Dr. Jonathan Ward

• The Decisive Decade: American Strategy for Triumph Over ChinaWard provides a comprehensive framework for how the United States and its allies must compete with China across economic, military, and ideological domains. He emphasizes the critical role of the private sector and finance in ensuring national security.

• China's Vision of Victory: Understanding the CCP's Grand StrategyDrawing from his research into closed CCP archives, Ward explains China’s long-term plan to achieve global dominance. He deconstructs the "China Dream" and the strategic milestones the CCP aims to reach by 2049.

• The Rise of India: The Next Global GiantWard analyzes the geopolitical and economic trajectory of India, arguing that it is the most significant counterbalance to China. He focuses on the "Make in India" initiative and the strategic opportunities for Western companies to pivot toward the Indian market.

• Economic Statecraft: Re-wiring Global Supply ChainsThis session focuses on "de-risking" and "friend-shoring." Ward discusses how Fortune 500 companies must navigate the transition away from China-centric manufacturing and build resilient, secure supply chains in the Indo-Pacific.

speaker Bio: 

Dr. Jonathan Ward is a strategist and scholar who has dedicated his career to understanding the rise of the Indo-Pacific. He is the Founder and President of Atlas Organization, a Washington D.C.-based consultancy that advises Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and government agencies on the risks and opportunities of the US-China rivalry. Ward is known for his "ground-up" research methodology, having spent over a decade living and traveling extensively through China, India, Russia, and the Middle East. His ability to read the world through both academic archives and firsthand geopolitical experience makes him a singular voice in the field of national strategy.

Ward’s academic foundation is exceptionally rigorous. He earned his PhD in China-India relations from the University of Oxford, where he conducted groundbreaking research using Chinese-language diplomatic archives that have since been sealed by the Chinese government. He also holds an MSt in Global and Imperial History from Oxford and a B.A. from Columbia University, where he studied Philosophy, Russian, and Chinese. His linguistic proficiency—speaking Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Arabic—allows him to interpret the primary source materials and internal narratives of the world’s major powers directly.

He is the author of two highly influential books that have defined the modern "Cold War" discourse. His first, China’s Vision of Victory, was hailed as one of the first works to make an explicit argument for the containment of China based on the CCP’s own stated ambitions. His most recent work, The Decisive Decade: American Grand Strategy for Triumph Over China (2023), serves as a playbook for Western leaders. In it, he argues that the current decade is the most critical window for the U.S. to revitalize its industrial and technological base to prevent a global shift toward authoritarianism. He famously received a commendation at the White House for his work on Chinese global strategy during the signing of the US-China Phase One Trade Deal.

Ward is a frequent advisor to the U.S. Department of Defense and has briefed high-level audiences at US Indo-Pacific Command, US Strategic Command, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. He is also a graduate of the Oxford-Chicago Valuation Programme, which bridges the gap between geopolitical analysis and corporate finance. This enables him to help C-suite executives understand how geopolitical friction translates into balance sheet risk and why "business as usual" is no longer an option for companies operating in strategic sectors like technology, aerospace, and finance.

As of 2026, Dr. Ward continues to be a prominent commentator in global media, appearing regularly on Bloomberg, CNBC, and Fox Business. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute. His work remains focused on the "Great Re-mapping" of the global economy, advocating for a return to "peace through strength" and the creation of a new, resilient economic order led by the world’s democracies and emerging giants like India.

Summary: "The Decisive Decade" Framework (2025-2026)

Dr. Ward’s current strategic focus is built on the necessity of a unified "Economic-Military-Ideological" front to navigate the coming decade:

• Economic Revitalization: He argues that the US and its allies must reclaim leadership in "foundational technologies"—semiconductors, AI, biotech, and green energy—by incentivizing domestic manufacturing and allied cooperation.

• The India Pivot: Ward identifies India not just as a market, but as a "civilizational partner." He predicts that the relocation of global supply chains from China to India will be the defining economic shift of the late 2020s.

• Corporate Responsibility as National Security: He posits that major corporations and financial institutions are now "front-line actors" in geopolitics. He helps firms develop "China-exit" and "Indo-Pacific entry" strategies to mitigate the risks of sudden sanctions or conflict.

• Allied Integration: Beyond NATO, Ward focuses on the importance of "minilateral" alliances like the Quad (US, Japan, India, Australia) and AUKUS, viewing them as the essential architecture for maintaining a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific."

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