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Hecker promotes nuclear cooperation in Moscow, despite Ukraine crisis
Q&A / May 1, 2014
CISAC Senior Fellow Siegfried Hecker and a delegation of American scientists traveled to Moscow last week to revitalize nuclear cooperation with Russia, despite diplomatic tensions between the United States and Russia over the crisis in Ukraine.
FSI receives $5 million from Stanton Foundation for nuclear security professor at CISAC
News / April 30, 2014
The endowed chair, named “The Stanton Foundation Professorship in Nuclear Security,” will allow Stanford to recruit an internationally recognized scholar for an appointment at FSI and one of the university’s seven schools.
May recognized for work on nuclear weapons and energy policy
News / April 8, 2014
CISAC's Michael May is awarded the Joseph A. Burton Forum Award by the American Physical Society for his lifetime of work educating the public about nuclear weapons and energy.
Dr. Strangedeal Redux
Commentary / March 22, 2014
Anja Manuel and Lauryn Williams assess the impact of the India-U.S. nuclear deal, which is now in it's 8th year. They argue that it has been hugely successful for the environment and India-U.S. relations, but mixed on the issue of nonproliferation.
NSA phone records yield private medical, financial and legal data
News / March 13, 2014
Two computer science graduate students, including CISAC cybersecurity fellow Jonathan Mayer, have found that the NSA's mass collection of phone records can yield much more information about people's private lives than the U.S. government claims. New research shows how "metadata" surveillance can be used to identify information about callers including medical conditions, financial and legal connections, and even whether they own a gun.
Zegart: Feinstein-CIA fracas is a blow for the intelligence agency
Q&A / March 13, 2014
CISAC Co-Director Amy Zegart calls accusations by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein that the CIA may have violated the U.S. Constitution "an extraordinary moment" for relations between Congress and the intelligence agency.
Listen to FSI's Karl Eikenberry's take on U.S. foreign policy today
News / March 13, 2014
FSI fellow and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry talks to WUNC North Carolina Public Radio about the current state of American foreign policy. He believes the humanities can provide an innovative approach to modern diplomacy.
FSI Implementation Lab puts focus on international policy in practice
News / March 10, 2014
FSI's new International Policy Implementation Lab will support a project led by CISAC political scientist Scott Sagan that uses online polling to better gauge the public’s tolerance for the use of nuclear weapons under certain scenarios.
Stanford experts weigh in on the Ukrainian crisis
News / March 4, 2014
From the November 2013 public protests in Kiev to Crimea's breakaway from Ukraine, FSI scholars have been monitoring developments throughout the region. Since stepping down last month as Washington’s ambassador to Moscow, Michael McFaul has returned to Stanford where he continues to analyze the unfolding crisis. Follow McFaul, Kathryn Stoner, Stephen Krasner, Norman Naimark and Gail Lapidus as the FSI senior fellows share their expertise and insights into the situation.
Task force hopes to curb misuse of digital tools to exploit children
News / March 4, 2014
CISAC affiliate John Villasenor goes before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs to present a report by the Digital Economy Task Force on efforts to combat the misuse of digital technology to exploit children. The task force was convened by the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children and Thomson Reuters to spur a global policy debate about the issue.
Stanford scholar discusses Putin’s search for greatness
News / March 3, 2014
In a piece for Foreign Affairs, FSI Senior Fellow Kathryn Stoner discusses Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a show of force by Russian President Vladimir Putin to re-establish the country as a superpower for a domestic and international audience. Stoner argues that there is little the West can do about the annex of Crimea without risking a third World War.
Zegart argues grand strategy is misguided in post-9/11 world
News / March 3, 2014
Political scientist and CISAC Co-director Amy Zegart argues that the notion of an American foreign policy grand strategy in the post-9/11 world is a relic of Cold War thinking. Today's threats are much more complex and shifting than ever before.
Q&A: FSI scholar discusses uncertainty in crisis-ridden Ukraine
News / February 27, 2014
Norman Naimark argues that the Ukrainian crisis reflects a deep desire among many people in that country for a more democratic, pro-Western government and economy. But the future is unclear.
Security class gets extra help from technology created by Stanford grads
News / February 26, 2014
When some 140 Stanford students and faculty recently gathered to simulate an emergency session of the UN Security Council, they had some real-world data that had never been used before: satellite images of Iran’s Arak nuclear facility. They came from Skybox Imaging, a Silicon Valley start-up launched by Stanford grads working at the intersection of technology and security.
At Stanford, IMF chief discusses promise, risk of global economy
News / February 25, 2014
Christine Lagarde says she is optimistic that the world’s economic leaders are committed to taking the steps that will guard against another large-scale financial collapse. But she’s worried that unless more sustainable jobs are created, economic disparities will increase.
South Korea's model nuclear energy program
Commentary / February 21, 2014
CISAC Senior Fellow Siegfried Hecker and his research assistant, Peter E. Davis, write in this Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists article that South Korea's nuclear energy program has become model that countries aspiring to obtain nuclear energy should emulate.
Hecker receives AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy
News / February 14, 2014
CISAC Senior Fellow Siegfried Hecker is awarded AAAS's annual Science Diplomacy Award for his "lifetime commitment to using the tools of science to address the challenges of nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear terrorism and his dedication to build bridges through science."
A nuclear energy program that benefits the Iranian people
News / February 11, 2014
Siegfried Hecker and Abbas Milani argue that only a truly peaceful nuclear energy program can bring Iran the prosperity and innovation it deserves. The new Iranian leadership might be listening – their journal article was translated into Farsi and republished on an official government website, perhaps a sign of an open debate on the issue.
Philippines military recognizes Felter for counterterrorism work
News / February 11, 2014
CISAC's Joe Felter is awarded a badge of honor by the Philippines Army in recognition of his support in forming the country’s first counterterrorism unit. The Light Reaction Battalion has been battling terrorists and rebels in the Southeast Asian nation for a decade.
Vinton Cerf at Stanford talk: Cybersecurity is shared responsibility
News / January 27, 2014
Vinton G. Cerf, one of the founding architects of the Internet and vice president and chief Internet evangelist at Google, delivered CISAC's annual Drell Lecture. Watch his lecture here and follow some of the comments on social media about his talk on cybsercurity.
Is there a `right' path for the U.S. in Syria?
Commentary / January 21, 2014
CISAC affiliate Anja Manuel argues in this blog post that for the U.S. government, the crucial issue at the upcoming meeting of the key parties to the conflict in Syria is determining if and how to intervene and provide support in a conflict where there may no longer be real "good guys" or supporters of U.S. national interests.
Vinton Cerf to talk about safety and security in a wired-up world
News / January 17, 2014
Vinton Cerf, who helped develop the Internet while at Stanford, delivers the 2014 Drell Lecture about safety and security in a transnational environment.
Hecker and Perry: Iran's path to nuclear peace
News / January 9, 2014
CISAC and FSI Senior Fellows Siegfried Hecker and Bill Perry argue in this New York Times OpEd Iran should concentrate on building better nuclear power plants.
Perry's new class: Nuclear weapons remain dominant threat
News / December 19, 2013
Former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry's new winter class will emphasize the continuing threat of nuclear weapons; slated as online course next year.
Students across campus support innovation at U.N. refugee agency
News / December 16, 2013
A simple request by the U.N. agency that aids refugees worldwide has led to an array of projects across the Stanford campus and meaningful work for dozens of students.