders, real-world experts, thought leaders, media experts and promising young leaders, who are dedicated to seeking peaceful solutions to the most contentious issues of our times. An offshoot of The Boston Global Forum, The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) was born in 2015. Its mission is to generate ideas, create solutions, and deploy initiatives to solve global issues, especially initiatives in Cybersecurity, AI World Society (AIWS) and AIWS City.
The Artificial Intelligence World Society (AIWS) is a set of values, ideas, concepts and protocols for standards and norms whose goal is to advance the peaceful development of AI to improve the quality of life for all humanity. It was conceived by the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) and established on November 22, 2017. Read more here.
CONTACT
- Further details of WLA-CdM are available by contacting Agustina Briano, Outreach andDevelopment Coordinator of WLA-CdM: [email protected]
- Further details of BGF and AIWS are available by contacting Tuan Anh Nguyen, Co- founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Boston Global Forum, and Director of The
Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation:
- For press credentials please contact Dick Pirozzolo: [email protected] /+16179594613
- For press inquiries and/or interview requests of WLA-CdM Members, please reach Alejandro Hita, Communications Manager of WLA-CdM: [email protected] / +34607694354SOCIAL MEDIA
HASHTAG #DigitalGov
Agenda – World Leader for Peace and Security Award, December 12, 2020
Special Side Event “Quad Roundtable” at the Riga Conference 2020
Session the Quad Group, AIWS Social Contract and solutions for world peace and security
Speakers:
Governor Michael Dukakis, Chairman of the Boston Global Forum (US),
Defense State Minister Yasuhide Nakayama (Japan),
Senator Kimberley Kitching, Chair of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Reference Committee (Australia),
Ambassador P.S Raghavan, Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board (India)
Moderator: Mr Sandis Šrāders, LATO’s Board Member
Theme: The Quad Group, AIWS Social Contract and solutions for world peace and security
The Quad Roundtable is a special side event of the Riga Conference 2020, Session Quad Roundtable” the Quad Group, AIWS Social Contract and solutions for world peace and security”, co-organized by the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO) and the Boston Global Forum.
Time and date: 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm (Riga time), November 12, 2020 , Virtual Roundtable.
Concept notes:
The Quadrilateral Initiative – informally named the Quad – first began in May 2007 with a meeting between the US, Japan, India and Australia in the Philippine capital Manila.
The informal grouping, championed by Japan’s then prime minister Shinzo Abe, was viewed by analysts as an attempt to step up co-operation in the face of a rapidly rising China.
Prime Minister Suga told reporters he would seek to “promote a free and open Indo-Pacific” and also “build stable relations with neighbouring countries including China and Russia”.
So when Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo greeted each other in front of a bank of American and Japanese flags on October 6, 2020 in Tokyo, they exchanged what was surely the longest fist bump in their nations’ seven-decade alliance, a nearly 15-second joining of knuckles.
US State Secretary Pompeo’s remarks on October 6 evening, he said that the Quad’s members needed to protect their people from China’s “exploitation, corruption and coercion,” and he blamed China for a cover-up of the initial coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. A statement about Mr. Pompeo’s meeting with the Australian foreign minister, Marise Payne, described their discussions of “China’s malign activity in the region.”
On 16-18, September, the World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid and the Boston Global Forum co-organized the Policy Lab “Transatlantic Approaches on Digital Governance: A New Social Contract in the Age of AI”, in which presidents, prime ministers, distinguished thinkers, and scholars discussed the Social Contract for the AI Age, and saw it as significant standards for world politics and economy in the 21st century.
How can the Quad Group support and maintain peace and security? What is the role of each member?
How can the Quad contribute to peace and security in the European, Atlantic, and Baltic regions?
How can democratic governments support and use the Social Contract for the AI Age as standards for international relations and for peace and security?
How can democratic governments recognize and implement the Social Contract for the AI Age?
Agenda
14:30 Opening Remarks, Mr Sandis Šrāders, LATO’s Board Member
14:35 Presenter, Professor Nazli Choucri
14:40 Keynote Speech of Governor Michael Dukakis
15:00 Keynote Speech of State Minister Yasuhide Nakayama
15:20 Keynote Speech of Senator Kimberley Kitching
15:40 Keynote Speech of Ambassador P.S Raghavan
16:00 Q&A, Moderator by Mr Sandis Šrāders,
16:25 Concluding, Mr Sandis Šrāders
16:30 Thank you and next steps, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan
Riga Time
Bios of Keynote Speakers:
Michael Stanley Dukakis
Chairman of The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation;
Co-Founder and Chairman of The Boston Global Forum;
Co-founder of AIWS.net and the AIWS City
Co-Author of Social Contract for the AI Age
The three-term Governor of Massachusetts and the 1988 Democratic nominee for President of the United States, Distinguished Professor of Northeastern University and UCLA
Michael Stanley Dukakis culminates a half-century career dedicated to public service, political leadership, fostering the careers of young leaders, and scholarly achievement.
Together with Nguyen Anh Tuan, this former Massachusetts governor, has established The Boston Global Forum as a globally recognized think tank noted for developing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s most contentious issues.
Kimberley Kitching
- Senator for Victoria
- Parliament of Australia, Co-chair of Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC),
- Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability
Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate - Chair, Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee
Before being sworn in as a Senator in November 2016, Kimberley practised as a lawyer, worked as a manager in several private companies in information technology and human resources, was a senior adviser to the Treasurer of Victoria and the Victorian Minister for Industry, Trade, Major Projects and Information Technology, was a Melbourne City Councillor and the General Manager of the Health Workers Union in Victoria where she helped restore good governance and financial strength.
Yasuhide Nakayama
- State Minister of Defense, Japan
- Mentor of AIWS.net
Yasuhide Nakayama is a Japanese politician representing the Liberal Democratic Party, elected in December 2012 as a member of the House of Representatives of Japan and was re-elected in the December 2015 and 2017 elections. Mr Nakayama is the current State Minister for Defense in the Japanese cabinet.
Career
- Secretary to the Minister of Construction
- Advertising Agency Employee
- State Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Director, Committee on Economy, Trade and Industry, HR
- Chief Director, Special Committee on North Korean Abduction and Other Issues, HR
- Director, Committee on Security, HR
- Director, Public Speeches Division, LDP
- Director-General, Information Bureau, LDP
- Chief Secretary, Research Commission on Security, LDP
Ambassador P.S. Raghavan
Ambassador Raghavan is Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board, which advises India’s National Security Council on strategic and security issues.
As a career diplomat, he has served as India’s Ambassador to Russia, Czech Republic and Ireland. He had other diplomatic assignments in USSR, Poland, UK, Vietnam and South Africa.
He was an advisor to the Prime Minister of India (2000-2004) on foreign affairs, defence, national security, nuclear energy and space.
He founded, and was the first head of, the Development Partnership Administration, which coordinates India’s economic partnership programmes abroad, with an annual budget of over US$ 1.5 billion.
He was Chief Coordinator of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi (2012). From 2012 to January 2014, he was Special Envoy of Government of India to Sudan and South Sudan.
Bio of the Moderator:
Mr Sandis Šrāders
Board Member of the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation
Dr. Sandis Šrāders is a Fellow and Lecturer in Russian Military and Strategic Studies at the Baltic Defence College (Tartu, Estonia). His research interests cover such areas as American foreign policy, small states and international political economy, and transatlantic relations. Dr. Šrāders has assumed a variety of different roles. He has
served as Secretary-General and now holds the position of the member of the board of the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation. Until 2014 and further assumed the role of Board Member of LATO since 2014. He has been a project coordinator for the German Marshall Fund of the United States in the Baltic States (2013-2015). In this capacity he
was responsible for the accumulation of intellectual capital for the Latvian Presidency at the Council of the EU in 2015 by selecting experts, organising meetings and leading the final publication that addresses the EU’s Eastern Partnership. One of his more recent positions was Director of Strategic Projects, Sales and Advertising at Latvijas
Radio (2018-2020). He is the author of the recent (2020) book “Small Baltic States and the Euro-Atlantic Security Community”.
Bio of the Presenter:
Nazli Choucri
Board Member of the Boston Global Forum
Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Nazli Choucri is a Boston Global Forum board member and Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her work is in the area of international relations, most notably on sources and consequences of international conflict and violence. Professor Choucri is the architect and Director of the Global System for Sustainable Development (GSSD), a multi-lingual web-based knowledge networking system focusing on the multi-dimensionality of sustainability. As Principal Investigator of an MIT-Harvard multi-year project on Explorations in Cyber International Relations, she directed a multi-disciplinary and multi-method research initiative. She is Editor of the MIT Press Series on Global Environmental Accord and, formerly, General Editor of the International Political Science Review. She also previously served as the Associate Director of MIT’s Technology and Development Program.
The author of eleven books and over 120 articles, Dr. Choucri is a member of the European Academy of Sciences. She has been involved in research or advisory work for national and international agencies, and for a number of countries, notably Algeria, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Pakistan, Qatar, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. She served two terms as President of the Scientific Advisory Committee of UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformation (MOST) Program.
Happy Birthday to Governor Michael Dukakis
A very happy 87th birthday November 3, 2020 to Governor Michael Dukakis, Chairman of the Boston Global Forum, and Michael Dukakis Institute, Co-founder of AIWS.net and AIWS City, Co-author of the Social Contract for the AI Age. It is a great honor of the Boston Global Forum and we wish Chairman of the Boston Global Forum many more years of health and happiness.
Governor Michael Dukakis presented the World Leader Cybersecurity Award to Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves at the Loeb House, Harvard University, on Global Cybersecurity Day, December 12, 2017.
David Lovejoy
David Lovejoy’s international journey seamlessly weaves his North American roots with extensive experiences in Asia. This worldly perspective underpinned his success as a tour guide in Myanmar, Vietnam, and Japan, where he championed mutual understanding and cultural appreciation. An MBA graduate from the University of British Columbia, David’s leadership capabilities shone as the Vice President of the university’s consulting club. There, he played an instrumental role in assisting local charities and SMEs to bolster efficiency, expand their reach, and secure crucial funding. Recognized for his outstanding contributions, David was honored with the Excellence in Leadership Award from the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. Committed to fostering the next generation of leaders, David mentors students for career development and is a founding member of TEC Canada’s peer mentoring group. His vision culminated in establishing Horizon Search, a groundbreaking platform that embodies his dedication to global collaboration and innovative thought exchange.