February 6th, 2012

Q&A: Stanford’s Cuéllar and US diplomat on human rights and the Internet

U.S. Ambassador Eileen Donahoe recently brought fellow diplomats to Stanford to meet with scholars, human rights activists, and Silicon Valley leaders to address questions engendered by a free and open Internet. She joins CISAC’s Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar for a discussion about the potential and challenges facing the online frontier. Read more »

February 2nd, 2012

Taubman discusses unlikely effort to rid the world of nuclear weapons

In a new book, former New York Times reporter Philip Taubman, a consulting professor at the Center for International Security and Cooperation, tells the story of five men who have joined efforts to eliminate the ultimate weapon.

• » Stanford Report's Q&A with Philip Taubman

January 18th, 2012

Stanford's Fingar examines China's development issues

For the past two decades China has been a poster child of successful globalization. But its integration into the world economy and global trends drive and constrain Beijing's ability to manage growing social, economic and political challenges. In a YaleGlobal Online series article, Thomas Fingar looks at the global implications of China’s development challenges.

• » YaleGlobal Online: Global implications of China's challenges

January 17th, 2012

Cybersecurity talk draws business and political leaders to Stanford CISAC

Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation brought together lawmakers and Silicon Valley industry leaders to discuss what President Obama has called "one of the most serious economic and national security threats our nation faces": cyberattacks. Read more »

January 12th, 2012

Stanford scholars weigh in on Iran's nuclear program

With tension rising over Iran’s nuclear program, we asked three prominent nuclear experts to discuss what U.S. policymakers should bear in mind as they consider their range of options. Read more »

January 6th, 2012

North Korea watchers look at Pyongyang's nuclear trajectory

In the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Niko Milonopoulos, Siegfried S. Hecker and Robert Carlin use detailed overhead imagery to assess Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program -- and examine how Kim Jong-un's rise may influence it. In a separate piece, written before Kim Jong-il's death, Hecker and Carlin review the developments in North Korea in 2011.

• » North Korea from 30,000 feet
• » North Korea in 2011: Countdown to Kim il-Sung's centenary

January 5th, 2012

A message from the CISAC co-directors

The Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) is Stanford University’s hub for researchers tackling some of the world's most pressing security and international cooperation problems. Learn more from CISAC Co-Directors Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar and Siegfried S. Hecker. Read more »

January 3rd, 2012

Philip Taubman's new book examines an attempt to abolish nuclear weapons

In "The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb," Philip Taubman, a former editor and reporter at the New York Times, explores the lives of Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Sam Nunn, William Perry, and Sidney Drell, and their attempt to reduce the nuclear threat. Taubman, a CISAC consulting professor, is also the author of "Secret Empire: Eisenhower, the CIA, and the Hidden Story of America's Space Espionage."

• » The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb

January 2nd, 2012

Political scientist maps militant groups

Martha Crenshaw is building a searchable, online map in an attempt to overcome one of the biggest challenges to tackling terrorism: understanding the motivations, allegiances, shifting priorities and organizational structures of the dozens of militant groups around the world. Read more »

December 17th, 2011

Stanford's McFaul is next ambassador to Russia

Michael McFaul, a senior fellow at FSI and President Obama's top Russia advisor, will be Washington's chief diplomat in Moscow. Read more »

December 15th, 2011

We are accepting applications for our 2012-2013 fellowship programs

Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation invites applications for its fellowship program from scholars in the natural and social sciences, law, and engineering. In some cases, mid-career professionals in journalism, the military, government, or international organizations, either from the U.S. or abroad, are also eligible. Read more »

December 13th, 2011

Scott Sagan discusses President Obama's bid to reduce the nuclear threat

At the Lowy Institute in Australia, Scott Sagan examines U.S. nuclear strategy, and argues that the Obama administration is "right to declare often and loudly that the U.S. should remain committed to work in good faith toward a world without nuclear weapons."
Read more »

Winter reading: Two new books from CISAC researchers

Coming out this holiday season are two new books by CISAC researchers. In The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb, Philip Taubman, a former editor and reporter at the New York Times explores the lives of Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Sam Nunn, William Perry, and Sidney Drell, and their attempt to reduce the nuclear threat. In Richard Rhodes' new book, Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author explores the life and times of the Hollywood celebrity whose inventions helped make GPS, Wi-Fi, and radio-guided torpedoes a reality.

• » The Partnership, By Philip Taubman
• » Hedy's Folly, by Richard Rhodes

December 12th, 2011

Why it's time for a serious conversation about nuclear weapons

Writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, Benoît Pelopidas says we must review and debunk "three misguided ideas about nuclear weapons."

• » San Francisco Chronicle: Nuclear weapons' future ripe for discussion

December 9th, 2011

Tino Cuéllar moderates a Q&A with FBI Director Robert Mueller

At the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, FBI Director Robert Mueller discussed terrorism, civil liberties, the role of the FBI in intelligence gathering and the rewards of public service. CISAC Co-Director Tino Cuéllar moderated the Q&A.
Read more »

December 8th, 2011

North Korea experts: Pyongyang is now courting Beijing, not the U.S.

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Robert Carlin and John W. Lewis argue that normalizing ties with the U.S. is no longer North Korea's priority. Both researchers have visited North Korea several times, including the only American visit to the uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon in November 2010. Read more »

December 7th, 2011

Undraa Agvaanluvsan: The nuclear industry in Mongolia after Fukushima

At a TEDx event in Ulaanbaatar, CISAC affiliate Undraa Agvaanluvsan discusses the nuclear industry in Mongolia after Fukushima.
Read more »

December 6th, 2011

Charles Perrow discusses the "inevitability of accidents"

Writing in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, sociologist Charles Perrow argues that "some complex systems with catastrophic potential are just too dangerous to exist because they cannot be made safe, regardless of human effort." Perrow, a visiting professor at CISAC, is the author of the landmark 1984 book Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies.

• » Fukushima and the Inevitability of Accidents

November 29th, 2011

Richard Rhodes chronicles the life of scientist and star Hedy Lamarr

In his new book, Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author explores the life and times of the Hollywood celebrity whose inventions helped make GPS, Wi-Fi, and radio-guided torpedoes a reality. Rhodes, the author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb and more than 20 other books, is a CISAC affiliate. Read more »

November 28th, 2011

Scott Sagan: Can we have nuclear power without nuclear weapons?

At a Stanford reunion weekend lecture, the political scientist looked at the current and projected use of nuclear energy around the world, and examined what it means for the future of nuclear weapons proliferation.
Read more »

November 22nd, 2011

Researchers explore potential solutions to Mexican crime and violence

Scholars and policymakers from around the world gathered at Stanford in October for a two-day conference that examined, from a comparative perspective, issues in violence, crime, and governance in Mexico. An executive summary of the program and a series of papers presented there highlight the causes of these challenges and explore some potential solutions. Read more »

November 21st, 2011

CISAC Honors graduate awarded a Rhodes Scholarship

Congratulations to Anand Habib, selected this weekend for a Rhodes Scholarship. Habib, a biology major, was a Class of 2011 CISAC honors graduate. His thesis focused on health governance, and he is currently working at a medical clinic about 100 miles outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Read more »

November 18th, 2011

CISAC Honors graduate wins George J. Mitchell Scholarship

Congratulations to Philippe de Koning, recipient of the George J. Mitchell Scholarship. De Koning, 22, of Paris, France, earned a bachelor's degree in international relations at Stanford in 2010, and was a Class of 2010 graduate of the CISAC honors program. Read more »

November 17th, 2011

Thomas Fingar proposes some questions for the Republican presidential debate

GOP presidential hopefuls will discuss foreign policy and national security at a debate in Washington, D.C., Nov. 22. Here are five questions China scholar Thomas Fingar would like them to answer. Read more »

November 15th, 2011

Scientists examine the standards for safe nuclear waste disposal

As policymakers consider the alternative to Yucca Mountain as a repository for nuclear waste, Edward Blandford, Rodney C. Ewing, and Robert Budnitz explore in Nuclear News new standards for waste disposal. Among the key questions: should regulations require safety for a 1-million-year period? The article is based on a June workshop on the subject hosted by CISAC. Read more »