New on our blog, IGCC Dissertation Fellow Eliana Fonsah offers analysis on the transnational repression tactics employed by the authoritarian government of Cameroon, and the role that host country governments must play to protect diasporic activists: ucigcc.org/blog/cross-b...

Still rounding out your 2026 reading list? Check out the latest entry in our book review blog series from IGCC research director Steph Haggard and Matthew Draper and consider adding one of these five novels on authoritarian rule: ucigcc.org/blog/novels-...

The Trump administration has withdrawn from a number of international organizations, but a recent agreement with the OECD could indicate some hope of continued international cooperation for the U.S. Read more from IGCC dissertation fellow Margaret Kenney: ucigcc.org/blog/why-a-p...

The Trump administration released their new National Security Strategy in November. New on our website, IGCC experts offer their analysis on the implications for the future of Japan-U.S. relations, China, Taiwan, and America's broader global alliances: ucigcc.org/collections/...

The first solo-authored article by 2024-25 IGCC dissertation fellow Anya Stewart has been published in Conflict Management & Peace Science. In it, Anya offers an academic definition of martial law as well as a measurement strategy: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/....

In a new policy brief, IGCC senior fellow Jimmy Goodrich describes how China’s leading military and civilian research institutions are systematically advancing and scaling innovative fusion energy technologies: ucigcc.org/publication/...

New on IGCC's Talking Policy podcast, host Lindsay Shingler sits down with five UC experts to make sense of America’s evolving approach under the second Trump administration to the global economy, China, security, the environment, and the rule of law. Listen now: ucigcc.org/podcast/the-...

Following the dramatic U.S. intervention in Venezuela earlier this month, some are concerned that a precedent may be set for China. For our blog, James Lee argues that the operation doesn't open the door for Beijing to move on Taiwan in the near future: ucigcc.org/blog/venezue...

New on our blog, IGCC research director and @gpsucsd.bsky.social professor Stephan Haggard offers thoughts on the failed martial law declaration in South Korea about one year ago, and what it can tell us about threats to democratic governance around the world: ucigcc.org/blog/rethink...

In the latest analysis on our blog, Dotan Haim, Matthew Nanes, and Nico Ravanilla examine an often overlooked aspect of community policing: how these initiatives affect police opinions of the public, rather than vice versa: ucigcc.org/blog/changin...

New on our blog, IGCC postdoc Dominic Brennan examines potential responses for the U.S. to regain dominance in the nuclear export market. A work-in-progress, we've published this analysis to crowdsource feedback as this work develops over the next year: ucigcc.org/blog/regaini...

Meet new IGCC postdoc Adi Rao! In this interview, Adi shares about his research on cyber espionage, how he uses game theory to teach students, and his love of Muay Thai: ucigcc.org/interview/ig...

In a recent blog post, IGCC senior fellow Jimmy Goodrich unpacks Beijing's call for "extraordinary measures" to accelerate tech self-sufficiency: both what these measures might actually entail and how the language echoes earlier CCP political rhetoric: ucigcc.org/blog/beijing...

In a new report, IGCC director and @gpsucsd.bsky.social professor Tai Ming Cheung examines the key features of China’s strategic Strong Authoritarian Mobilization and Innovation development model for science and technology: ucigcc.org/publication/...

In a recent IGCC blog post, Margaret Peters, a professor of political science at UCLA, expands on the impacts that migrants can have on the democracies in their home countries, beyond simply overseas voting. Read her full analysis here: ucigcc.org/blog/oversea...

On the @ucigcc.bsky.social blog, Professor Achyuta Adhvaryu discusses recent developments in India's relationships with China and the U.S. and how New Delhi sees its place within a changing world. 🔗 Read "Five Questions on Indian Foreign Policy with Achyuta Adhvaryu": ow.ly/HILQ50XqJco

New on our blog, 2025-26 IGCC dissertation fellow Benjamin Weinger (UC Los Angeles) offers analysis on COP30—a pivotal moment for the UN accelerate implementation, restore trust, and reset the multilateral climate process: ucigcc.org/blog/overcom...

In a new blog post, IGCC research director Stephan Haggard shares five more novels that help to illuminate the realities of autocratic rule. Read the list now: ucigcc.org/blog/novels-...

Meet new IGCC postdoc Jung Jae Kwon! In this interview, Jung Jae discusses his research on how nonnuclear-armed allies defend against nuclear threats, his experience as a peacekeeper in South Sudan, and his travels through China: bit.ly/4oVjBQS

Beijing’s growing investment in ocean research is reshaping global marine science and geopolitics alike. Read analysis about the scale and impact of China's ocean science from IGCC senior fellow Jimmy Goodrich new on our blog: ucigcc.org/blog/oceans-...

How can lessons from the past help us create a more secure nuclear future? Sarah Bidgood, a 2024-26 IGCC postdoctoral fellow, speaks with us about what her archival work on historic nuclear crises can tell us about the potential for nuclear-armed conflict today: bit.ly/4pfg6VJ

On the heels of China's fourth plenum meeting, IGCC director Tai Ming Cheung offers analysis of a recent CCP communiqué that reveals some interesting clues to Beijing's priorities for economic and security development plan through 2030. New on our blog: ucigcc.org/blog/continu...

In a new episode of Talking Policy, Georgia Kernell of UCLA joins host Lindsay Shingler for a comparative look at the U.S. political system, and how America's deeply entrenched two-party system impacts both policy and political participation. Listen now: bit.ly/4qGa2qr

At the 2025 APEC Summit in South Korea, the issue of "overcapacity"—the imbalance between China’s vast production and the world’s ability or willingness to absorb it—looms large over the region. Read the latest analysis from IGCC expert Beije Tang: bit.ly/434G4ma

Meet new IGCC postdoc Dominic Brennan! In this interview, Dom discusses his research on nuclear algorithms, his transition from the hard sciences to policy, and his move from the UK to Washington, D.C. for this postdoctoral fellowship: ucigcc.org/interview/ig...

In the latest IGCC working paper, Andrew Shaver of UC Merced and a team of researchers at the Political Violence Lab share conclusions from online surveys in Bangladesh and Pakistan that helped uncover otherwise-unreported instances of political violence and human rights violations: bit.ly/3WrjlwH

In a recent IGCC blog post, UC Riverside professor Kevin Esterling details a platform that seeks to use AI and algorithmic tools to enhance the democratic process in an era where digital tech is often an oppositional force to democratic civil discourse: ucigcc.org/blog/can-dig...

IGCC is delighted to share that our podcast miniseries, Democracy and Its Discontents, has won Gold at the 2025 Davey Awards in the category for Podcast Series, Government & Political. Learn more about the series, and this wonderful recognition, here: bit.ly/4qd7WOG

IGCC is pleased to welcome two new members and a new chair to our Steering Committee! Composed of faculty representatives from all ten UC campuses and two national labs, the committee advises IGCC leadership, serves as campus liaisons, and awards IGCC fellowships and grants.

IGCC senior fellow Jimmy Goodrich was quoted in @financialtimes.com last week about China's sweeping rare-earth export controls: "If...the U.S. doesn’t respond strongly, Beijing could have complete control over the entire advanced semiconductor supply chain." Read more: on.ft.com/4pZzRl4

IGCC is pleased to welcome Aila Matanock (@matanock.bsky.social) to the institute's leadership as Research Director for Violence, Intervention, and Order. Aila, an IGCC affiliate since 2022, is an associate professor at @gpsucsd.bsky.social. Learn more about Aila here: ucigcc.org/people/aila-...

IGCC Research Director Stephan Haggard is in Cambridge, MA this weekend for his formal induction into the prestigious American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Please join us in congratulating Steph on this honor! More on Steph's election: today.ucsd.edu/story/americ...

President Trump's recent #UNGA speech excoriated the United Nations for being weak and ineffective. For the IGC blog, Bridget Coggins, Jungjae Hong, and Julia Morse describe how the U.S. may attack the UN as the 80th general assembly session continues: ucigcc.org/blog/two-way...

IGCC & UCSD's China Data Lab have launched the China Policy Document Navigator, a database giving researchers access to Chinese policy documents that are becoming increasingly difficult to access. Project leaders Barry Naughton & Young Yang discuss the new portal: ucigcc.org/interview/ch...

NEW PODCAST EPISODE: While the U.S. is questioning its role as an international security provider, China has unveiled its own global security initiatives. @sheenagreitens.bsky.social joined Talking Policy to explore the uncertain future of the global security order: ucigcc.org/podcast/will...

Populist leaders like Duterte in the Philippines have come to power promising tough action on crime. But as the former president faces ICC trial, what determines whether strongman tactics like his sustain or lose popular support? Read more on our blog: ucigcc.org/blog/the-phi...

Digital tech is transforming lives, but how will it be governed? For our blog, IGCC senior fellow Peter Cowhey shares insights from his visit to APEC South Korea and his recent report on how nations are trying to write the international digital rulebook: bit.ly/4gQ1JUP

IGCC's new postdoc Emily Kim discusses her research on AI governance, her career journey from Seoul to Atlanta to Washington D.C., and her love of CrossFit in a wide-ranging spotlight interview. Learn more about our new fellow as the academic year begins: ucigcc.org/interview/ig...

As the world gathers in New York this week for #UNGA, U.S. and Chinese leaders are outlining different visions of global order. IGCC nonresident fellow Rachel Hulvey spoke with Talking Policy earlier this year about how China is trying to assert itself as a global leader: bit.ly/4kLWKpm

It's a new academic year, and both classes and job searches are getting into full swing. In our latest Alumni Confidential interview, leading expert on U.S. foreign policy James Goldgeier recounts his journey and shares career advice with junior academics: ucigcc.org/alumni-confi...

This month's China Victory Day parade demonstrated the extent to which Beijing prioritizes military readiness. Back in May, IGCC director Tai Ming Cheung wrote on how militarization is becoming a driving force in Chinese politics, economics, and culture: ucigcc.org/blog/china-i...

Many democracies have experienced backsliding over the last decade. But how can these nations "frontslide" to restore the rule of law and democratic norms? Read the recent analysis from IGCC's blog on the glimmers of democratic renewal in Poland: ucigcc.org/blog/poland-...

How do false beliefs arise and spread? In the latest episode of IGCC's Talking Policy podcast, @ucirvine.bsky.social philosophy professor Cailin O'Connor (@cailinmeister.bsky.social) joins us to discuss the origins of misinformation and how it might be combated. Listen here: bit.ly/468bSIz

How do democratic backsliders act in international institutions? In the latest IGCC working paper, Anna Meyerrose and Irfan Noorudin look at how democratic backsliders selectively contest key aspects of the liberal international order: ucigcc.org/publication/...

Please join us in welcoming the six members of the 2025-26 cohort of IGCC's Postdoctoral Fellowship in Technology & International Security! Learn more about this program and get to know these new and returning postdoc fellows here: ucigcc.org/funding/post...

The tragic killing of Charlie Kirk adds yet another dark chapter of political violence to recent U.S. history. In 2022, UC San Diego's Barbara Walter joined Talking Policy to outline the dangers the country faces as these types of incidents continue to rise. Listen here: ucigcc.org/podcast/is-t...

In the first entry of IGCC's new "Then and Now" series, postdoctoral fellow Colleen Larkin reflects on how a provocative 1987 paper titled “Sex and Death” shaped her thinking on the connection between language and nuclear strategy: bit.ly/46vIuvU

Introducing IGCC's 2025-26 Dissertation Fellows! This year’s cohort, from across five UC campuses, are pursuing degrees in political science, sociology, environmental science, oceanography, and geography. Learn more about the program and meet our new fellows here: ucigcc.org/funding/diss...

The Trump administration has taken aim at military climate initiatives to refocus on defense. However, writes Nicolas Wittstock, there's a reason the military makes such investments—environmental changes impact its capacity to defend the country: bit.ly/4neQcQO

The 33rd Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue kicked off in Singapore yesterday. Participants from China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the U.S. discussed how to build trust and mutual respect among adversaries to prevent conflict in the Asia-Pacific region.