National Security Salon

This past Friday (5/21), PMAA hosted its first National Security Salon. Representative Andy Kim and Brookings’ Ryan Hass joined moderator Dr. Tracy Carson to discuss lessons in foreign policy leadership, where rhetoric around competition with China meets anti-AAPI violence, and the importance of public service. [You can check out the recorded session here: https://www.presidentialmanagementalumniassociation.org/training/national-security-salon]

Representative Kim kicked things off, explaining how the PMF program took him from a loosely-formed interest in government service without a concrete idea of what that looked like to a position at the State Department and the start of a fantastic and far flung career in foreign relations. Reflecting back on his career to date, Kim pointed out the importance of humility in all things we do on the world stage. Hass built on this idea, adding that not every global problem has an American solution.

Through diverse careers that took Hass and Kim out into the world and to the White House, both men gained perspective into the way that seemingly simple asks out of DC can swell to require many labor-hours from the people at Post. They put in the extra hours to bridge the gaps between DC and field staff, between political and career hires, and between executive and legislative public servants.

From there, the speakers turned to the rise of China. Ryan, who has just published a book on America’s China strategy, explained how numerous examples (anti-German American sentiment during WWI, anti-Japanese American sentiment during WWII, anti-Muslim sentiment following 9/11) in our history demonstrate how racial violence follows in the wake of nationalism mixing with great power competition. Seen through this lens, the 146% increase in racially-motivated violence against AAPI community members is not an aberration, but part of a long and painful history. Only through significant will can we put an end to this terrible cycle, lest we continue repeating it.

Kim and Ryan went on to explore what strengths the US brings to its competition with China, how the Biden Administration might prioritize among multiple crises, and the importance of public service. Kim summed up one of his guiding convictions with words told to him early on in his government career: you don’t have good government if you don’t have good people working in government.

PMAA thanks Representative Kim, Ryan Hass, and Dr. Tracy Carson for a fantastic discussion. We hope you will check out the whole thing, which was as inspiring as it was elucidating!