SCSP's Summer Reading: Exciting Reads on Technology, Geopolitics, and National Security from the AI+ Expo
A recap of the AI+ Expo Bookstore.
Hello, I’m Ylli Bajraktari, President of the Special Competitive Studies Project. Welcome to our latest newsletter, where we bring you a focused recap of the insightful sessions and groundbreaking discussions from the Bookstore at the recent AI+ Expo! Tucked into one of the Expo’s most engaging spaces, the Bookstore provided a relaxed setting for attendees to engage directly with today’s most compelling authors.
Save the Date for the AI+ Science Summit!
SCSP’s AI+ Summit Series is a set of high-level events dedicated to enabling rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) as it transforms our country and becomes a keystone of our national security. The AI+ Science Summit, the fifth in this series, will take place on July 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. - stay tuned for more information coming soon!
Highlights from the AI+ Expo Bookstore
As drone swarms buzzed overhead and robots walked the convention floor, attendees were drawn to the Bookstore. Authors interacted with their readers, hundreds of books were purchased from our partner, Kramers, and, over the three groundbreaking days of Expo, eager readers gathered for candid conversations with some of the authors behind today's most impactful and forward looking books.
The Bookstore hosted fifteen talks, covering topics including geopolitics, national security, U.S. foreign policy, and emerging technologies. The talks were fascinating and thought-provoking, and focused on three areas:
Technology
SCSP is a “tech-first” organization, and we were honored to welcome the authors of some of the year’s most important technology books. Stephen Witt, whose new biography of Jensen Huang looks at NVIDIA’s rise and the leadership that shaped its path to success, spoke about the company’s origins and Huang’s unique approach to innovation, while Marc Hijink talked about ASML and the creation of the billion-dollar semiconductor industry. MIT’s David Mindell spoke about The New Lunar Society, his book revisiting the history of the thinkers behind the Industrial Revolution and the need for similar thought in today's landscape.
Geopolitics
The pace of geopolitical change is immense and books offer insight and crucial context to what is happening around us. We were honored to welcome Fareed Zakaria, Shadi Hamid, Dhruva Jaishankar, Victoria Coates, Edward Luce, Michael Sobolik, Emily Feng and Nury Turkel for a series of talks on a wide range of geopolitical subjects. Attendees learned about the revolutionary changes sweeping the world, the challenges of U.S. hegemony, and the case for the U.S.-Israeli partnership. Edward Luce, the author of Zbig, offered historical context to U.S. grand strategy. Emily Feng took a different approach to her book talk, opting for a candid conversation about her time in China and the challenges she faced reconciling her identity while reporting on life under the country's communist regime.
National Security
SCSP’s work on defense issues was addressed through a powerful series of talks from authors. Edward Fishman spoke on Chokepoints and the evolution of economic warfare, while Jonathan Horn discussed The Fate of the Generals and what can be learnt from the U.S. experience of World War II. Isaac Stone Fish, author of America Second, spoke to the history of U.S.-China relations and the complexity of managing its challenges.
We were also privileged to be joined by General Stanley McChrystal, whose book On Character, was published in May. General McChrystal spoke about his career and concerns about the country’s direction, arguing that it is character which will become more important, as artificial intelligence develops. He then generously stayed behind to sign copies of his book for attendees, many of whom had served under him in Afghanistan.
Looking Ahead
Across three days of thoughtful dialogue and spontaneous moments, the bookstore served as a convening platform for exploring new reads and hearing firsthand from the voices shaping our understanding of innovation and national security.
The books discussed at this year’s AI+ Expo author meet & greets were:
The Case for American Power – Shadi Hamid
On Character: Choices That Define a Life – Stanley McChrystal
Focus: The ASML Way – Marc Hijink
Countering China's Great Game – Michael Sobolik
Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare – Edward Fishman
The New Lunar Society: An Enlightenment Guide to the Next Industrial Revolution – David Mindell
Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present – Fareed Zakaria
The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel—And America—Can Win – Victoria Coates
The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip – Stephen Witt
The Fate of the Generals: MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines – Jonathan Horn
Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America's Great Power Prophet – Edward Luce
Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping's China – Emily Feng
Vishwa Shastra: India and the World – Dhruva Jaishankar
America Second: How America's Elites Are Making China Stronger – Isaac Stone Fish
No Escape: The True Story of China's Genocide of the Uyghurs – Nury Turkel
For additional reading, check out some titles from other AI+ Expo speakers:
Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit – Dr. Eric Schmidt, Dr. Henry Kissinger, and Craig Mundie
Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War – Christopher Kirchhoff and Raj Shah
At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House – H. R. McMaster
Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology - Chris Miller
Who Believed in You: How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World - Senator David McCormick
Stay tuned for more focused recaps from other stages of the AI+ Expo!