Zachary Karabell

Dr. Zachary Karabell is President of River Twice Research, where he analyzes economic and political trends.  He is also a Senior Advisor for Business for Social Responsibility. Previously, he was Executive Vice President, Head of Marketing and Chief Economist at Fred Alger Management, as well as Portfolio Manager of the China-US Growth Fund, which won both a Lipper Award for top performance and a 5-star designation from Morningstar.

Educated at Columbia, Oxford, and Harvard, where he received his Ph.D., he is the author of several books, including Superfusion:  How China and America Became One Economy and Why the World’s Prosperity Depends On It, A Visionary Nation: Four Centuries of American Dreams and What Lies Ahead, The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election, and Peace Be Upon You: The Story of Muslim, Christian and Jewish Coexistence. 

In 2003, the World Economic Forum designated Dr. Karabell a “Global Leader for Tomorow.”  He sits on the board of the World Policy Institute and the New America Foundation, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  Dr. Karabell is a regular commentator on national news programs, such as CNBC, CNN and Fox News, and a contributor to such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and Foreign Affairs.

Daniel B. Wright

Daniel B. Wright is founder, President, and CEO of GreenPoint Group. Dr. Wright assists clients through his three decades of China experience building bridges between people, resources, and public policy, 8 of those years in China.

Dr. Wright was formerly Senior Vice President and China practice head of the Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm based in Washington, DC. Previously Dr. Wright served at the U.S. Treasury Department as Managing Director for China and the Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) where he provided strategic counsel to the Secretary of Treasury Henry M. Paulson, Jr. and SED Special Envoy Alan F. Holmer for this Cabinet-level economic exchange with China. Dr. Wright worked exclusively on China policy issues, developing and coordinating interagency strategies to achieve prioritized objectives with Cabinet-level Chinese agencies. He co-led in the development of the U.S.-China Ten Year Energy and Environmental Cooperation Framework, designing outreach initiatives with key stakeholders in China’s government and private sector and their U.S. counterparts. Dr. Wright worked closely with the office of then-Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi and her successor, Vice Premier Wang Qishan (counterparts to Treasury Secretary Paulson), since effective engagement and support from the Vice Premier’s office was a critical factor in reaching the breakthrough agreements associated with the Strategic Economic Dialogue.

Prior to his appointment in March 2007, Dr. Wright was Vice President and Washington D.C. Office Director of the National Bureau of Asian Research since 2004.   From 2000 to 2004, Dr. Wright served as the Executive Director of the Hopkins-Nanjing Program of Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the premier educational joint-venture program between the U.S. and China.

Dr. Wright has been a visiting scholar at Qinghua University’s School of Public Policy and Management. He studied Chinese and Chinese literature at Beijing University, the Beijing Foreign Language Institute, and the Beijing Languages Institute. He speaks frequently on China and has published two books: The Promise of the Revolution: Stories of Fulfillment and Struggle in China’s Hinterlandand Wo Kan Zhongguo (China Through My Eyes.

Dr. Wright earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from Johns Hopkins University SAIS, his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and his B.A. from Vanderbilt University.  Dr. Wright is based in Washington, DC and travels to China on a monthly basis. Dr. Wright reads, writes, and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.

David J. Firestein

David J. Firestein is EWI's Vice President for the Strategic Trust-Building Initiative and Track 2 Diplomacy; in this capacity, he leads EWI's China, Russia and United States programs.  A career U.S. diplomat from 1992 to 2010, Firestein is an expert in China, Russia, public diplomacy and U.S. politics.  In his Foreign Service career, he served at the U.S. embassies in Beijing (5 years) and Moscow (4 years).  Firestein speaks near native-level Chinese and fluent Russian and has interpreted for senior U.S. officials in both languages.

    Firestein is the author or co-author of three books on China, including two China-published bestsellers:  Pacific Reflections:  Essays on Chinese and American Society and Culture (1997); and Here and There:  81 Conversations about China and America (2004). In 1995-1996, Firestein wrote a column for the Beijing Youth Daily; he was the first foreigner ever to have a column in a PRC newspaper.  From 2000 to 2002, Firestein wrote over forty articles, mostly on U.S. politics and society, for Russian newspapers and magazines.  In all, he has published some 130 articles in Chinese and Russian publications, including the Global Times, the China Youth Daily, the Legal Times, Noviye Izvestiya and other major periodicals.  In the United States, Firestein’s recent commentary has appeared in the Dallas Morning News and the Austin American-Statesman.

Firestein’s career highlights include domestic Foreign Service stints at the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (as deputy executive director and senior advisor), the State Department's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) office, and the China desk.  From 2007 to 2009, Firestein was also an elected at-large member of the Board of Governors of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the Foreign Service’s union and professional association; in this capacity, he represented about 9,000 State Department Foreign Service constituents.

Among Firestein's major awards and honors are the 2006 "Secretary of State's Award for Public Outreach," MGIMO’s 2001 “Teaching Excellence Award,” the 1997 "Linguist of the Year Award" (for accomplishments in Mandarin Chinese in the U.S. Foreign Service), and designation, also in 1997, as one of Peking University's "50 Most Distinguished Foreign Alumni."  Also in 1997, the Beijing Youth Daily described Firestein as “arguably the most influential American in China” with respect to how Chinese viewed the United States.

Firestein is a frequent lecturer and speaker on U.S.-China relations, U.S.-Russia relations, public diplomacy, U.S. politics, and country music (especially, the political communication effect of American country music).  In the latter field, his 2005 article, “The Honky Tonk Gap:  Country Music, Red State Identity, and the U.S. Election of 2004” is considered a seminal contribution.

Firestein holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in international relations and master's degrees from the University of Texas in public affairs and Asian studies

William O’Grady

William O’Grady, Chief Investment Strategist, Confluence Investment Management, will offer his outlook for 2012, discussing what he sees as the key geopolitical issues that will affect the world and the markets this year.  

Bill joined Confluence Investment Management in November 2008 and previously served as Vice President and Chief Investment Strategist for Wachovia Securities.  As Chief Investment Strategist, Bill provided short-term asset allocation advice for Wachovia's Advisory Services Group. In addition, Bill managed Wachovia's Global Macro Asset Allocation program, an ETF-based alternative asset program. 

Prior to this, Bill served in a variety of positions in his 19-year tenure at A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. including Chief Global Investment Strategist, Assistant Director of Market Analysis, and Manager of Futures Research. Bill also served as a member of the A.G. Edwards Investment Strategy Committee.    Prior to joining A.G. Edwards, Bill was the international economic and administrative officer of Mercantile Bank in St. Louis, developing country risk analyses for international lending activities.  

In all, Bill has more than 20 years of experience following the energy, foreign exchange and futures markets. Bill is known for his geopolitical commentary along with his energy and currency background and is frequently quoted by such national media outlets as The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, CNBC, CBS News, Dow Jones News Service and Investor's Business Daily. Bill earned a Bachelor's degree in History and Public Administration from Avila College and a Master's degree in Economics from St. Louis University. 

Stewart M. Patrick

Dr. Stewart M. Patrick is senior fellow and director of the program on international institutions and global governance at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Dr. Patrick’s areas of expertise include multilateral cooperation in the management of global issues; U.S. policy toward international institutions, including the United Nations; the challenges posed by fragile, failing, and post conflict states; and the integration of U.S. defense, development, and diplomatic instruments in U.S. foreign and national security policy. 

From 2005 to April 2008, Dr. Patrick was research fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD). He directed CGD’s research and policy engagement on the intersection between security and development, with a particular focus on the relationship between weak states and transnational threats, as well as on the policy challenges of building effective institutions of governance in fragile settings. Dr. Patrick also served as a professorial lecturer in international relations/conflictmanagement at the Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. !From September 2002 to January 2005, Dr. Patrick served on the secretary of state’s policy planning staff, with lead staff responsibility for U.S. policy toward Afghanistan and a range of global and transnational issues. His portfolio included conducting analysis and providing recommendations for U.S. policies on weak and failing states, post conflict reconstruction, development, refugees and migration, international law enforcement, and global health affairs. 

Prior to government service, Dr. Patrick was a research associate at New York University’s (NYU) Center on International Cooperation. In that capacity, he designed and ran two multi-scholar research programs on post conflict reconstruction and on multilateralism and U.S. foreign policy. Dr. Patrick also taught U.S. foreign policy at NYU as an adjunct professor of political science. 

Dr. Patrick graduated from Stanford University and received his doctorate in international relations, as well as two masters’ degrees, from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes scholar. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of five books, including Weak Links: Fragile States, Global Threats, and International Security (Oxford University Press, May 2011). Dr. Patrick has also authored numerous articles and chapters on the subjects of multilateral cooperation, state building, and U.S. foreign policy.

Charles Freeman

Charles Freeman is an American diplomat, author, and writer. He has served for the State and Defense Departments in many different capacities in the past thirty years, with the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs calling his career "remarkably varied". 

Charles Freeman holds the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS. He concentrates on the political economy of China and other parts of East Asia and on U.S.-China relations, particularly trade and economic relations. A second-generation “China hand,” he has lived and worked between Asia and the United States for his entire life. During his government career, he served as assistant U.S. trade representative (USTR) for China affairs. In this capacity, he was the United States’ chief China trade negotiator and played a primary role in shaping overall trade policy with respect to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, and Mongolia. During his tenure as assistant USTR, he oversaw U.S. efforts to integrate China into the global trading architecture of the World Trade Organization. Freeman also served as the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1989 to 1992, where he dealt with issues related to the Persion Gulf War.  He is a past president of the MiddleEast Policy Council, co-chair of the U.S. China Policy Foundation, and vice-chair of the Atlantic Council.  Earlier in his government career, he served as legislative counsel for international affairs in the Senate.

Outside of government, as a lawyer and business adviser, he has counseled corporations and financial institutions on strategic planning, government relations, market access, mergers and acquisitions, corporate communication, and political and economic risk management in China. He currently is a senior adviser to McLarty Associates, the global strategic advisory firm based in Washington, D.C., and serves on the boards of directors of the National Committee of U.S.-China Relations and the Harding Loevner Funds mutual fund complex.

Freeman received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law, and earned a B.A. from Tufts University in Asian studies, concentrating in economics. He also studied Chinese economic policymaking at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Anthony Shaffer

Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer (USAR) currently serves as the Director of External Communications of the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS), and a consultant.  He is a senior operations officer and Military Operations Training Course (MOTC) graduate with over 29 years of field experience. He has held numerous leadership positions, including as commander of Operating Base (OB) Alpha (Defense Intelligence) and as directing Task Force STRATUS IVY - a unit that conducted cutting edge technology and information operations from the mid 90s through the turn of the century. He has played key roles in multiple interagency operations that were conducted with the NSA, CIA and FBI.

Lt. Col. Shaffer has led operations from the tactical level, such as defense source operations to protect REFORGER exercises in the 1980s to strategic level, such as STRATUS IVY's direct support mission for Operation ABLE DANGER in the late 1990s. Prior to the consolidation of all Department of Defense (DoD) Human Intelligence resources and operations under DIA in 1995, he was the chief of Army's controlled HUMINT program - overseeing Army Intelligence and Security Command's global controlled HUMINT efforts. He was responsible for combining cutting-edge technology with traditional military operations and intelligence collection to maximize the Department of Defense's ability to detect, monitor and neutralize emerging threats.

Lt. Col. Shaffer has appeared on Fox News, CNN, and other major TV and radio programs, and has been interviewed by The New York Times and other publications on pre-9/11 operations focused on Al Qaeda. He has testified before Congress on issues relating to 9/11 intelligence and operational failures.

Lt. Col. Shaffer was awarded the Bronze Star for the first of his two combat tours to Afghanistan. He was credited for conducting highly complex operational support to NSA, and for playing a critical role in breaking the back of a Taliban counteroffensive in the fall of 2003. In addition, he was called back to active duty for DESERT STORM/DESTERT SHIELD in 1991 to perform special support to Army Intelligence. He has been deployed to Thailand, Germany and New Zealand to support DoD efforts as an active duty member of the Army in addition to his Afghanistan experience.

He gained some fame with the publication of his book, Operation Dark Heart, which was ultimately heavily censored by the Pentagon.

Lt. Col. Shaffer is a 1986 graduate of Wright State University, where he was awarded a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies.

Mia Bloom

Dr. Bloom provides an "explanation of the unexplainable," a comprehensive overview of the historical roots and contemporary motivations of suicide terror and the deliberate use of rape during war, a practice termed “Gendercide.” Bloom's historical range is formidable; moving from the Zealots of first-century Judea to the Japanese kamikaze of WWII, Bloom stresses that suicide bombings can only thrive with the implied consent of an aggrieved population, which can be withdrawn: the Omagh bombing of 1998, for example, was a disaster for the IRA. Over and over again—from Chechnya to the West Bank—history teaches that harsh counterterror tactics become part of the cycle, or, part of the contagion of violence. She sees hopeful signs in Turkey's recent measured and partially successful response to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Also, touching upon suicide terror as practiced by women, especially in Chechnya and Sri Lanka, and how it is viewed, ironically, as a source of female empowerment. Wrapping up with consideration of the possible occurrence of suicide bombing on U.S. territory.

Mia Bloom is the acclaimed author of Dying to Kill: The Allure of Suicide Terror, a critically acclaimed study on suicide terrorism.  She is currently an associate professor of women's studies and international studies at the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA and a fellow at the International Center for the Study of Terrorism at Penn State. Previously she was an assistant professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.

With research specialties in ethnic conflicts, rape in war, and child soldiers, Bloom was a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations from 2003-2008.

Bloom has a PhD in political science from Columbia University, a Masters in Arab Studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelors from McGill University in Russian and Middle East Studies. She completed a year in the overseas program at Tel Aviv University and a semester at the Arab Language Institute (ALI) at the American University of Cairo. She has held research or teaching appointments at Rutgers, Princeton, Cornell, Harvard, and McGill Universities and speaks eight languages. She regularly appears on Fox News, CNN, CSPAN, CBC and CTV and has been interviewed by Jim Lehrer for PBS, Ted Koppel for Nightline, and Jesse Pearson for MTV.

She is completing articles on child terrorists, the radicalization of Muslims in Europe, and the 1990 "proxy bombing" campaign in Northern Ireland. Her new book entitled, "Bombshell: The Many Faces of Women Terrorists" will be published by Penguin. Bloom is currently writing a book on the deliberate use of Rape during War tentatively called "Gendercide: the Strategic Logic of Rape During War."