The Future of the Digital Order With Martijn Rasser

China, Russia, and various Middle Eastern governments are cultivating a new digital order across the pillars of information control, surveillance, and technology governance. Join Asia Society Northern California on Thursday, August 11 from 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Pacific for a public, in-person program in San Francisco with Martijn Rasser, Senior Fellow and Director of the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. Martijn will speak about The Future of the Digital Order and the role the U.S. should play, and what is at stake.

Nations that successfully harness the vast economic, political, and societal power of emerging information and communications technologies will shape the future of the global digital order. But this future is not set in stone. A closed, illiberal order is taking root in strategic regions around the world, as non-democratic governments exploit digital tools to grow both internal control and external influence.

Martijn will join us from Washington, D.C., where he previously served as a senior intelligence officer and analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for foreign emerging technologies, technology innovation, and weapons research and development. He also served as a senior advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, special advisor to a senior military commander in the Middle East, chief counterterrorism liaison to a U.S. military unit in Iraq, and vice chairman of a National Intelligence Council working group. Upon leaving government service, Rasser was chief of staff at Muddy Waters Capital, an investment research firm. More recently, Rasser was director of analysis at Kyndi, a venture-backed AI startup in Silicon Valley. For more background about his work, here is a link to Martijn’s recent reports: https://www.cnas.org/reports?author=martijn-rasser

This program is complimentary for Asia Society Members.  Learn more and become a member today: https://asiasociety.org/northern-california/join-our-community

Board, Advisory Council, Groundbreaker and Innovator Members will be invited to a private VIP Reception immediately following the public program from 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Pacific. The VIP Reception is a special benefit for our Groundbreaker and Innovator Members. To become a Groundbreaker or Innovator Member, visit our Membership page: https://asiasociety.org/northern-california/join-our-community

AGENDA

Date: Thursday, August 11, 2022 from 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Pacific

• 5:00 p.m.     Registration & Networking
• 5:30 p.m.     Program Begins
• 6:30 p.m.     Program Concludes; VIP Reception for Board, Advisory Council, Groundbreaker and Innovator Members
• 7:00 p.m.     VIP Reception Concludes

Venue: Bechtel Conference Center, San Francisco

All guests must show ID and proof of vaccination before entry, and are encouraged to bring a mask.

SPEAKER BIO

Martijn Rasser is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Technology and National Security Program at CNAS.

Prior to joining CNAS, Rasser served as a senior intelligence officer and analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he worked on foreign emerging technologies, technology innovation, and weapons research and development. He also served as a senior advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, special advisor to a senior military commander in the Middle East, chief counterterrorism liaison to a U.S. military unit in Iraq, and vice chairman of a National Intelligence Council working group.

Upon leaving government service, Rasser was chief of staff at Muddy Waters Capital, an investment research firm. More recently, Rasser was director of analysis at Kyndi, a venture-backed AI startup in Silicon Valley.

His commentary and research have appeared in leading publications including Foreign Policy, Lawfare, San Francisco Chronicle, Politico, and Scientific American, and he is regularly quoted in outlets such as Axios, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Fortune, The New York Times, Nikkei Asia, South China Morning Post, Straits Times, Sydney Morning Herald, The Wall Street Journal, and WIRED. He has made media appearances on BBC, CNBC, and Fox News, among others. Rasser received his BA in anthropology from Bates College and his MA in security studies from Georgetown University.