Intelligence Squared U.S. Returns to Aspen to Debate China Policy, Streaming Live August 2

The United States responded to China’s unfair trade practices and pervasive intellectual property theft with harsh tariffs and tough rhetoric. But some wonder whether the U.S.'s current policies offer any hope of containing a country taking an increasing role as a world leader: dominating the 5G revolution, investing and building ports and bridges all over the world, and developing military technology capable of cutting off U.S. access to neighboring waters. Can the U.S. successfully counter Beijing’s expanding influence with its current policies, or do they dangerously undermine critical relations between two world powers? On Friday, August 2, veteran debate series Intelligence Squared U.S. returns to Aspen to host a live debate on the motion "The Recent U.S. Policy Towards China Is Productive."

Arguing in favor of the motion are Michael Pillsbury, a Defense Department official under both Reagan and the first Bush, and Kori Schake, who worked in the National Security Council under the second Bush. Arguing against the motion are Graham Allison, Clinton's assistance secretary of defense, and Jake Sullivan, former National Security Adviser to Vice President Biden and senior policy adviser on Secretary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

The debate will be held at Aspen's Paepcke Auditorium in collaboration with the Aspen Strategy Group and stream live online, then air soon after as part of the syndicated public radio show and podcast "Intelligence Squared U.S." On August 2, online viewers can tune in at IQ2US's website: https://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/recent-us-policy-towards-china-productive

WHAT: Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates "The Recent U.S. Policy Towards China Is Productive"

WHEN: Friday, August 2 / 4:00-5:30 PM MDT

WHERE: Paepcke Auditorium / 1000 North 3rd St / Aspen, CO 81611

TICKETS: $25. To purchase, visit http://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/

Arguing For the Motion

* Michael Pillsbury: Senior Fellow & Director for Chinese Strategy, Hudson Institute 

Michael Pillsbury is a distinguished defense policy adviser, former high-ranking government official, and author of numerous books and reports on China. During the Reagan administration, Pillsbury was assistant undersecretary of defense for policy planning and was responsible for the implementation of the program of covert aid known as the Reagan Doctrine. He also served as special assistant for Asian affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense under President George H. W. Bush. Pillsbury is a senior fellow and the director for Chinese strategy at the Hudson Institute. 

* Kori Schake: Deputy Director-General, International Institute for Strategic Studies 

Kori Schake is the deputy director-general of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and was previously a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. Schake is the editor, with Jim Mattis, of “Warriors and Citizens: American Views of Our Military” and author of “Safe Passage: The Transition from British to American Hegemony.” She was the director for defense strategy and requirements on the National Security Council under George W. Bush, where she helped create NATO’s Allied Command Transformation and the NATO Response Force. 

Arguing Against the Motion

* Graham Allison: Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School

Graham Allison is the Douglas Dillon professor of government at Harvard Kennedy School, where he has taught for five decades, and a leading analyst of national security. Allison was the founding dean of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and until 2017, served as director of its Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He was assistant secretary of defense under President Clinton and special adviser to the Secretary of Defense under President Reagan. A best-selling author, Allison’s latest book is “Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?” 

* Jake Sullivan: Former National Security Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden 

Jake Sullivan is a Montgomery fellow at Dartmouth College, Martin R. Flug visiting lecturer at Yale Law School, and a nonresident senior fellow in the Geoeconomics and Strategy Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Previously, he served in the Obama administration as national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden and director of policy planning at the State Department, as well as deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Sullivan was also the senior policy adviser on Secretary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

ABOUT INTELLIGENCE SQUARED U.S. DEBATES (IQ2US)

A non-partisan, non-profit organization, Intelligence Squared U.S. was founded in 2006 to address a fundamental problem in America: the extreme polarization of our nation and our politics. Their mission is to restore critical thinking, facts, reason, and civility to American public discourse. The award-winning debate series reaches over 30 million American households through multi-platform distribution, including radio, television, live streaming, podcasts, interactive digital content, and on-demand apps on Roku and Apple TV. With over 150 debates and counting, Intelligence Squared U.S. has encouraged the public to "think twice" on a wide range of provocative topics. Author and ABC News correspondent John Donvan has moderated IQ2US since 2008. 

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