For the first time in modern American History, we are forced to operate without a guiding strategic concept, such as the Cold War’s “Contain the Soviets”.  This at a time when American power is challenged and the number of issues before us at an all-time high. This is a discussion of what it takes for the United States to maneuver and thrive — economically, politically, militarily — in this new world. 

From the time of the 1917 Revolution, Russia has struggled to find its place in the world.  It’s relationship with the United States has gone from pariah to ally to enemy to competitor.  Currently relations are at another historic low.  What’s behind this, what do we want from Russia, and what is the way forward?

Intelligence has never been more important to the United States. While it was critical in the Cold War, the bi-polar nature of that conflict made the targets clearer and more straightforward.  Looking at the history of intelligence operations in the United States, we are now in fourth phase of its evolution, with the changes brought about at CIA following the 9/11 attacks opening the latest and most challenging chapter. We take a look here at the challenges ahead and how they will affect American interests in this century.

At least six simultaneous conflicts are underway in the Middle East, all touching US interests:  Persians vs Arabs, Palestinians vs Israelis, terrorists vs regimes, terrorists vs terrorists, Sunni vs Shia, modernizers vs traditionalists.  The forces unleashed by the 2010 Arab Spring simmer just beneath the surface.  What the region holds in the next year and how the United States should deal with it. 

China, Japan, Korea, the United States — four pillars of Asian power: how each is changing and competing and how this will affect US interests going forward.

The tenets of effective leadership learned while at the helm of the world’s preeminent intelligence agency.  What qualities inspire and attract followers, what styles of leadership work most effectively, and how all this comes to play in crises.

Building on his book, Creating Business Magic, this is a discussion of the principles and psychology employed by effective magicians and how these can enhance creativity and success in the business world and other realms. This presentation can include examples from the McLaughlin’s professional magic repertoire. 

The intelligence leadership positions McLaughlin has held since the late 1990s have given him a unique perspective on the war against global terrorism. He charts the changes that have occurred in both the US government’s approach and in the terrorist camp. The net result, he notes, is that global terrorism is in some ways now less dangerous and in other ways more dangerous. This calls for an evolving set of policy responses on both a tactical and strategic level if we are to meet the challenges of what seems certain to be a “long war”.

Having operated at senior levels of the intelligence community during both the Cold War and the post 9/11 era, McLaughlin has a keen appreciation of both the past, present, and future challenges facing US intelligence. He argues that America’s intelligence community has come through a dramatic period of transformation and now faces demands every bit as important and difficult as anything in its history – a point he illustrates by tracing recent events around the globe. These range from immediate needs, such as fighting global terrorism, to more strategic imperatives, such as gauging the intentions of China and other rising powers and mapping future global trends in population, energy, and technology. The question hanging over all of this, he argues is: “Will this be an American century, as the last one most assuredly was?” – a question that intelligence will have to help answer.