The Fear-Mongering and Racial Profiling of the "China Initiative," in Conversation with Gisela Perez Kusakawa (Executive Director, Asian American Scholars Forum) and Mike German (former FBI special agent and Brennan Center Fellow)

Our guests will discuss the so-called "China Initiative," launched in the first Trump administration. Of this effort, German wrote, "Ostensibly designed to combat economic espionage and intellectual property theft by Chinese government agents, the program quickly devolved into a campaign of racial profiling and fearmongering that targeted U.S.-based scientists and technologists who were not even suspected of spying or intellectual property theft. The chilling effect it created within the U.S. scientific community continues to threaten American primacy in science and technology."

Find two more insightful pieces about this initiative here:

• Caught in the Crossfire: Fears of Chinese–American Scientists (PNAS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science)
• The US Crackdown on Chinese Economic Espionage is a Mess. We Have the Data to Show It. (MIT Technology Review)

Series organizers (alphabetical) are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, Psychology), Stan Futch (President, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Dr. Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College Adjunct Faculty), Dr. Mary Texeira (CSUSB Sociology). Click here to view previous  and upcoming panels in the Conversations on Race and Policing series (link). Thanks to Project Rebound for their support of this event!