As Russia continues to wage its brutal war against Ukraine, calls have increased for Washington, including Donald Trump when he assumes the presidency in January, to force a halt to the fighting in order to save Ukrainian lives.
December 5 marks the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum of Security Assurances for Ukraine, a key part of the settlement under which Ukraine gave up what was then the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal. Unfortunately, Russia has grossly violated the commitments that it made in the document.
CISAC welcomed Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Sanger to discuss his latest book, "The New Cold Wars," a deep dive into the evolving landscape of global tensions among the U.S., China, and Russia.
The Russian government has released its new doctrine, which indeed suggests a lower nuclear threshold. However, the Kremlin continues to have reasons not to escalate too far, especially not to the nuclear level, and especially not now.
Russia’s doctrine for the use of nuclear weapons has gone through several evolutions over the past 15 years. Changes in 2010 and 2020 seemed relatively benign. In September 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced additional modifications, which appear more meaningful.
As part of Stanford's 2024 Democracy Day, Michael McFaul and Steven Pifer spoke to students about the war in Ukraine and what the future might bring should Russia be allowed to prevail in its illegal aggression.
Avril Haines, the director of the Office of National Intelligence, spoke with Stanford students about careers in public service during a fireside chat moderated by FSI Director Michael McFaul.
At a panel during Stanford's 2024 Reunion weekend, scholars from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies shared what their research says about climate change, global democracy, Russia and Ukraine, China, and the Middle East.
“In my darkest nightmares, I didn’t think that I would have to include material on an attack like the one that unfolded on October 7,” says CISAC's Or Rabinowitz
While some believe the incursion could be a turning point, that will depend on what additional forces Ukraine’s already-stretched army can commit to the Kursk operation
We are thrilled to welcome thirteen outstanding students, who together represent thirteen different majors and minors, to our Honors Program in International Security Studies.
A growing number of NATO allies support Ukraine’s membership as important for Europe’s security and are ready to extend Kyiv an invitation to join. Other allies, however, are reluctant to take that step now, particularly while Ukraine remains at war with Russia.
The probability that Putin would challenge a NATO member militarily is not high, but his history of miscalculations and overinflated ambition should remind the alliance not to underestimate the risks.
The Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) is pleased to welcome the fellows who will be joining us for the 2024-25 academic year. These scholars will spend the academic year generating new knowledge across a range of topics that can help all of us build a safer world.
![[Left to right]: Michael McFaul, Marshall Burke, Steven Pifer, Oriana Skylar Mastro, Didi Kuo, and Amichai Magen on stage.](https://fsi9-prod.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/328x223_x2/public/2024-10/fsi_reunion_2024_panel_hero.png?h=c4d9845d&itok=YJGq-jZY)
