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The divide between Silicon Valley and Washington is a national-security threat
A silent divide is weakening America’s national security, and it has nothing to do with President Donald Trump or party polarization. It’s the growing gulf between the tech community in Silicon Valley and the policy-making community in Washington.
U.S. must start from scratch with a new nuclear waste strategy, a Stanford-led panel says
Rod Ewing led a three-year study recommending changes to the U.S. nuclear waste management program. (Image credit: Courtesy CISAC)
New report from Stanford scholars seeks to demystify the biosecurity landscape
From genome editing to “hacking” the microbiome, advances in the life sciences and its associated technological revolution have already altered the biosecurity landscape, and will continue to do so. What does this new landscape look like, and how can policymakers and other stakeholders navigate this space?
The battle for Azov: Round 1 goes to Russia
On November 25, Russian border patrol ships attacked and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels attempting to transit from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov via the Kerch Strait. That violated both maritime law and a 2003 Ukraine-Russia agreement that governs passage through the strait.
Rodney Ewing awarded for distinguished public service in mineral and geologic science
Rodney C. Ewing, Frank Stanton professor in nuclear security and co-director at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), was awarded the Distinguished Public Service (DPS) Medal by the Mineralogical Society of America.
Why insisting on a North Korean nuclear declaration up front is a big mistake
My reply to the frequently asked question if Kim Jong Un will ever give up North Korea’s nuclear weapons is, “I don’t know, and most likely he doesn’t know either. But it is time to find out.” However, insisting that Kim Jong Un give a full declaration of his nuclear program up front will not work. It will breed more suspicion instead of building the trust necessary for the North to denuclearize, a process that will extend beyond the 2020 US presidential election.
An outcome-based analysis of US cyber strategy of persistence and defense forward
George Washington was a master of deception
As we celebrate Thanksgiving weekend, a holiday first declared by George Washington’s presidential proclamation in 1789, it is worth remembering that deception played a pivotal role in America’s birth. Our shining city on the hill owes much to the dark arts. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and other Founding Fathers are remembered today as virtuous creators of a bold new democracy. But they were also cunning manipulators of their information environment—a side of the founding story that has often been neglected by history.
To save arms control, House Democrats should act like a GOP senator
Donald Trump has stated his intention to ditch the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. He and National Security Advisor John Bolton also appear unhappy with the New Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty (New START).
Withdrawal from New START would leave Russian strategic forces wholly unconstrained and end the flow of valuable information from the treaty’s verification and on-site inspection provisions.
Beijing Workshop Explores Options for Interventions in Civil Wars
Shorenstein APARC’s U.S.-Asia Security Initiative (USASI), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), and the School for International Studies at Peking University recently co-hosted the security workshop “Civil Wars, Intrastate Violence, and International Responses.” Held in Beijing...
Fourth Young Nuclear Professionals forum brings together U.S. and Russian scholars in Moscow
Persistent nuclear threats and the recent erosion of relations between the United States and Russia paint a gloomy picture for the future of cooperation between nuclear powers. Despite these enormous challenges, Stanford is leading an effort to bring young nuclear scholars from the United States and Russia together to tackle urgent problems together and share ideas.
The U.S. drone war in Pakistan revisited
Many analysts, practitioners, and scholars are skeptical of the efficacy of drone strikes for counterterrorism, suggesting that they provide short-term gains at
John Bolton keeps citing this 2002 pact as an arms-control model. It’s really not.
When the subject of extending the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) arises, National Security Advisor John Bolton suggests the 2002 Treaty of Moscow model as a possible alternative. The Russians, however, would never agree to that now. Moreover, the Treaty of Moscow was not good arms control. Trying to replace New START with something like it would be foolish.
RIP INF: The end of a landmark treaty
President Donald Trump announced at a campaign rally on October 20 that the United States would withdraw from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. During his October 22–23 visit to Moscow, National Security Advisor John Bolton confirmed that the president intended to withdraw from the treaty.
Keeping the treaty in place presumably would require that Trump change his mind, which at a minimum would require that the Kremlin agree to take corrective action to come back into compliance. That’s not going to happen.
Interview: #ScholarSunday with Max Smeets
Max Smeets is a cybersecurity fellow at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), a Research Associate at the Centre for Technology & Global Affairs, University of Oxford, and a non-resident cybersecurity policy fellow at New America.
Paul Edwards delivers keynote at Global Weather Conference Oct. 12
What can the past teach us about the future of the global weather enterprise? On October 12th, William J.
Russia vs. Ukraine: More of the same?
The aggression that Russia unleashed against Ukraine in 2014 is now well into its fifth year. Unfortunately, Moscow has shown no readiness to end the conflict it keeps simmering in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, let alone address the status of Crimea. Hopes of a year ago that a U.N. peacekeeping force might offer a path out of the Donbas morass have dimmed. It appears the Kremlin will wait another year, until after the presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine, to reconsider its policy.
FSI scholars join high-level commission on democracy in the digital age
The Kofi Annan Foundation has tapped four Stanford scholars at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) to help advance one of its top priorities: to shed light on the rapidly-changing role of technology in elections around the world and to recommend ways of ensuring that digital tools strengthen—not undercut—democracy.
Siegfried Hecker: 'A major positive' if Kim Jong-un dismantles Yongbyon
This interview was first published in the Korea JoongAng Daily; the post below was o
Cybersecurity: Media Roundtable Eyes Threats
Whether it’s foreign government meddling or corporate hacking, every day brings a new challenge in cybersecurity for the United States, said experts at a recent Hoover Institution media roundtable.
Three new center directors look to the future at FSI
FSI's three new center directors, Anna Grzymala-Busse, Colin Kahl, and David Lobell, outline their vision.
Back-to-school cyber reading – seven Stanford undergraduate theses reveal major themes for 2018-2019
As publics and policymakers are becoming more aware of the gravity of cyber related activities and potential disruption, Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation honors undergraduate alumni have produced cutting-edge work to address major cyber issues in their final theses.
Steven Pifer, new CISAC and TEC fellow, to focus on international security
Ambassador Steven Pifer, BA ’76, a top expert in U.S.-European relations, arms control and security issues and retired State Department Foreign Service officer, has been named to a new senior position at Stanford University.
Colin H. Kahl to serve as CISAC co-director
Colin H. Kahl will serve as co-director of the social sciences for Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC).