The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”
About
Welcome to the International Security Program (ISP). We are part of the Harvard Kennedy School, as well as the oldest research program of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Although located within the School of Government, ISP is not a degree program.
ISP addresses the most important challenges to U.S. national security and international security in the quarter century ahead. As the first issue of the journal International Security stated in 1976, "we define international security broadly to include the full array of factors that have a direct bearing on the structure of the international system and the sovereignty of its members, with particular emphasis on the use, threat, and control of force."
Program researchers analyze security issues rigorously, draw prescriptive conclusions, and communicate their recommendations directly to makers of public policy and shapers of public opinion. The Program also seeks to advance scholarship in security studies by contributing to significant academic debates through its own research activities and by publishing the leading peer-reviewed journal in the field, International Security. Each year ISP develops and trains new talent in security studies by hosting pre- and postdoctoral research fellows. The Program also created and continues to publish a book series, the Belfer Center Studies in International Security, to provide an outlet for policy-oriented research and analysis in the field of international security.
Since the early 1990s, the International Security Program has led an international effort to recognize the threat of terror, analyze its causes, and recommend what the United States should do to prevent and fight it. Several experts in the International Security Program have authored important works in the field of terrorism.
On our pages, you will find information about our research projects, our publications, and the faculty, fellows, and staff associated with the program.
Director
Faculty Chair
Faculty
Fellows
Associates
Staff
Carly Demetre
Carly Demetre
- Publications Coordinator, Quarterly Journal: International Security
Jacqueline L. Hazelton
Jacqueline L. Hazelton
- Executive Editor, International Security Journal
- Former Associate, International Security Program, 2000–February 2022
- Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 2009–2011
Susan M. Lynch
Susan M. Lynch
- Program Assistant, International Security Program
Karen Motley
Karen Motley
- Executive Editor, Belfer Center Studies in International Security
Amanda Pearson
Amanda Pearson
- Deputy Editor, Quarterly Journal: International Security
Hui Zhang
Hui Zhang
- Senior Research Associate, Project on Managing the Atom
Alumni
New Research Fellows
Wes Adams (Air Force Fellow)
Nicholas D. Anderson
Paul Behringer (Ernest May Fellow in History & Policy)
Elena Chachko
Dina Esfandiary
Stephanie Freeman (Ernest May Fellow in History & Policy)
Mariya Grinberg
Daniel Jacobs (Grand Strategy, Security, and Statecraft Fellow)
William James (Grand Strategy, Security, and Statecraft Fellow)
Philip Andrew Martin
Aroop Mukharji (Ernest May Fellow in History & Policy)
Anina Schwarzenbach
Joint w/ the Cyber Security Project
Tyler Jost
Joint w/ Project on Managing the Atom
Rebecca Davis Gibbons
Tory Kindrick (Air Force Fellow)
Christopher Lawrence
Viet Phuong Nguyen
Sébastien Philippe (Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow)
Cameron Tracy (Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow)
WU Riqiang
Benjamin Zala (Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow)
Returning Research Fellows
David Allen (Ernest May Fellow in History & Policy)
Christopher Anzalone
Chuck Freilich
Payam Ghalehdar
Kelly Greenhill
Ayako Kobayoshi
A. Bradley Potter
Benjamin Rhode (Ernest May Fellow in History & Policy) Fall 2018
Calder Walton (Ernest May Fellow in History & Policy)
Joint w/ Project on Managing the Atom
Reid Pauly
Katlyn Turner
ISP Associates
Michael Beckley
Paul Fraioli
Elmar Hellendoorn
Sean Lynn-Jones (Spring 2019)
Frank O'Donnell (joint w/ Project on Managing the Atom) Fall 2018
Richard Rosecrance
Andrew Taffer
International Security Program
For all program-related questions, including event and fellowship information:
Quarterly Journal: International Security
For all journal-related questions:
Belfer Center Studies in International Security
For questions about the book series:
Discussion Paper Series
For information about International Security Program's discussion papers: