On the 80th anniversary of the Trinity test, the Nobel Laureate Assembly for the Prevention of Nuclear War, including CISAC’s Scott Sagan, Herb Lin, Sig Hecker & Lynn Eden, called on world leaders & policymakers to recommit to reducing the nuclear threat. thebulletin.org/2025/07/the-...

This is a very cool opportunity for writers of fiction. So happy Kim Stanley Robinson agreed to help out. thebulletin.org/write-before...

New research from CISAC's Patrick Hulme shows presidents often act alone in military interventions not b/c Congress is weak, but b/c lawmakers choose to avoid blame while quietly supporting action. The “imperial presidency” story misses the real dynamic. Read more⤵️ www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Please join us in welcoming back Dr. Sulgiye Park to CISAC! Joining as a Research Scholar, Park will contribute to research, teaching, and mentorship. cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/news/cisac-w...

I’m thrilled to announce that, after ten years of research, my book on the birth of democracy in South America is finally out! I'm especially excited to be publishing it #openaccess, which means you can download a PDF for free at: www.cambridge.org/core/books/b...

Please join us in welcoming our 2025-2026 fellows! 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. cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/news/cisac-n...

Congratulations to @htrinkunas.bsky.social of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social on receiving the Alfred Stepan Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin American Studies Association for his outstanding academic career and contributions to security and defense studies.

Anne Neuberger delivered the 2025 Payne Distinguished Lecture, outlining how the United States must rethink cyber deterrence to defend critical infrastructure. Read more on key takeaways below⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/news/event-r...

Rose Gottemoeller is announced as the recipient of the 2025 Thérèse Delpech Memorial Award… and the crowd at #nukecon goes wild. Alex Bell with the announcement.

The advance copy of my book, Safe Havens for Hate, is here! It offers a deep dive into the moderation of harmful content on social media and explains why efforts to combat online extremism keep failing. Official release March 4! press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691258522/safe-havens-for-hate

This is the fundamental problem with Silicon Valley as well: the modal belief is that anything to do with politics or the state is either an engineering problem or a conspiracy. And then these guys are let loose on our democracy.

Women of Wargaming featuring @spettyjohn.bsky.social Bethany Goldblum and Emma Barrosa youtu.be/NP224DLDSCs?...

My latest in The Atlantic : The Tragic Success of Global Putinism How the West underestimated an ideology’s animating force www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

I am so saddened by my governments betrayal of Ukraine right now. It will be recorded by historians as one of our most shameful moments. At the same time, I have no doubt that Ukraine will survive and prosper as a strong, independent, democratic country. #SlavaUkraïni !

Next Week: Models, Markets, and Microbes: Quantitative Approaches to Biosecurity in the Anthropocene with Váleri Vásquez RSVP here⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/model...

This is actually something where ChatGPT does a better job than I ever could. As per Marion Fourcade's and my work, Brin is perversely right - machines that are good at producing ceremonial cliches have their uses!

Next week: "Russia and Iran: Partners in Defiance from Syria to Ukraine" with @nicolegrajewski.bsky.social RSVP here⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/russi...

Big thanks to Middlebury for having me this afternoon to talk The Hand Behind Unmanned this afternoon!

Next week: "89 seconds to midnight: Is time running out on nuclear arms control?" with Rose Gottemoeller, Alex Bell, Herb Lin and Gov. Jerry Brown. RSVP here⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/89-se...

Attending ISA in Chicago? We are having a civ-mil Happy Hour meet-up at Kitty O'Shea’s at the Hilton at 6 p.m. on Sunday 3/2. If you are interested in civil-military relations/security forces or just want to hang out with a great community of ppl, stop by!

I am elated to say that my book, "Words of War: Negotiation as a Tool of Conflict," is now published and available to order! In the book, I argue and demonstrate that negotiations are not only used to end wars but can also be wielded to fight them. A summary thread is below.

I've seen things you wouldn't believe. Alf-hogs on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched Hellthreads glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

When they decide on the person, they are going to send up smoke from a burning Constitution.

www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state... This is by far the best, clearest and most realistic analysis of what we're in for that I've seen.

You know your presentation is cooked when your discussant pulls up like this.

Next week: "Geopolitics, National Security, and Organized Crime" with Amb. Juan Carlos Pinzón RSVP here⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/geopo...

How did al-Shabaab respond to the overthrow of Assad’s regime? CISAC Visiting Scholar Stig Jarle Hansen, a leading expert on the group, examines their media coverage of the HTS offensive and its potential implications. www.geeska.com/en/al-shabaa...

Seeing a tweet from someone at the Bad Place demanding that USAID publish its data so everyone can see where the money goes. Fortunately, a nifty interactive data base already exists, and they don’t seem to have shut it down yet: foreignassistance.gov

With Assad’s fall & Iran edging toward nuclearization, CISAC's Or Rabinoqitz and colleague @nicolegrajewski.bsky.social say the U.S. must balance pressure & diplomacy to prevent a full-blown anti-Western axis. www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/will-...

It is simply not enough for universities to say, “Our grants & research offices are looking into how research will be affected by the latest directive.” University leaders must actively and very publicly make the case for the kind of work many of us do. The silence on this front is deafening.

Next week: "Leaders, Reputation & War" with Fahd Humayun RSVP here⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/leade...

It’s out! global.oup.com/academic/pro...

As U.S.-China competition intensifies, CISAC center fellow Oriana Skylar Mastro argues that a smarter move could mean fewer warheads, not more, with arms control—not escalation—holding the key to stability in Asia and beyond. www.economist.com/by-invitatio...

Next week: "Public Opinion and the Return of Nuclear Crisis Management" with Damon Coletta RSVP here⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/publi...

Going to spend the day judging people by the content of their character.

How do you shift public opinion on nuclear weapons? A new study by Benjamin Valentino & CISAC's Scott Sagan explores messaging to reduce support, revealing key insights on resonance, resilience, and the power of precedent. Learn what works (and what doesn’t): academic.oup.com/isq/article/...

Thank you, Dr. Freeman, for a terrific talk at Stanford CISAC!

I came to this country 10 years ago looking for an education and, along the way, found family and friends. This gringo home has grown with me as my Mexican home has walked beside me from afar. After years of living in the U.S., and years in the immigration labyrinth, I’m Mexican American.

Holy moly. So thrilled & sincerely honored to learn that I’ve received a Presidential Early Career Award in Science & Engineering (PECASE). So thankful to my mentors, students, colleagues (and my wife!) who have supported me thru THICK & thin & made this possible. www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-up...

Very excited to share that I have given a 12-month NEH Faculty Award in support of my new book project, "Internment: the Rivesaltes Camp and the History of Modern France!" 🗃

Next week: "Beyond Power Transitions: The Lessons of East Asian History and the Future of U.S.-China Relations" with Xinru Ma RSVP here⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/beyon...

The January issue of @thebulletin.org magazine honors the late CISAC co-director Rod Ewing & his contributions to the study of nuclear materials by bringing together some of his former collaborators to explore the enduring risks & new challenges of nuclear materials. thebulletin.org/magazine/202...

It’s only a violation of international law if others do it, otherwise it’s just sparkling territorial expansion.

Sending love out to every author who learned that their publisher’s marketing plan for their new book was to have an intern visit a remote woodland in winter, dig a hole in the frozen earth, and whisper their book’s title once, ‘neath the crescent moon.

A bunch of tankie accounts are reposting this claim that Russia can produce 25 Oreshnik IRBMs a month. That's probably wrong. 🧵 militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukra...

The advance copy of my book “Under the Nuclear Shadow” has arrived! Celebrating with my wonderful fiancé @aaronbateman.bsky.social in my hometown makes this milestone extra special. Official release date for the book is just around the corner on January 7!

Vent. It says a lot about the institution that officers leaving PME receive AERs that no one will read. I still spend time personalizing them to each individual's performance because it is the right thing to do. I don't know how to operate any other way. CivMilSky MilSky

A year ago, I was in New Zealand with Julia Macdonald finishing our book and today, that book is forthcoming on January 15 with Oxford University Press. Follow us here for more updates on the book launch! #innovation #drones #mines #missiles #UGV #UUV #autonomy #satellite

Otherwise known as grad school.