Geopolitical tensions between the United States and China have sparked calls for policies to “decouple” the multifaceted economic ties that connect the two powers. Advocates have argued for such policies to ensure U.S. economic health, reduce U.S. dependence on China for strategically important goods and limit security vulnerabilities in key sectors such as telecommunications network infrastructure. 

To study the efficacy of these tactics, CSET examined the United States’ past efforts to decouple supply chains in satellite technology. CSET’s Tim Hwang and Emily S. Weinstein and CNAS’ Martijn Rasser discussed the lessons these past efforts have taught us when considering export control and trade policy for AI-relevant technologies today.

Discussion and Recording

Participants

Tim Hwang is a Research Fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). He is the former Director of the Harvard-MIT Ethics and Governance of AI Initiative, a philanthropic project working to ensure that machine learning and autonomous technologies are researched, developed, and deployed in the public interest. Previously, he was at Google, where he was the company’s global public policy lead on artificial intelligence, leading outreach to government and civil society on issues surrounding the social impact of the technology. Dubbed “The Busiest Man on the Internet” by Forbes Magazine, his current research focuses on the geopolitical aspects of computational power and machine learning hardware, and the future of media manipulation and online information warfare. He holds a JD from Berkeley Law School and a BA from Harvard College. 

Emily S. Weinstein is a Research Fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), focused on U.S. national competitiveness in AI/ML technology and U.S.-China technology competition. She is also a Nonresident Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub and the National Bureau of Asian Research. In her previous role at CSET, Emily conducted research on China’s S&T ecosystem, talent flows, and technology transfer issues. Emily has previously testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission and the Wisconsin State Legislature’s Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges. She has written on topics related to research security and China’s S&T developments in Foreign Policy, Lawfare, DefenseOne, and other outlets. Emily holds a BA in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan and an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University.

Martijn Rasser is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Technology and National Security Program at CNAS. Prior to joining Center for a New American Security, 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. Rasser received his BA in anthropology from Bates College and his MA in security studies from Georgetown University.