International Security Program

Speaker: Jeffrey G. Karam, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, International Security Program

Under what conditions do intelligence officials and diplomats make accurate assessments of domestic developments, such as revolutions or military coups, in foreign states? "Agents of Empire" is the first interdisciplinary study that examines U.S. intelligence failures and successes in the Middle East during the Cold War.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Speaker: Mathias Frendem, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, International Security Program

How do great powers compete in the contemporary world? With great power wars and territorial acquisitions being rare since 1945, competition instead primarily takes place for influence over minor powers. Influence can be very beneficial, but this is not always the case. Minor powers have considerable agency and often seek to use the great powers to pursue their own aims. The speaker outlines why great powers compete for influence, the main challenges they face, and the best strategies for overcoming these.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Speaker: Andrea Gilli, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, International Security Program

What are the consequences for international politics of the emergence of robotics, big data, and artificial intelligence: the so-called second machine age? Are these new technologies going to promote instability and conflict, as many warn, or are they going to reinforce U.S. military primacy. How are they going to affect warfare, use of force, and even world politics? The literature in international relations theory has generally neglected technology and its dynamics and thus does not offer clear guidance.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Speaker: Jonah Schulhofer-Wohl, Research Fellow, International Security Program/Middle East Initiative

This seminar has been cancelled.

Speaker: Vera Mironova, Research Fellow, International Security Program

The speaker will discuss the labor market of non-state armed groups on the ground and at the leadership level, focusing on recruitment, retention, and turnover. 

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

This seminar will present a comparative assessment of Chinese and Russian approaches to the international legal and security architecture stood up by the United States after World War II, beginning with a historical overview of the emergence of the concept of "international law."

The speaker will demonstrate the importance of military training by drawing on archival documents and a rich historiography to comparatively trace the development of three separate elements of the Communist fighting force in Vietnam during the Second Indochina War (1961–1975): the forces of the North Vietnamese Regime, or the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), as well as two groups within the southern resistance of the People's Liberation Armed Front (PLAF, also known as the Việt Cộng or VC): Main Force units and Guerrilla Force units.

Speaker: Christopher Anzalone, Research Fellow, International Security Program

Drawing on collected jihadi-insurgent primary source materials and group histories, this seminar examines the organizational and local dynamics at play within regional Sunni jihadi-insurgent organizations to explain why and when there have been defections and shifts in loyalty from Al-Qa'ida and its regional affiliates to Islamic State.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Speaker: Stig Jarle Hansen, Research Fellow, International Security Program

It is now over 16 years since the September 11th attack and the initiation of the so-called "war on terror," yet in Africa, none of the allies of Al Qaeda or the Islamic State have been defeated. This seminar bases itself on a comparative study of sub-Saharan jihadist organizations. The main argument is that the resilience of the organizations partly emerges because of lack of understanding of the relationship between the organizations and the territories in which they operate. Countering Violent Extremism and counter strategies have to be adjusted to the type of control these organizations wield in their area of operations.

Speaker: Barry Little, Research Fellow, International Security Program/Project on Managing the Atom

The speaker will discuss U.S. and Chinese perspectives on strategic stability, sticking points in the nuclear relationship, and recommendations on how to bolster stability.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.