Michael Chaitkin, a 2008 CISAC honors graduate, has been selected for the Luce Scholars Program to spend a year living and working in Asia.

Chaitkin, 23, and 17 other young Americans were selected from 150 semifinalists nominated by 67 U.S. colleges and universities eligible to participate in the highly competitive program, which is run by The Henry Luce Foundation and the Asia Foundation.

The goal of the scholarship is "to provide an awareness of Asia among potential leaders in American society." It is intended for people younger than 29 years, have no prior experience of Asia and might not otherwise have an opportunity to understand the region or their Asian counterparts during their careers. The program places the scholars in internships in 15 countries. Previous placements have included, for example, with English-language newspapers in Hong Kong and Phnom Penh, and with veterinary researchers in Mongolia.

"Asia is a great unknown to me," Chaitkin wrote in his application. "The region is inescapably vital to any global initiative, and spending a year there would immerse me in social and political contexts from which I hope to discern what role Asian countries are likely to play in resolving international crises. I am particularly keen on learning in what manner Asia's unique cultures motivate national and regional attitudes toward sovereignty, security, and global governance."

Chaitkin, a native of Englewood, Colo., graduated from Stanford last year with a bachelor's degree in international relations and an honors certificate in international security studies. He received the 2008 William J. Perry Award for his thesis, "Bargaining and Typology: A Theory of Economic Sanctions Success." In his research, Chaitkin discovered that sanctions placed on foreign governments are unlikely to succeed unless the initiating party is willing to compromise with the target so that the latter's concession costs are not prohibitive. CISAC Senior Fellow Stephen Stedman, Chaitkin's adviser, described the thesis as "a tour de force, with the potential to transform how we think about sanctions as a policy instrument."

At CISAC, Chaitkin is assistant to Lynn Eden, acting co-director, and Scott Sagan, political science professor.

"Michael Chaitkin's intelligence, creativity, and work ethic have all contributed greatly to his successful undergraduate research work," Sagan said. "This Luce fellowship will expand his horizons into Asia and further strengthen his leadership skills in international affairs."

Previously, Chaitkin served as a research fellow at the American Jewish Committee's Office of Government and International Affairs in Washington, D.C., investigating policy options for dealing with security and human rights challenges in the Middle East and around the world. At Stanford, he assisted Larry Diamond, director of Stanford's Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, with research on democratization in Latin America. He also spent time as an undergraduate in Chile, Switzerland and Russia. During his senior year, Chaitkin co-directed Stanford Dance Marathon, the largest student-run philanthropy in the northwest, which raises money and awareness to fight HIV/AIDS and health inequity worldwide.