From China’s new Silk Road initiative that connects dozens of cities across three continents to urban behemoths like Lagos and Mumbai in the developing world, cities are more connected, concentrated, and influential than ever. Join us Monday, November 7th, to explore:
Opportunities and Risks in the Century of Cities
Our special speaker, Col. Patrick J. Mahaney, will anchor our discussion with his expertise on megacities, the focus of his role as Senior Military Fellow of the U.S. Army’s Strategic Studies Group.
The city is one of mankind’s oldest and most abiding social structures. The great ones have been destroyed and rebuilt many times over, outlasting empires and nations. Megacities – cities with populations of 10 million or more – are expected to grow from 20 today to close to 40 by 2025. We’ll discuss the improved connectivity that accompanies this growth, the opportunities for innovation and inclusiveness, and the challenges in terms of resources, infrastructure, and security.
More about our speaker:
Col. Patrick J. Mahaney, Jr. is an Army Special Forces Officer currently serving as the Senior Military Fellow of the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Strategic Studies Group. He assumed these duties following assignment as a Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Previously, he commanded the U.S. Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group, where he was responsible for global support to U.S. and allied ground forces and interagency partners in countering asymmetric and irregular threats. He has also commanded a Special Forces battalion and a Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan. Colonel Mahaney has served in the 7th Special Forces Group, Joint Special Operations Command, the Special Warfare Center and School, the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan, and in a range of combat and operational assignments that include combat operations in Panama, DESERT STORM, and seven deployments to Afghanistan. Colonel Mahaney holds a B.A. from New York University (with honors), and Master’s degrees from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and from the University of Perugia in Italy. He is a graduate of the Army War College's Fellowship in Italy, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Suggested reading:
- Megacities, Not Nations, are the World’s Dominant, Enduring Social Structures
Today cities have become the world’s dominant demographic and economic clusters, though connectivity matters more than size.
- Safe in the City: Urban Spaces are the New Frontier for International Security
Major cities of the world will increasingly play a large role in the 21st century distribution of global power.
- How Cities Are Shaping International Relations
While countries negotiate international security deals, trade partnerships, and climate agreements, the power of cities to develop their own foreign policy is growing.
Additional articles will be posted on our Facebook page.
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