Argumentative Alaska
Upcoming Free to Join Online Events
20 August 2025 @ 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (GMT-4), Center for Strategic and International Studies, US
The Future of U.S.-Australia Critical Minerals Cooperation
This session will host a discussion between Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd and CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program Director Gracelin Baskaran on the future of U.S.–Australia collaboration on securing critical mineral supply chains. As Australia proceeds with plans for a national critical minerals reserve and government-backed offtake agreements, the conversation will explore how the partnership can enhance resilience, sustainability, and diversification in this strategic sector. Against the backdrop of wider frameworks such as the Quad and AUKUS, the conversation will highlight the value of cooperation for defence and advanced manufacturing. For more information, and to register for this online event, please visit [CSIS].
20 August 2025 @ 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (GMT-4), Center for a New American Security, US
Virtual Event | Fireside Chat with Richard Fontaine and Karen House
This event, hosted by the Center for a New American Security, will feature journalist Karen House in conversation with CNAS CEO Richard Fontaine to discuss her new biography The Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia. The discussion will explore Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s rise to power, his modernisation agenda for Saudi Arabia, his impact on Middle Eastern politics, and his controversial leadership style, offering critical insights into one of today’s most consequential leaders. For more information and to register for this online event, please see [CNAS].
20 August 2025 @ 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (GMT-4), Center for American Progress, US
Hope After Harm: Reimagining Victim Compensation
Co-hosted by the Center for American Progress' Gun Violence Prevention team and Common Justice, this event will debut the State Victim Compensation Statute Rubric, a groundbreaking examination of 52 state and territorial crime victim compensation laws. The discussion will highlight barriers that restrict access to these essential programs and demonstrate how the rubric can empower advocates to advance more equitable reforms. A panel of state leaders will share lessons from recent policy successes and future opportunities for expanding justice for crime victims. For more information, and to register for this online event, please see, [CAP].
20 August 2025 @ 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (GMT+9), Sakakawa Peace Foundation, Japan
Official Side Event of TICAD 9
Building Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Food Systems and Local Economies in Africa Anchored in Sustainable Blue Economies and Agriculture
This session at the highest level, "Developing Sustainable, Resilient, and Inclusive Food Systems and Local Economies in Africa: Blue Economy and Agriculture Perspectives," will convene political leaders, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss the critical contribution of agriculture and the blue economy to the development of Africa. In the context of climate change, resource vulnerability, and demographic changes, the session aims to promote inclusive discussion, shed light on multisectoral solutions, and empower youth and stakeholders to influence sustainable and resilient African food systems and local economies. For more information and to register for this online event, please visit [Sakakawa Peace Foundation].
20 August 2025 @ 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. (GMT-4), The Stimson Institute, US
Using AI to Understand Disaster Risks: New Tools, Shifting Frontiers, Chronic Challenges
This panel will explore how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing disaster risk analysis and management. With a combination of research, policy, and practitioner insights, the panel will highlight new AI and machine learning applications for hazard modeling, forecasting, and anticipatory response to hazards such as floods, wildfires, and landslides. Speakers will also critically assess the limitations, risks, and ethical ramifications of AI adoption, with specific attention to governance, responsibility, and equity issues. The session will aim to balance technological potential with nuanced policy and ethical reflection. For more information, and to register for this online event, please visit [Stimson Institute].
21 August 2025 @ 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (GMT-4), Institute for Policy Studies, US
Hungary and Poland: The Triumph and Defeat of Trump’s European Counterparts
This program discusses Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's remaking of Hungary from a post-Communist democracy to an illiberal state, inspired by Vladimir Putin and influential on Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. It will discuss how Orbán has consolidated power over 15 years, his influence on European policies, and comparisons with other regional leaders in Slovakia, Serbia, and Poland. The conversation will also address Poland's recent democratic turn and the wider lessons Hungary and Poland might have for a second Trump presidency. For more information and to register for this online event, please visit [Institute for Policy Studies].
21 August 2025 @ 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (GMT-4), The Heritage Foundation, US
Trump’s New Counterterrorism Strategy Landscape
This event will feature a fireside chat between Dr. James Carafano and Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, on the Trump administration’s evolving counterterrorism strategy. Against the backdrop of weakened immigration enforcement, permissive border policies, and rising extremist activity—including threats from hostile states—the discussion will examine how counterterrorism has reemerged as a national priority and outline the strategic policy shifts driving the administration’s approach. For more information, and to register for this online event, please visit [The Heritage Foundation].
21 August 2025 @ 5:00 p.m. (GMT-7), Pacific Council, US
Beyond Borders: A Critical look at the U.S. - Central American Relationship
Pacific Council event: This event, organized by the Pacific Council, will discuss the transforming U.S.–Central America relationship in the context of conflict, migration, economic relations, and changing political dynamics. With Amb. (ret.) Cynthia Telles and moderated by Dr. Jerrold D. Green, the conversation will delve into how U.S. policy under the Trump administration—including the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, deportations of migrants, and attempts to regain control of the Panama Canal—is informing regional reactions and affecting Central America's position in redesigning this long-standing partnership. For more information, and to register for this online event, please visit [Pacific Council].
21 August 2025 @ 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (GMT+8), Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore
Where Southeast Asia Fits: China’s Evolving Regional Strategy Amid American Retreat
This webinar will discuss how China is navigating the changing regional terrain under Trump 2.0, as the United States pivots to unilateralism, withdraws from multilateral trade, reduces aid, and abrogates global responsibilities. As much as these changes provide opportunities for Beijing to increase leadership in Southeast Asia through development and security engagement, they also provide complications from tariffs, supply chain disruptions, and increased geopolitical tensions. The conversation will examine if Trump's re-election provides China a strategic dividend or a complication source, while probing China's structural challenges in consolidating regional influence. For more information and to register for this online event, please visit [Yusof Ishak Institute].
25 August 2025 @ 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (GMT+2), The South African Institute of International Affairs, South Africa
Enhancing Global Trade Cooperation Amid Rising Protectionism: Can South-South Cooperation Be the Answer?
This policy discussion, co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in South Africa and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), will explore how growing protectionism and tariff-based policies are transforming global trade and the implications for the Global South. Taking forward the 2024 FOCAC Summit, the conversation will consider how Africa and China can adjust to uncertainty, deepen investment and value addition, expand trade diversification, and seek collaborative avenues to defend and shape the new international trade order under WTO ideals. For more information, and to register for this online event, please visit [SIIA].
26 August 2025 @ 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (GMT+10), Australian Institute of International Relations, Australia
Three Kims: Narratives, Nukes, and Negotiations
This session will explore the endurance of North Korea's Kim regime through three generations, its foundational myths, worldview, and the paradoxes of "Koreanism" in North-South relations. It will discuss conflicting interpretations of reunification and denuclearisation, along with the legacies of South Korea's "sunshine" and "moonshine" policies and global engagement with Pyongyang. By re-examining narratives, intelligence, and negotiations from the 1990s to the Trump-Kim summits, the session aims to re-evaluate previous understandings of the Hermit Kingdom and ponder its uncertain future path. For more information and to register for this online event, please visit [AIIA].
26 August 2025 @ 9:00 a.m. (GMT+8), International Crisis Group, Singapore
Riding Unruly Waves: The Philippines’ Military Modernisation Effort
This event will explore how the Philippines, led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is rebalancing its security strategy by prioritizing external threats and bolstering its alliance with the United States amid rising tensions with China in the South China Sea. With Lindsey Ford, Radm. Rommel Jude Ong (Ret.), and Georgi Engelbrecht, the discussion will assess Manila's military modernization, the role of U.S. and regional defense partnerships, and how diplomacy can complement deterrence to enhance the Philippines' defense posture in an evolving Indo-Pacific. For more information and to register for this online event, please visit [International Crisis Group].
Recent Book Releases
Rosinka Chaudhuri, India’s First Radicals: Young Bengal and the British Empire, India Viking, 336 pages, published February 28, 2025. For a review, see [Asian Review of Books].
William J Glover, Reformatting Agrarian Pasts: Urban History from the Countryside in Colonial India, Stanford University Press, 307 pages, published April 2, 2025. For a review, see [Asian Review of Books].
Leah Litman, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes, One Signal Publishers, 320 pages, published May 13, 2025. For a review, see [Los Angeles Review of Books].
Jon Lee Anderson, To Lose a War: The Fall and Rise of the Taliban, Penguin Press, 400 pages, published August 12, 2025. For a review, see [Penguin Books].
Osita Nwanevu, The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding, Random House, 384 pages, published August 12, 2025. For a review, see [Penguin Books].
🌍 Top Stories of the Week 12/8 - 18/8
12 August
Europe is concerned that Trump might reach a Ukraine deal with Putin that could jeopardise European security, will meet him on Wednesday. [Source]
Trump extends China tariff deadline by 90 days. Meaning that US will hold its tariffs for 30% on Chinese imports and China will hold at 10% for American imports. [Source]
Zelensky may agree to end the war by letting Russia keep the territory it currently holds in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea. US got resources, Russia got land. Ukraine got? 🤔 [Source]
13 August
Russia is advancing in Ukraine before Peace talks in Alaska with the US. Grabbing as much territory as possible. [Source]
Netanyahu says he will allow Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip as Israel prepares largest military offensive. [Source]
Modi likely to be in US next month for UNGA meet, bilateral talks with Trump. [Source]
Netanyahu says Iran still possesses 400 kilos of enriched uranium. [Source]
An analysis ahead for peace talks in Alaska:
US-Russia deciding fate of EU and Ukraine.
Trump has dismissed experienced officials and has been replacing them with loyalists.
The European leaders are worried because they are not invited. It can turn out like the Yalta conference of 1945, sealing the fate of Europe and its allies.
These closed-door meetings, other than peace talks, might witness the inking of a number of economic deals for the Arctic.
US and Russia achieved what they desired. territory and resources. a peace agreement can be achieved if Ukraine gives up territory.
14 August
Trump tells Zelensky and European leaders that conceding Ukranian territory will be necessary. [Source]
Arab nations fume after Netanyahu says he feels connection to vision of ‘Greater Israel’. [Source]
Israel is in talks with Indonesia, Libya, and others to take in Gazans. [Source]
15 August
Trump says tariffs on India 'probably' pushed Putin to negotiating table. If Putin doesn’t make deal.. Trump will increase tariff on India. Trump leveraged India against Russia.. but it affect relations. [Source]
Many countries celebrate Independence day on 15 August, India, Bahrain got freedom from British, S & N Korea got freedom from Japan, Congo got freedom from French.
China accuses Philippine vessels of ‘dangerous manoeuvres’ after its own ships collided. [Source]
16 August
Reports from Alaska meeting tough on Putin. Reporter1: President Putin, will you stop killing civilians? Reporter 2: President Putin, why should Trump trust you? Will you commit to not killing any more civilians? [Source]
Trump welcomes Putin with B-2 bomber, F-22, F35 and other military equipments. A clear show of strength before peace talks. [Source]
Trump-Putin meeting ends without any deal or ceasefire in Ukraine. Both complimented each other, spent quality time together in room. Trump did not took any questions from Press. In interview he says 'Ukraine might not accept deal. China is Russia's enemy.' etc. Putin noted name of journalists who asked tough questions. [Source]
17 August
Trump told European leaders peace could come quickly if Zelensky ceded all of Donbas (Eastern Ukraine) to Russia, including areas not under Russian control. [Source]
European delegation to the White House: Zelensky, von der Leyen, Starmer, Merz, Macron, Meloni, Stubb, Mark Rutte. Almost like Europe has asked Trump to decide fate of Europe. [Source]
18 August
The concessions that Russia agreed to consist in that it will not capture the entire territory of Ukraine, — Whitkoff. [Source]
