Science, Technology, and Public Policy

David W. Kearn argues that deployment of nuclear weapons cannot rectify a perceived imbalance in conventional forces in the western Pacific.

Spying has always been limited by the need for human labor. A.I. is going to change that, says Bruce Schneier.

Al-Juaied and Whitmore examine the costs and prospects for direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS), and identify types of funding needed for early deployment for DACCS and building momentum for later widespread deployment. The challenges of implementing DACCS at very large scale further emphasize the need for urgent and widespread action to reduce emissions, which should continue to be the main priority for meeting climate goals.

Artificial intelligence systems, controlled by corporations, will confuse and undermine the trust that is essential to a well-functioning society.

Assaf Zoran argues for all regional nations and international players to engage in continuous dialogue with the involved and fighting parties in order to mitigate the risk of escalation. Such talks should establish political, economic, and military disincentives for further escalation while fostering opportunities for de-escalation.

This report is a summary of a workshop that took place June 18/19, 2023 in Cambridge, UK. The workshop was hosted by the University of Cambridge's Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance. The research project, ‘What factors drive innovation in energy technologies? The role of technology spillovers and government investment,’ was led by Professors Laura Diaz Anadon (University of Cambridge's Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance), Venkatesh Narayanamurti (Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs) and Gabriel Chan (University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs) as co-PIs.

The research project was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Advocates of competing A.I. futures are undermining our ability to grapple with a technology destined to drive the future of politics, our economy and even our daily lives.

At a moment when arms control is deeply troubled and may be dying, two eminent scholars, Marc Trachtenberg and the late Robert Jervis, have taken a fresh look at the beginnings of strategic arms control fifty years after the signing in Moscow of the SALT I agreements in May of 1972. They do so from different vantage points, writes Steven E. Miller.

Arctic environmentalist and policy expert Margaret Williams has joined the Arctic Initiative as a full-time resident Senior Fellow for the 2023-2024 academic year. Williams will support and expand the Initiative’s portfolio of work on marine governance and sustainable ocean management.

This policy brief explains how Russia and Iran have sought to upgrade their partnership through greater diplomatic support for pushing back on Western hegemony, mutual provision of key weapons systems, and sharing of expertise on evading sanctions.