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.

Yesterday, IGCC's new and returning Postdoctoral Fellows met in Washington D.C. for an orientation day that included a meeting with U.S. State Department historian Dr. James Wilson, and an exclusive tour of the State Department's Navy Hill facilities, including the former headquarters of the OSS!

IGCC is in Singapore for the 33rd Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue, beginning the week with an academic workshop exploring how Southeast Asian economies are reacting to shifting geopolitical alliances & the U.S. upending of the global trade order. Stay tuned for more updates!

Commentators are divided in their appraisals of two Trump-led Ukraine peace summits. But most have missed one thing: how the meetings have taught the president crucial realities about ending the war, argues Branislav Slantchev of @ucsandiego.bsky.social: ucigcc.org/blog/the-edu...

When governments take an “iron fist” approach to crime, what determines whether the public will support it? Enrico La Viña of @ucdavis.bsky.social and Nico Ravanilla of @ucsandiego.bsky.social ego explore this question in a new IGCC working paper in the context of the Philippines: bit.ly/41WGc6p

Political science can explain the historical factors behind authoritarianism, but has little to say about the actual experience of living under dictatorship. IGCC's Steph Haggard shares five novels that illuminate the realities of autocratic rule: bit.ly/45u6TBO

War, competition, and political change are putting military alliances under the spotlight. But beyond formal alliances, the mundane world of defense cooperation can reveal more about states’ security priorities explains UC Davis’ Brandon Kinne in a new IGCC blog: bit.ly/4lGI8qS

In a new episode of our Talking Policy podcast, IGCC postdoctoral fellow Nic Wittstock is joined by Dr. Pat Falcone of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to discuss the history of the national labs and the role they play in American innovation and global leadership: bit.ly/3HH2u5h

Six months in, President Trump’s tariff strategy is becoming clearer—and it’s unlike any other in U.S. history. In a new IGCC essay, David Lake puts U.S. trade policy in context and asks whether tariffs can protect American jobs, or if they’ll simply make consumers poorer: bit.ly/45i4Hx3

Multilateralism—once a tool for democratization—is now being used to cement authoritarian rule. For the IGCC blog, Maria Debre discusses how autocrats are banding together in “Dictators’ Clubs” to protect themselves from both internal and external threats: bit.ly/41H0f8L

The U.S. has had a fraught relationship with UNESCO for decades. But, argue Christina Cottiero and Stephan Haggard, the recent decision to withdraw—again—from the organization forms part of a pattern of the U.S. ceding influence in UN bodies to China: bit.ly/4mCmZPu

Reliable economic data is scarce in some countries due to government control, low capacity, or conflict. Stephan Haggard, Kyoochul Kim & Munseob Lee provide six methods for studying “economic black holes”—like North Korea—in the latest IGCC working paper: bit.ly/3J55GIe

The global nuclear order is changing rapidly, and Russia is making moves to stay ahead. In our latest blog post, IGCC postdoc Spenser Warren examines Russia’s novel weapons and their impact on the country’s nuclear competition with the United States: ucigcc.org/blog/what-ne...

From Libya and Saudi Arabia to Russia and Iran, oil and gas-producing states have repeatedly failed to translate resource wealth into battlefield success. In a new post on our blog, outgoing IGCC dissertation fellow Max Plithides uncovers the economic roots of military failure: bit.ly/4mlIunA

The populist right is ascendant across the West and committed to restricting immigration once in power. But, writes IGCC dissertation fellow Jesús Rojas Venzor, hardline policies could do more than restrict migration—they risk eroding core democratic tenets: bit.ly/4lM1BHr

Training is underway for our inaugural course on "Understanding China’s Science & Technology Ambitions," led by IGCC nonresident fellow Jimmy Goodrich. Over the next two days, Jimmy will unpack China’s evolving science and technology policy landscape.

The 2025 Public Policy & Nuclear Threats Boot Camp wraps up today. Our thanks to the many presenters and organizers who helped to make this event possible, and congratulations to the 29 participants who have successfully completed this year's course!

New on our website: an interview with professor & former dean at American University's School of Int'l Service @jimgoldgeier.bsky.social. An alumnus of IGCC's Dissertation Fellowship, Jim discusses his career trajectory and advice for scholarly engagement with decisionmakers: bit.ly/4nQaVM1

Dispatch from PPNT: On Day 3 of this year's boot camp, participants heard from Laura Rockwood (Senior Fellow, VCDNP) and Laura Holgate (Former U.S. Ambassador, @iaeaorg.bsky.social) on the international safeguards that are in place to reduce nuclear threats and increase security around the globe.

In the latest IGCC blog post, part of our series on Geoeconomics and Economic Statecraft, Andrew Reddie and Leah Walker of the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab discuss the evolution of U.S. sanctions sanctions strategy. Read their analysis here: bit.ly/44QlpSN

On to our second full day of PPNT Boot Camp! Today, participants enjoyed a presentation and lunch with Elaine Bunn, a senior advisor for the @csis.org Project on Nuclear Issues, as well as a virtual lecture from national security analyst and author Joseph Cirincione. Stay tuned for more from PPNT!

Our 2025 Public Policy & Nuclear Threats (PPNT) Boot Camp is off and running! On this first full day of lectures, participants have heard from program director Neil Narang of @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social, Ambassador Linton Brooks of @csis.org, and John Scott of Los Alamos Nat'l Lab. More to come!

Still rounding out your summer reading list? Check out these recommendations from IGCC Research Director Stephan Haggard. These selections explore the commons themes of how autocrats rise to power and, most importantly, how democracy might be preserved: bit.ly/42zZFKS

ICYMI: In May, IGCC nonresident fellow Jimmy Goodrich detailed how harnessing fusion energy fits into China’s strategic push for technological self-reliance for our blog. Revisit his analysis here: bit.ly/4lKHbhp

In a new IGCC essay, the latest in our series on climate change and democracy, Luke Sanford of Yale and Cesar Martinez-Alvarez of @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social explore the politics of deforestation and the conditions that may lead to green backlash in the land use sector: bit.ly/460lLZd

With the 2025 IGCC Public Policy & Nuclear Threats (PPNT) Boot Camp starting next week, listen to last year's special podcast roundtable featuring a panel of experts discussing the current nuclear weapons landscape... and how to mitigate the risks they pose: bit.ly/4hetZAi

Earlier this year, IGCC was pleased to welcome UCLA professor Michael Ross to the formal network of IGCC scholars. Michael has published widely on the politics of climate change, natural resources, and democracy. Read more about his work here: ucigcc.org/people/micha...

New on our blog, 2023-24 IGCC dissertation fellow Luis Rubén González Márquez shares his analysis of new evidence which suggests that economic and political factors may soon drive new waves of labor-related conflict in the Global South: ucigcc.org/blog/hostile...

This month, IGCC is hosting our annual Public Policy and Nuclear Threats Bootcamp. Catch up on some of the research we support in this space, like this recent blog post from IGCC postdoctoral fellow Colleen Larkin: ucigcc.org/blog/five-qu...

Check out this fascinating interview from @uofcalifornia.bsky.social 's IGCC on the ripple effect of American investment in tech innovation since WWII. @gpsucsd.bsky.social @jacobsschool.bsky.social @ucsandiego.bsky.social #BehindEveryBreakthrough

Authoritarian regimes are gaining ground across an array of institutions, from multilateral organizations to universities and sports. For the IGCC blog, Alexander Cooley & Alexander Dukalskis discuss how this influence is taking shape and what democracies can do about it: bit.ly/4kZjKRE

ICYMI: Last month, IGCC director Tai Ming Cheung wrote for our China Focus blog column, assessing how Beijing is putting the nation on a war footing amid greater international uncertainty and whether this increases the risk that China will resort to war in the future: ucigcc.org/blog/china-i...

new podcast on the UCal Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation about what could have been in the absence of 🌮 policy (less so war, the mother of all things). helped by @yussefr.bsky.social. not as optimistic as in 2024. @ucigcc.bsky.social @nwittstock.bsky.social ucigcc.org/podcast/will...

The U.S. hit Iran. But what happens next? IGCC senior fellow David Lake of @gpsucsd.bsky.social examines three unanswered questions following the historic strikes on Iran’s nuclear program: ucigcc.org/blog/the-uni...

Tech fuels economic growth—but it’s not the whole story. In the latest episode of Talking Policy, Mark Schwartz of UVA discusses the global prospects for tech-enabled growth and U.S.-China competition for AI and energy leadership: bit.ly/40jXHg4

Today, IGCC hosted a workshop on the state of Chinese science, technology, innovation, and industrial policy in Washington, DC. The culmination of a three-year project, the discussions explored a transformational new phase of China’s economic development.

Earlier this year, we welcomed Maggie Peters, a professor of political science at UCLA to the formal IGCC network of scholars! Her research centers on the political economy of migration. Read more about Maggie and her work here: ucigcc.org/people/marga...

U.S.-China tensions, Russian and North Korean saber rattling, India-Pakistan hostilities, and Israel-Iran conflict underscore nuclear escalation risks in 2025. Re-listen to IGCC’s podcast roundtable from October about how the world might be able to reduce nuclear risks: ucigcc.org/podcast/step...

Russian losses in Ukraine have exposed a stratified society whose manpower sustains the Kremlin’s goals of conquest. On the IGCC blog, Jesse Driscoll of @gpsucsd.bsky.social discusses ethnic hierarchies in Russia’s military and whether four years of war are changing things: bit.ly/4e2Cxc0

Africa is grappling with the effects of decades of rising debt, and Russia is swooping in to strengthen its hand at the expense of the U.S. William Decourt and Spenser Warren discuss the battle for influence in Africa and the high geopolitical stakes: ucigcc.org/blog/russia-...

This week, IGCC director Tai Ming Cheung was in Washington, D.C. to lead the annual Chinese Defense and Strategic Innovation Policy Training Program—a flagship executive training that examines the relationship between China's rise as a world power and nat'l security, tech & more.