Michael Chaitkin, a 2008 CISAC honors graduate, has been selected for the Luce Scholars Program to spend a year living and working in Asia. Meanwhile, Niko Milonopoulos, a 2009 graduate of the CISAC Undergraduate Honors Program, is one of 27 Stanford students and alumni--a record number--to receive a Fulbright award for the academic year 2009-2010. Milonopoulos, who earned a bachelor's degree in political science, will "investigate the prospects of developing a common EU counterproliferation policy" through a master's program at Kings College, London, and doing research in Brussels.

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. Milonopoulos worked for the center's Preventive Defense Project and assisted CISAC Co-Director Siegfried Hecker.