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Two Texas Cybersecurity Clinic students, Deborah Chu and Meera Hatangadi, were awarded theTexas Cybersecurity Clinic Excellence Award in honor of their performance in the Spring 2025 - Fall 2025 cohort of the Clinic. This award is made possible through the generosity of Socium Solutions. The Strauss Center for International Security and Law extends special thanks to Tam Nguyen, Chief Executive...
The University of Texas Regional Security Operations Center (UT-RSOC) recently partnered with Texas Cybersecurity Clinic Practicum students to host a mock Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (TX-RAMP) audit with a regional independent school district, illustrating the Clinic's strengthening relationship with the UT-RSOC and continued opportunity for Clinic students to gain practical cybersecurity field experience as part of the Clinic's...
The Clements Center for National Security and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Alexandra Sukalo to lead the University’s Intelligence Studies Project (ISP). ISP was established in 2013 as a joint venture of the Clements and Strauss Centers out of a conviction that...
Non-resident Scholar Diane Howard was invited to participate on a panel for the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ recent event, “Keeping China Grounded: Ensuring Long-Term U.S. Tech Leadership in Low Earth Orbit.” Dr. Howard was featured on a panel discussing technological innovation in space, where she discussed the role of AI in securing space safety and finding manageable windows...
The Strauss Center for International Security and Law, Clements Center for National Security, and School of Civic Leadership are pleased to announce that Robert D. Kaplan, the renowned foreign affairs correspondent and author, will be joining The University of Texas at Austin as a Distinguished Senior Lecturer. Kaplan will teach undergraduate and graduate courses, participate in our public events, and...
The Strauss Center for International Security and Law is pleased to announce that Connor Sale has been awarded the Aerospace Policy Solutions LLC Award in Space Policy for 2025. This $2000 award, sponsored by Aerospace Policy Solutions LLC, is given to an exceptional UT-Austin student engaged in research related to space policy or interested in pursuing work related to space...
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Joshua Busby has been named the recipient of the 2026 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving the World Order for scholarship presented in his 2022 book, "States and Nature: The Effects of Climate Change on Security." His work was based, in part, on his studies within Strauss Center programs on Complex Emergencies and Political Instability in Asia...
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI), led by CAMPI Director Stephanie Leutert and CAMPI Fellow Caitlyn Yates, have released the November 2025 update on "Migration Dynamics and Conditions at the U.S.-Mexico Border." This report focuses on current U.S. asylum restrictions at ports of entry and migrants' experiences in Mexican border cities. It draws on phone and WhatsApp interviews with Mexican government officials and...
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs published the results of two annual national surveys of public attitudes sponsored by UT-Austin’s Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project (ISP). The surveys conducted in 2023 and 2024 confirm that most Americans believe the US intelligence agencies are vital to protecting the nation and effective in carrying out their specialized tasks. These final polls of the...
Strauss Space Security, Safety, & Sustainability Program Lead Dr. Moriba Jah recently published an article, "Why Starlink must be reined in," in his opinion column Jahniverse in the AIAA Aerospace America Magazine. In the article, Dr. Jah discusses the implications of Elon Musk's Starlink and the potential the company has to monopolize space. Starlink is in the process of effectively crowding out...
The Strauss Center is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2025-26 Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellows and Undergraduate Scholars programs. These unique opportunities provide research training, mentorship, and networking to exceptional students from varied disciplines across the Forty Acres. For Graduate Students: The Brumley Next Generation Fellows Program The mission of the Brumley Next Generation Fellows Program...
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative Director, Stephanie Leutert, assisted in data collection for an article in The Washington Post, "Border Drownings Rose as Migrants Rushed to Cross and Texas Clamped Down." In the article, Leutert's data was used to show the number of migrants who have drowned attempting to cross the US-Mexico border from 2017-2023. Leutert's data was also used to...
The Robert Strauss Center and Ohio Northern University's Pettit College of Law are pleased to announce that Ashley Deeks, Class of 1948 Scholarly Research Professor at the University of Virginia Law School, is the winner of the 2024 Mike Lewis Prize for National Security Law Scholarship. Professor Deeks' article, (Sub-)Delegating National Security Powers was published in the University of Pennsylvania...
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and Asia Policy Program Director Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens recently published an article, "The Global Consequences of Yoon's Martial Law Gambit," for The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In the article, Dr. Greitens addresses the brief period of martial law declared by President Yoon Suk-yeol in South Korea and the subsequent fallout. Democratic backsliding and alliance coordination are two...
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI), led by our CAMPI Director Stephanie Leutert and CAMPI Fellow Caitlyn Yates, have released the quarterly report on Asylum Processing at the U.S.-Mexico Border. This November 2024 asylum processing update focuses on the CBP One appointment system and conditions for waiting asylum seekers in Mexican border cities. While waiting in Mexico for a CBP One appointment, asylum...
The Strauss Center for International Security and Law is delighted to announce that Perry Lum has been awarded the Aerospace Policy Solutions LLC Award in Space Policy for 2024. This $2000 award, sponsored by Aerospace Policy Solutions LLC, is given to an exceptional UT-Austin student engaged in research related to space policy or interested in pursuing work related to space...
Stephanie Leutert, Director of the Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative, was recently quoted in The New York Times on "Biden's Policies Offer a Starting Point for Trump's Border Crackdown." "All of the Biden administration restrictions give them a starting point far beyond what they had in 2016," said Leutert. Read the article in its entirety here.
The Strauss Center congratulates Asia Policy Program Director Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens for her new role as the Editor in Chief for the Texas National Security Review. In her introduction, Dr. Greitens highlighted how she first became interested in national security and discussed her vision for the Texas National Security Review. Texas National Security Review seeks to publish the best...
Chinmayi Sharma, Cybersecurity and Technology Fellow at the Strauss Center, recently coauthored an article in Tech Policy Press entitled, “Reconciling Agile Development With AI Safety" which focused on how implementing responsible artificial intelligence (AI) development faces a challenge in reconciling government frameworks' principles with the fast-paced Agile processes of tech companies. Per Sharma, “For AI safety frameworks to have their...
Adam Klein, Director of the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, recently wrote an article on Lawfare, “Safe and Free: National-Security Surveillance and Safeguards Across Rule-of-Law States.” The decade since Edward Snowden's NSA leaks has been characterized by global debates on intelligence agencies respecting civil liberties and privacy, with major reforms enacted in rule-of-law democracies. The new project, "Safe...
The Strauss Center for International Security and Law in collaboration with the Center for Identity at the University of Texas at Austin are excited to announce that Bailey Crane has been selected as the university's International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Westin Scholar Award recipient for the 2023-2024 award round. Bailey Crane is a second-year graduate student, pursuing a Master of Global...
Alan Kuperman, Strauss Distinguished Scholar and coordinator of the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Project, appeared in News Network’s article “US research on bomb-grade uranium alternative in Navy vessels advances” regarding technological advancements in the U.S. military to lower uranium and nuclear proliferation risks. “The program is vital to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, is making rapid progress, and will be...
Chinmayi Sharma, Cybersecurity and Technology Fellow at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, wrote an article in Lawfare about how organizations should use Artificial Intelligence responsibly. The article, entitled “Setting a Higher Bar: Professionalizing AI Engineering,” outlines opportunities and threats of growing artificial intelligence usage. “A big year for artificial intelligence (AI) is coming to a close, and...
Strauss Center Director Adam Klein recently published an article in Lawfare on "Safe and Free: National-Security Surveillance and Safeguards Across Rule-of-Law States." This article offers a brief overview of the new project launched by the Strauss Center called "Safe and Free: National Security Surveillance and the Rule of Law Across Democratic States." This paper series examines the surveillance laws, institutions,...
Jordan Hirsch, Senior fellow in the Technology, Security, and Global Affairs Program at the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law, was recently published in the Autumn 2023 issue of SAPIR Journal in an article titled "China and the Future of the U.S.-Israel Alliance." Hirsch argues "If Israel is not on the geographic frontier of the next great U.S....
Zoltan Barany, Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin and Distinguished Scholar at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, appeared in The Strategist’s article by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and spoke on China’s military as tensions rise with the United States. In the article titled “Be Alert to China’s Military Weaknesses,” Professor Barany mentioned...
Chinmayi Sharma, Cybersecurity and Technology Fellow at the Strauss Center, recently published an article in Lawfare entitled “The Chaos at OpenAI is a Death Knell for AI Self-Regulation.” “For decades, technology companies were shielded from accountability… This underscores the conclusion the security community came to long ago: Industry incentives are not only inadequate to foster strong cybersecurity; they are often...
The Robert Strauss Center and Ohio Northern University’s Pettit College of Law are pleased to announce that Jean Galbraith, Professor of Law at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, is the winner of the 2022 Mike Lewis Prize for National Security Law Scholarship. Professor Galbraith's article, The Runaway Presidential Power over Diplomacy was published in the Virginia Law Review this...
Stephanie Leutert, Director of the Strauss Center's Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI), was quoted in a Reuters article on mass migrant kidnappings occurring in Mexico before attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. "This kidnapping and others show the risks that migrants face in Mexico and all the different groups trying to make money off of them."Stephanie Leutert, December...
Strauss Senior Fellow Rana Siu Inboden testified before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) yesterday about "Two Decades of Human Rights Abuse and Defense in China." "In the 20 years since the CECC was established, one of the most profound changes is an emboldened China that actively works to dilute UN human rights procedures and norms."Rana Siu Inboden, December 13,...
Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, founding director of the Asia Policy Program, joined Nury Turkel on the Horns of a Dilemma podcast to discuss China’s campaign against the Uyghur People. The two discussed Turkel’s new book, No Escape: The True Story of China’s Genocide of the Uyghurs. Horns of a Dilemma is a joint venture between the Strauss Center and the...
Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, founding director of the Asia Policy Program, published a research article in Asian Survey on China's response to the war in Ukraine. The article assesses the Chinese party-state’s response across four elements: informational, diplomatic, economic, and military-strategic. Read the full research article here.
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI), led by our CAMPI Director Stephanie Leutert and CAMPI Fellow Caitlyn Yates, have released the quarterly report on Asylum Processing at the U.S.-Mexico Border for November 2022. This November 2022 update includes numbers from both original asylum waitlists and Title 42 exception waitlists. In many cities, Title 42 exception waitlists have replaced the asylum waitlists that were...
Samuel Woolley, Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and Assistant Professor in the Schools of Journalism and Information, made several comments for an article titled "BBC tries to understand politics by creating fake Americans" at Spectrum News. A BBC news reporter created fake social media accounts of 5 Americans to track and better understand how information, and particularly disinformation, spreads as well as...
Frank Gavin, a Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar, recently published an article in the Texas National Security Review titled “The Gap Has Been Bridged!” Gavin discusses how the gap between international affairs scholars and foreign policy practitioners has been bridged. He then explores the challenges of bridging the divide between the two groups and concludes by detailing how the divide came...
We are excited to announce that the Strauss Center at The University of Texas at Austin is partnering with the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative to host another regional round of the Atlantic Council’s renowned cybersecurity policy competition, the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge. This stand-alone event will take place at the University of Texas School of Law on February 4-5, 2023, with teams vying for a title that includes, not...
Diana Bolsinger, a former Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellow, recently published an essay in the Texas National Security Review titled Not at Any Price: LBJ, Pakistan, and Bargaining in an Asymmetric Intelligence Relationship. Bolsinger's article received the Bobby R. Inman Award from the Intelligence Studies Project in 2020. She began her research into the theoretical questions discussed in the article as a Brumley Next Generation Scholar. In the...
Professor Robert M. Chesney was recently appointed to the inaugural Cybersecurity Advisory Committee of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA). Professor Chesney is the Director of the Strauss Center, and holds the James Baker Chair and serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas School of Law. In his role on the new committee, Professor...
Isabel Ayala, a Strauss Center 2021-2022 Brumley Next Generation Scholar, has been awarded the Schwarzman Scholarship. She is one of two seniors at the University of Texas at Austin to receive this prestigious honor that funds one year of graduate study at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Her academic and professional interests revolve around the security implications of bilateral and...
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative recently published a report, with Vecina's assistance, that focuses on migrant kidnappings in Nuevo Laredo due to the crime’s high frequency and its systematic nature. Migrant kidnappings are largely concentrated in a few sites around the city, and kidnappings follow a similar modus operandi. In fact, the practice is so common that members...
In a recent op-ed published by SpaceWatch.Global, Dr. Moriba Jah and his coauthor Colonel Scott Brodeur discuss Russia recent debris-creating test of an Anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon. Dr. Jah is an Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at UT Austin and the Lead of the Strauss Center’s Space Security, Safety, and Sustainability Program. Dr. Jah and Colonel Brodeur first remind the readers of the...
Applications are now open to graduate students for one part-time Senior Student Associate position at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law. Beyond sharpening their writing and organizational skills, this position offers students a way to become more involved in security, intelligence, and foreign policy scholarship at the University. We are looking for assistance in the following: event coordination...
Dr. Moriba Jah, Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at UT Austin and the Director of the Strauss Center’s Space Security, Safety, and Sustainability Program, was recently interviewed by Payload on space environmentalism, debris, and his role at Privateer, a newly formed company that aims to be the “Waze for space.” Dr. Jah began by indicating that the lack of rigor when...
In a recent interview with KXAN, Strauss Distinguished Scholar and Director of the Clements Center, Dr. William Inboden, discusses how Samsung’s new semiconductor factory in Central Texas will help support U.S. national security efforts. The estimated $17 billion factory will produce semiconductors, chips that power cars, missile technology, and military communications systems. Since 1990, the United States’ global share of semiconductor manufacturing...
The Strauss Center’s Cyber Fellows program provides mentorship and research support to UT Austin graduate students interested in delving into the world of cybersecurity (see more here if you’re interested in applying). We like to check in with our former Cyber Fellows to share their experiences post-program, and today we have an update from Brenda Kodawa: Just after finishing the...
1. Cybersecurity Policy Competition (Jan. 7-8) What: In early January, the Strauss Center will host a round of the Atlantic Council’s “Cyber 9/12” cybersecurity policy competition (featuring teams of graduate and undergraduate students from around the nation competing in an exercise simulating a cybersecurity crisis). Why It Matters: This annual event is a great opportunity for students in the Strauss...
The Robert Strauss Center and Ohio Northern University’s Pettit College of Law are excited to announce that Elena Chachko, Lecturer on Law and S.J.D Candidate at Harvard Law School, is the winner of the 2020 Mike Lewis Prize for National Security Law Scholarship. (more…)
Professor Moriba Jah, Lead of the Strauss Center’s Space Security and Safety Program and Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, recently launched a Space Situational Awareness Project with IBM. This project will use IBM’s technologies to build upon ASTRIAGraph, the existing open source resource built by Dr. Jah...
In this inaugural space expert interview episode of the Space Security and Safety (SSS) video series, Dr. Ruth Stilwell, Executive Director of Aerospace Policy Solutions LLC, sits down with Collin Ma, a Senior at UT Austin studying Mechanical Engineering who also serves as the Director of Test Operations for the Texas Engineering Rocket Lab. In this episode, Dr. Stilwell and Collin discuss Dr. Stilwell's...
In a recent episode of Horns of a Dilemma titled “It’s Not Just Over There: The American Commitment to the Korean Peninsula,” General Vincent Brooks, Strauss Center Distinguished Senior Fellow, and Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Associate Professor at the LBJ School and Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar, discussed a broad range of topics related to the U.S.'s relationship with the Korean peninsula....
Robert Chesney, James Baker Chair and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas School of Law, and Director of the Strauss Center, recently co-authored the introductory essay for the special Cyber Competition issue of the Texas National Security Review, a publication which is co-sponsored by the Strauss Center. In it, he and his co-author Max Smeets explain...
In a recent Lawfare podcast, Sheena Greitens, Associate Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar, joined fellow panelist Jordan Schneider to discuss the ongoing human rights crisis in the Chinese region of Xinjiang. Greitens began by providing a brief history on the current crisis, noting that it began in 2017 when Xinjiang's party secretary Chen Quanguo returned...
Professor Moriba Jah, Lead of the Space Security and Safety Program at the Strauss Center and Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the Cockrell School of Engineering, was recently named a member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA.) The IAA is “an independent organization of distinguished individuals elected by their peers for their outstanding contributions to...
Ben Rohrbaugh, Fellow in the Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative at the Strauss Center, recently co-authored a report titled “Transnational Threats and the 2020 Election.” In it, he and his co-authors asses the changing international threat landscape, emphasizing that today’s most daunting national security threats are of non-state origin—a complication which will inevitably bedevil the national security efforts of...
Moriba Jah, Program Lead of the Space Security and Safety (SSS) program at the Strauss Center, Director of the Advanced Sciences and Technology Research in Astronautics (ASTRIA) program, and Associate Professor of Aerospace engineering and Engineering Mechanics in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, recently published a graph tool which illustrates the orbits of 1500...
Zoltan Barany, Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Centennial Professor of Government at the University of Texas and Distinguished Scholar at the Strauss Center, co-edited and published a collection of studies entitled “Security Sector Reform in Constitutional Transitions.” (more…)
Dr. Mark Atwood Lawrence, Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and Associate Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin, was recently named the sixth director of the LBJ Presidential Library—a position he will assume on January 5, 2020. David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, noted in the announcement of Dr. Lawrence’s selection, that his “extensive knowledge of the...
Intelligence Studies Project Senior Fellow J. Paul Pope recently reviewed David P. Oakley's "Subordinating Intelligence: The DoD/CIA Post-Cold War Relationship" in the Joint Forces Quarterly. Click here to read the review.
The Strauss Center and Ohio Northern University’s Pettit College of Law are excited to announce that Jennifer C. Daskal, Professor at the American University Washington College of Law, is the winner of the 2019 Mike Lewis Prize for National Security Law Scholarship for her article "Speech Across Borders." (more…)
In a recent podcast, Lawfare posted the recording of the "From Within" panel, which took place on September 27 at the 2019 Texas Tribune Festival. Bobby Chesney, Strauss Center Director and James Baker Professor in Law, joined panelists, including Nick Rasmussen, Senior National Security Fellow at the Strauss Center, in discussing a host of issues related to domestic terrorism, which he...
Joshua Busby, Distinguished Scholar at the Strauss Center, co-wrote an essay for the 26th Volume of Energy Strategy Reviews. In his essay, “One more try: The International Solar Alliance and India's search for geopolitical influence,” Busby analyzes the intention’s behind India’s cofounding of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) jointly with France at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. The ISA is...
In a recent article published in the September issue of the AsiaPacific Issues journal, Dr. Wenhong Chen discusses the unfolding AI, Big Data, and Cloud Computing (ABC) race between the United States and China. Dr. Chen’s analysis focuses specifically on two components: the comparative strength of the U.S. and China in data and research and development, and the state of ABC policies in both...
Stephanie Leutert, Director of the Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative at the Strauss Center, recently authored an article for the national security law blog Lawfare. In her article “One County, 650 Migrant Deaths: An Introduction,” she introduces a series of essays on the deaths of 650 people in Brooks County, Texas, between 2009 and 2019 while attempting to circumvent...
Steve Slick recently posted an essay in the Intelligence Studies series on the Lawfare national security website. The ISP Director argued that "it is not too early to begin planning a turnaround for U.S. intelligence under a new chief executive who appreciates the IC’s unique capabilities, its fragile assets and essential contributions to America’s national security.” The full text of the essay is here.
Climate change poses a multi-faceted and increasingly urgent security threat for fragile states. In their recent War on the Rocks article, Stretched Thin: When Fragile States Face Climate Hazards, Director of Strauss’ State Fragility Initiative Ashley Moran, Strauss Distinguished Scholar Joshua Busby, and Strauss Senior Fellow Clionadh Raleigh evaluate the policy implications of their global mapping project on overlapping fragility and climate...
In a recent article for Foreign Affairs, Strauss Distinguished Scholar Dr. Joshua Busby and his co-author Nina von Uexkull explore how climate shocks can intersect with several risk factors to contribute to instability and humanitarian crises. The article suggests that understanding the sources of instability is the first step in mitigating risk in countries that are especially vulnerable to the...
Diana Bolsinger, PhD candidate at The LBJ School of Public Affairs, is a Brumley Next Generation Fellow at the Strauss Center. The Fellows are now settled into their year-long research projects, and Diana shares with us today details of what she's working on: (more…)
In their report, Migrant Kidnapping in Mexico: Regional Differences, Stephanie Leutert, Director of the Mexico Security Initiative, and Caitlyn Yates, research coordinator at IBI Consultants and the National Defense University, present data they collected on migrant kidnappings in Mexico. They cover 388 cases that include 8000 victims and 451 individual kidnappers. The authors separate the data set into four different regions: the...
In a recent article for Open Democracy, Brumley NextGen Senior Fellow, Maro Youssef shared her analysis of the relationship between the state and civil society in Tunisia. Youssef’s Brumley research project centralizes around civil society, democracy, and women’s participation in Tunisia. Last spring Youssef travelled to Tunisia to perform interviews with leaders of Tunisia's women's movement. (more…)
In her recent Foreign Affairs article, The Migration Disconnect, Stephanie Leutert, Director of the Strauss Center’s Mexico Security Initiative, attempts to answer the question of why Central American migrants keep coming despite the issue receiving years of high-level attention and billions of dollars. (more…)
In the Washington Post article, How Climate Change is Affecting Rural Honduras and Pushing People North, Stephanie Leutert, Strauss Director of the Mexico Security Initiative, looks at the threat climate change poses to Honduran farmers. She explains that Honduras is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. The economy is weather dependent--with one out of every four Hondurans working in...
In his Washington Post article, What we Really Know About China’s Reform and Opening Up, Strauss Distinguished Scholar Joshua Eisenman debunks some of the widely held myths about China’s Reform and Opening Up program begun in 1978. Reform and Opening Up is a “blend of market and socialist policies initiated by Deng Xiaoping” and the communist party has credited growth and prosperity...
In a recent article for Foreign Policy, Strauss Distinguished Scholar and Clements Center Executive Director Dr. William Inboden discussed the importance of President Trump’s announcement that recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and called for the U.S. Embassy to relocate from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. (more…)
Dr. Joshua Busby, Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and CEPSA lead researcher, recently co-authored a journal article forEnergy Research & Social Science titled, “Turning the Carbon Supertanker: Sectoral Feasibility of Climate Change Mitigation in China.” (more…)
In a recent op-ed written forThe Diplomat, "South Korea's Space Race is Lagging Behind," Brumley Fellow Harry Kim calls for increased support for South Korea's space program. (more…)
The Strauss Center’s Complex Emergencies and Political Stability in Asia (CEPSA) program released a brief titled, “Climate Vulnerability in South Asia’s Coastal Cities.” Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and CEPSA researcher Dr. Paula Newberg, along with Samuel Tabory, formerly a Brumley Fellow at the Strauss Center, co-authored the research. (more…)
UT Austin’s Intelligence Studies Project and the Texas National Security Network announce the inaugural Texas Intelligence Academy (TIA), an intensive academic program focused on intelligence and national security from May 20-30, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (more…)
Harry Kim, MGPS candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, is a Brumley NextGen Graduate Fellow with the Strauss Center. Each Fellow researches a topic of their choosing for a project developed over the academic year, guided in their work by a faculty mentor. Harry is paired with LBJ School Associate Professor Dr. Joshua Eisenman, and goes into detail...
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and CEPSA researcher Joshua Busby provided summary and insight from the United Nations’ 23rd Conference of Parties (COP23) on Climate for Washington Post’s blog, “Monkey Cage.” The conference held in November in Bonn, Germany brought together all U.N. member nations and a plethora of non-state actors to discuss next steps for global climate governance. (more…)
In a recent report from the Strauss Center’s Mexico Security Initiative (MSI), authors Stephanie Leutert, Director of the Mexico Security Initiative, and Caitlyn Yates, MSI Graduate Research Assistant, examines migrants’ growing reliance on “invisible forms of transportation.” (more…)
Joshua Busby, Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and CEPSA lead researcher, recently presented “In Harms Way: Climate Security Vulnerability in Asia” at the COP23 climate change meeting in Bonn, Germany. (more…)
Michael Gibbs (Phd 2nd year in Government) is the ISP Fellow in the Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellows program. His faculty mentor, ISP Director Stephen Slick, has aided Michael in his research on the inner workings of insurgencies, specifically Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, and Al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula and in Iraq. Michael updates us on his progress in his Brumley...
Dr. Kevin Rosner, Senior Fellow at the Strauss Center and Director of Research at the Institute for Natural Resources and Sustainable Development at the University of Ottawa, Canada, published a new paper titled, Water and Electric Power in Iraq and Syria: Conflict and Fragility Implications for the Future. This paper is published as part of the Strauss Center’s program on...
Strauss Center Director Bobby Chesney, and Distinguished Scholar Jeremi Suri recently shared their perspectives in TIME's "Behind the 1947 Law That Could Block Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense Pick." (more…)
Brumley Next Gen Scholar Juhi Amodwala, a Supply Chain Management and Government senior, tells us about her work as the CEC's Green Offices Program Coordinator and her future in the climate change policy arena, as part of our ongoing Brumley Next Gen Program check ins. (more…)
The Intelligence Studies Project (ISP) of the Clements Center for National Security and the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law will grant a postdoctoral fellowship in intelligence studies to a promising young scholar. This unique fellowship is intended to support the next generation of scholars and educators in the field of intelligence. (more…)
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Dr. Joshua Busby contributed to an article in Scientific American, titled "Serious Changes Possible for National Security Policies on Climate Change." In Dave Levitan's article, President Elect Donald Trump's national security appointments are the focus of a discussion on the future of the relationship between climate change and national security at the policy-making level of government....
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Alan J. Kuperman was featured in a Fox 7 news segment on November 17 concerning the security threats the nation faces today. (more…)
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholars Kate Weaver and Michael Findley recently released the Innovations for Peace and Development (IPD) Annual Report for 2016. Weaver and Findley are IPD’s Co-Directors, and established the Center at the University of Texas at Austin in 2013 to conduct research in international conflict management, global economic governance, and poverty alleviation. (more…)
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Paul D. Miller recently contributed a blog piece to Foreign Policy titled "How World War III Could Begin in Latvia". In it, Dr. Miller recalls a piece he wrote four years ago in which he predicted Russia's invasion of Ukraine and states that Russia will likely invoke a similar pattern of behavior and invade Latvia. (more…)
The Intelligence Studies Project at the University of Texas at Austin, a joint program with the Strauss and Clements Centers, is pleased to announce that, due to the large number of submissions and success of last year’s competition, we will again sponsor a “Bobby R. Inman Award” competition recognizing outstanding student research and writing on topics related to intelligence and...
As a major component of the Strauss Center's inaugural Brumley Next Generation Fellows program, our ten graduate student fellows are well underway with their year-long research projects. Each student is paired with a Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar for guidance and support in carrying out their own research product, with the goal of completing their project by the end of the spring semester....
The December 2015 issue of Conflict Trends focuses on Boko Haram violence and general elections in Nigeria, xenophobic riots and tuition fee protests in universities in South Africa, the trajectory of conflict in South Sudan as it enters its third year of civil war, an increase in ethnic and communal violence as pro-government militias scaled down attacks in Su-dan, and riot...
In a recent article for The Washington Post, Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and LBJ School Professor Josh Busby discusses the 2009 Copenhagen climate change negotiations. Busby argues that while many at the time believed the negotiations to be a failure, the negotations introduced a bottom-up approach to addressing climate change at the international level. Flashing forward to the recent COP 21...
The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs recently hosted a panel of experts to discuss the rise of China in the new century, titled “American Century, Asian Century, or Nobody’s Century?” As a panelist, Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and LBJ School Professor Josh Eisenman argued that it is unlikely for China to dominate the next century as a global...
At a recent Wilson Center event, experts gathered for the launch of The U.S. Asia-Pacific Rebalance, National Security, and Climate Change, a report produced by the Washington DC-based Center for Climate and Security in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, the Center for a New American Security, and the University of Oxford. The report discusses the growing attention that climate change...
From November 19-21, 2015, the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law and the Clements Center for National Security convened the second annual National Security Forum at the University of Texas at Austin. This year’s event, “Great Powers, Failed States, and New Frontiers: National Security Challenges in the 21st Century,” explored the security challenges the U.S. currently faces...
The Strauss and Clements Centers' second annual National Security Forum has drawn senior intelligence leaders and scholars to Austin to discuss issues ranging from terrorism to stability operations. Several leading news sources have been covering the event and below are just a sample. (more…)
During the Strauss and Clements Centers' second annual National Security Forum, UT Chancellor Bill McRaven spoke to attendees about the need for the U.S. to lead the military actions needed to combat ISIS, stating that "we are the only country that has the resources to take that leadership position and the other countries know that." McRaven recognized that this new chapter in...
POSITION OPENINGResearch Assistant: Water, Energy, and Security in Iraq and Jordan The Strauss Center is seeking a student research assistant on a short-term project investigating the nexus of water, energy, and human security in the Middle East. Water and energy resources are increasingly at the center of a range of security dynamics in the Middle East. (more…)
In an interview with PRI, Strauss Center Director and UT Law Professor Robert Chesney discussed Edward Snowden's legacy and the changes resulting from his revelations. In the interview, To see the changes Edward Snowden wrought, just look at your smartphone, Chesney explained that rather than statutory or legal responses, the biggest change resulting from Snowden's disclosure is the nature of...
Todd Smith, PhD candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and CCAPS research assistant, examines the relationship between food prices and sociopolitical conflict in the New Security Beat blog.
CCAPS researchers Ashley Moran and Clionadh Raleigh, with co-author Yacob Mulugetta, published a new paper with the Global Military Advisory Council on Climate Change (GMACCC), exploring how local-level conflict and environmental data can assist policymakers and researchers in assessing links between environmental patterns and violence. (more…)
In CCAPS Research Brief No. 24, researcher Cullen Hendrix analyses water security in the Sahel region by examining a specific case study: Niger. Hendrix argues that Niger illustrates how strained water resources in a country can be "a source both of conflict and cooperation." (more…)
A new series published by CCAPS and UT's Innovations for Peace and Development program explores food security vulnerability in Sub-Saharan Africa. The four briefs delve into the implications of food vulnerability, analyze measures of resilience, and provide policy recommendations for increasing food security on the continent. (more…)
In a Sunday Book Review for the New York Times, Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and UT History Professor Mark Lawrence discusses Debi and Irwin Unger and Stanley Hirschon's recent biography of General George C. Marshall. According to Lawrence, the authors take a critical look at one of the most revered generals in US history—and ultimately conclude he is "less than...
In a recent op-ed for the Texas Tribune and interview with Bloomberg, Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and UT Engineering professor Michael Webber discusses the recently revived debate over the Keystone XL pipeline. In the interview and his op-ed, The risks and rewards of Keystone XL, Webber explains that changing economic and geopolitical conditions must be taken into account when contemplating...
In a recent post for Foreign Policy’s Shadow Government blog, Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and Clements Center Director William Inboden asks, Is Finland Rejecting Finlandization? In assessing the current conflict in Ukraine, Inboden points out that many have resurrected Finlandization as a potential solution: allow Russia to keep the territory it has seized and defuse the situation by halting developments in...
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law will offer up to two pre-doctoral fellowships in security studies for the 2014-2015 academic year. The Strauss Center pre-doctoral fellowship program aims to stimulate the development of the next generation of researchers and thought leaders and encourage them to engage in policy-relevant research on issues related to security studies. (more…)
The Center’s flagship speaker series continues to host more speakers each year, drawing world-renowned scholars, legal experts, and policy practitioners to the UT campus. This semester we welcomed seven experts to the 40-acres to share their research on topics as diverse as drone strikes, 18th century warfare, the 1970s, and declassification of government documents. Below you’ll find a sampling of...
Known for its innovative research bridging policy and academic spheres, the Robert Strauss Center this year won the esteemed Special Achievements in GIS (SAG) Award for its work mapping security risks related to climate change. The Strauss Center uses Esri's geographic information systems (GIS) technology as part of its Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) program to analyze how...
Strauss Center Leadership and Distinguished Scholars spent the past semester publishing new books and articles in peer-reviewed journals, participating in conferences and lectures, and testifying before Congress on some of the most pressing issues affecting international security. Highlights of their impressive activities are below. (more…)
Known for its innovative research bridging policy and academic spheres, the Robert Strauss Center this year won the esteemed Special Achievements in GIS (SAG) Award for its work mapping security risks related to climate change. The Strauss Center uses Esri's geographic information systems (GIS) technology as part of its Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) program to analyze how communities are...
Last week, Incoming Director Bobby Chesney and the Brookings Institution's Benjamin Wittes visited the NSA to conduct a series of interviews with high-level officials. The interviews are a direct outgrowth of the Intelligence Studies Project, a joint venture of the Strauss Center and the Clements Center for National Security at UT Austin. The Intelligence Studies Project kicked off its work this fall...
Last month, UT Law Professor and Incoming Director of the Strauss Center Bobby Chesney participated in a conference at Columbia Law School and spoke at a colloquium at NYU Law where he discussed various aspects of the laws of war. (more…)
The recently published Humanitarian Intervention (SAGE Publications, November 2013), includes the chapter "Moral Hazard of Humanitarian Intervention" authored by Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Dr. Alan Kuperman. This four-volume publication presents a "detailed and systematic understanding of the political, legal and ethical debates related to humanitarian intervention and responsibility to protect as they have evolved since the 1990s."
ACLED has released its December issue of Conflict Trends, which examines political unrest and conflict in Central African Republic, Mali, Mauritania, DR-Congo, Kenya, South Sudan, Libya and Sudan. In addition to the Conflict Trends report, ACLED also released country profile reports on DR-Congo and Kenya. (more…)
The Climate Change and African Political Stability Program's work involving students is featured on the University of Texas' 2012 Retrospective. The retrospective highlights the University's biggest accomplishments, including the many opportunities for gaining hands-on experience. In the CCAPS Program's three years, 82 university students have participated in CCAPS research, along with 14 additional students from partner universities. Students have conducted...
The National Security Agency has just released a new publication titled: "Building a national program for cybersecurity science" in the latest issue of its technology publication The Next Wave. The Next Wave is published to disseminate technical advancements and research activities in telecommunications and information technologies. Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Fred Chang served as the Guest Editor of this publication,...
The Air and Space Power Journal "“ Africa and Francophonie, a quarterly publication of the U.S. Air Force, recently featured an article by CCAPS researchers on the future consequences of climate change in Africa. (more…)
The National Research Council released a report, authored by the Committee on Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Social and Political Stresses, that explores the links between climate change and national security. The report, Climate and Social Stress: Implications for Security Analysis, incorporates the research findings of several CCAPS researchers including Joshua Busby, Cullen Hendrix, Clionadh Raleigh, and Idean...
The Air and Space Power Journal "“ Africa and Francophonie, a quarterly publication of the U.S. Air Force, recently featured an article by CCAPS researchers on the future consequences of climate change in Africa. (more…)
Shalini Ramanathan, Next Gen Fellow and VP of RES Americas, was a panelist on the MSNBC show Up with Chris Hayes on December 8th. (more…)
CCAPS Pre-doctoral Fellow Sam Barrett responds to Pilita Clark's article "Doha Talks Agree to Climate Compensation" in the Financial Times. In his letter to the editor, Barrett argues that "the basis of [Clark's] claim "“ the notion of climate finance for adaptation as a differentiated and accountable phenomenon that is designed for vulnerable people "“ is questionable."
Next Gen Texas Fellow John Losinger's letter to the editor was published in the Wall Street Journal on November 29th. (more…)
The New Security Beat takes a close look at the CCAPS program's research on identifying and tracking climate aid in Malawi in the article, CCAPS Looks to Map Climate-Related Aid in Africa. CCAPS researchers have applied their climate coding methodology to all official development aid projects in Malawi, assessing each project activity for its relevance to climate change adaptation. Based on...
The Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) program will offer up to three pre-doctoral fellowships for the 2012-2013 academic year. The CCAPS pre-doctoral fellowship program aims to stimulate the development of the next generation of researchers and thought leaders on the topic of climate change and political stability in Africa. (more…)
In his Foreign Policy Shadow Government blog, Strauss Scholar Will Inboden commends President Obama's first offer of praise for a Bush foreign-policy initiative. (more…)
PBS News Hour interviewed Strauss Center's Associate Director, Celeste Ward Gventer Tuesday December 6 on two suicide bombings in Afghanistan by a Pakistani Sunni militant group. Gventer answered questions from PBS' Judy Woodruff with Andrew Wilder from the U.S. Institute for Peace. (more…)
CCAPS program researchers will present climate aid, security, and conflict research at several side events at the UNFCCC COP 17 negotiations in Durban over the next week. CCAPS researchers will also unveil a prototype of the program's new dynamic mapping tool, which explores the relationship between climate change vulnerability, conflict patterns, and international aid allocations. (more…)
Strauss Director Frank Gavin spoke on reassessing the history of the nuclear age at Columbia University's Arnold A. Saltzman Institute on War and Peace Studies last month. Gavin discussed the historical origins of our contemporary nuclear world and what consequences they have. Gavin argued looking at the historical context offers significant explanation on how nuclear weapons influence international policy, but...
In a new research brief released November 30th, CCAPS researchers Kate Weaver and Christian Peratsakis discuss why identifying where development aid has been effectively deployed is critical to addressing climate security risks and building adaptive capacity in Africa. (more…)
Strauss Scholar's Jeremi Suri was interviewed this morning (November 29) on Fox Austin's "Good Day" with Joe Bickett. Suri discussed U.S. involvement in the Middle East, nation-building and his newest book Liberty's Surest Guardian. (more…)
The Robert S. Strauss Center's program on Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) will host a COP 17 Side Event, "Climate Change Programming in Fragile States: Exploring Policy Options and Tools," in Durban, South Africa on December 6. The panel discussion will focus on the relationship between climate change and conflict,...
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law is now accepting applications for the 2012 Crook Fellowships. Through this Fellowship program, the Strauss Center makes grants to support LBJ School students working in the developing world in the summer for non-profit development organizations. The grants, awarded in amounts up to $4,000, are made possible by the William H....
William C. Inboden, foreign policy and diplomatic history expert, joined the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law this December. (more…)
The annual climate negotiations began this week in Cancun, Mexico. Faculty, students, and staff from the CCAPS program have written a number of important studies that will inform discussions about the effects of climate change and how to address the problem. (more…)
The annual climate negotiations are set to begin at the end of this month in Cancun, Mexico. Faculty, students, and staff from the LBJ School's Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law have written a number of important studies that will inform discussions about the effects of climate change and how to address the problem. (more…)
CCAPS researchers Joshua Busby, Kaiba White, and Todd Smith released a new German Marshall Fund report on climate change and its security implications in North Africa. North Africa is a strategically important region for Europe and the broader transatlantic policy community. This paper aims to reach a better understanding of how climate change and physical sources of vulnerability to natural...
The CCAPS program is partnering with Development Gateway and AidData to better track and understand development aid for climate change adaptation in Africa. As part of this endeavor, CCAPS and Development Gateway have started an internship program for University of Texas students at Development Gateway in Washington, DC for summer 2011. The program is designed to complement existing internships that...
Joshua Busby's Moral Movements and Foreign Policy analyzes how factors converge to create successful (or unsuccessful) advocacy campaigns and whether governments are ready to support transnational moral causes. (more…)
This fall, the Strauss Center launched its inaugural Next Generation Scholars Program to provide new research and mentorship opportunities to promising undergraduate students. Students selected for the program are mentored by Strauss Center Distinguished Scholars and are encouraged to engage in either an independent research project or assist in an already on-going project by a professor. (more…)
This fall, the Strauss Center launched its inaugural Next Generation Scholars Program to provide new research and mentorship opportunities to promising undergraduate students. (more…)
CCAPS researchers Michael Tierney of the College of William & Mary and J. Timmons Roberts of Brown University recently presented the research they lead as part of the AidData initiative. (more…)
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law announced today that it will become the new base of operations for the Next Generation Project: U. S. Global Policy and the Future of International Institutions, an ambitious, nonpartisan, multiyear initiative started by The American Assembly at Columbia University. (more…)
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law has been awarded a $7.6 million grant by the U. S. Department of Defense. The grant is the largest single award dedicated to social science research The University of Texas at Austin has received. (more…)
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin is seeking candidates for a tenure-track faculty position in global policy studies. Applications are sought from creative, interdisciplinary scholars conducting significant policy relevant research on pressing global issues. (more…)
This summer, Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and Law School Professor Robert M. Chesney was on the front lines of the national debate on the detention and trial of terrorism suspects. Just after teaching his last class of the spring semester, Chesney traveled to Washington, DC, where he spent the next several months with the President's Detainee Policy Task Force. (more…)
Ninety percent of Persian Gulf oil travels through the Strait of Hormuz each day. Given the narrow nature of the official designated shipping channel, many experts worry that an attack on tankers could "close the strait," disrupting oil prices and making waves through the entire global economy. In a Foreign Policy article, Strauss Center Senior Fellow Eugene Gholz lays out...
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars announced today that Strauss Senior Fellow Alan Kuperman will be a member of the Center's 2009-2010 fellowship class. As a Woodrow Wilson fellow, Dr. Kuperman will work on a project on "Moral Hazard of Humanitarian Intervention." (more…)
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law has announced the 2009 William H. Crook Fellowship awards. The summer fellowships are awarded to graduate students at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin working in the developing world for nonprofit organizations, and assist the students in covering travel and living...
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law announced today that Ambassador Gregory W. Engle (Ret) has joined the leadership team as Associate Director. Ambassador Engle has served as the U.S. Department of State's Diplomat-in-Residence at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin and most recently as Senior Advisor for International...
In a piece for April's newsletter, the Strauss Center's new director, Francis J. Gavin, reflects on the creation of the Center and the great efforts made by many people to get it where it is today. (more…)
President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden announced the nomination of key members of their national security team, including James B. Steinberg for Deputy Secretary of State, and Jacob Lew for Deputy Secretary of State, and the appointment of Thomas E. Donilon as Deputy National Security Advisor and Antony "Tony" Blinken as National Security Advisor to the Vice President....
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Ami Pedahzur wrote an op-ed for the New York Times on terrorism in India. (more…)
Strauss Center Senior Fellow Joshua Busby and Prof. Ethan Kapstein have been awarded a $200,000 grant by the Merck Company Foundation to conduct a project on "The Grand Bargain: How the International Community Responded to HIV/AIDS." Busby and Kapstein will explore why drug treatment based on differential pricing of retroviral drugs emerged as the policy solution of choice in dealing...
The University of Texas at Austin has selected Dr. William W. Cooper, Dr. Stephen A. Monti, Robert S. Strauss and Sara Martinez Tucker to receive the prestigious Presidential Citation for 2008. (more…)
Strauss Center Senior Fellow Philip Bobbitt poses twelve complex national security questions to the presidential candidates in a New York Times article. Without understanding how each candidate approaches and analyzes problems, and without understanding how those approaches differ, Bobbitt cautions that, whoever wins the election, the mandate for leading the country will be fragile at best.
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin has been selected by the European Commission as the host of a new European Union Center of Excellence. The Strauss Center will receive nearly $300,000 over three years to pursue research and studies on how the European Union and the United States are...
In a New York Times op-ed, Strauss Senior Fellow Eugene Gholz cautions against excessive concern over disruptions to world oil flows. Despite the volatility of the market and unrest in oil-producing countries, world oil reserves are not as vulnerable as they might seem.
As many Americans worry that a disruption in the oil supply could drive energy prices even higher, the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin announced today that it has launched a comprehensive web resource on how the Strait of Hormuz and escalating military tensions in the Persian Gulf affect global...
The recent Russia-Georgia conflict has all the hallmarks of a typical energy war, according to Strauss Fellow Michael Webber in an Austin American-Statesman opinion piece on August 17. Russia's emergence as an energy-producing powerhouse has put America and the European Union in a difficult position with regards to this current conflict.
The Council on Foreign Relations released a report today by Strauss Fellow Joshua Busby on the security consequences of climate change. In Climate Change and National Security: An Agenda for Action, Busby goes beyond the diagnosis of the problem of climate change and makes recommendations for action. Busby also participated in a podcast discussion on this week's United Nation's conference...
On November 5, 2007, the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law announced a $1 million gift from Jon and Rebecca Brumley to create the Jon Brumley Chair in Global Affairs. The chair will be dedicated to developing peaceful ways to ensure that technological and scientific advances do not endanger global security. (more…)
In an op-ed published by the Austin American-Statesman, Strauss Center Governing Board member Jim Langdon discusses the significance of the Strauss Center's partnership with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. The partnership aims to deepen cooperation, innovation and exchange of ideas in higher education and advanced research on global affairs.
In an op-ed published today by the Austin American-Statesman, Strauss Center Governing Board member James C. Langdon, Jr., discusses the significance of the Strauss Center's partnership with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. The partnership aims to deepen cooperation, innovation and exchange of ideas in higher education and advanced research on global affairs. (more…)
The Next Generation Project, led by the Strauss Center's Director of Studies Frank Gavin, released its Midwest assembly report today, providing insights from the country's next generation of leaders on how the United States and the world should respond to the global challenges of the 21st century. (more…)
A $1 million gift from Jon and Rebecca Brumley to the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin will create a chair dedicated to developing peaceful ways to ensure that technological and scientific advances do not endanger global security. (more…)
On October 22, 2007, the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), a world-renowned university dedicated to the study of international politics and diplomacy. (more…)
In an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times, Charles A. Kupchan and Peter L. Trubowitz discuss U.S. foreign policy. The greatest challenge facing the next president will be bringing the nation's foreign policy back into balance with its political will. For most of the last 50 years, bipartisanship at home steadied U.S. statecraft abroad. But today, Congress is bitterly...
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin announced today it is forming a groundbreaking partnership with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), a world-renowned university dedicated to the study of international politics and diplomacy. (more…)
Eugene Gholz, Daryl G. Press, and Benjamin Valentino write on Iraq in this article for the New York Times. The Iraq Study Group's recommendation that the United States withdraw its combat forces from Iraq reflects a growing national consensus that our military cannot quell the violence there and may even be making matters worse. Although many are hailing this recommendation as a...
In a recent New York Times op-ed, Assistant Professor Alan Kuperman argues that the key to rescuing Darfur is to reverse recent incentives.
Dr. Jaganath Sankaran has been awarded a competitive grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York for the interdisciplinary research project, “How Are Modern Technologies Affecting Nuclear Risks?” Dr. Sankaran has partnered with Dr. Jaworek, the Director of the Nuclear Policy Program in the Nuclear Threat Initiative, to examine the economic and sociopolitical impacts stemming from the potential use of nuclear...
Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Director of the Asia Policy Program, released a report "China's Foreign Policy Training: A Global Footprint" through the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In it, Greitens and her coauthors examine China’s foreign police, security, and paramilitary training from 2000 to 2025. Their research shows that a majority of countries in the world today have received some form...
Asia Policy Program Director Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens recently provided an analysis to Financial Times in an article titled, "How 'Safe China' Sells Its Security Strategy to the World." Within the article, Dr. Greitens discusses how China is reshaping the global security order by making the case that it is the safest country in the world (and that the United...
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens was recently interviewed by the National Committee on US-China Relations for a webinar titled “A New Era of Global Security: Why More Countries Are Cooperating with Both the U.S. and China.” In the interview, Dr. Greitens highlights the changing nature of security guarantees since the Cold War and what the long-term implications...
Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Director of the Asia Policy Program, Rana Siu Inboden, Senior Fellow at the Strauss Center, and Adam Klein, Director of the Strauss Center, have released a new report exploring China’s export of surveillance technologies and its provision of other forms of authoritarian social and political control. This report culminates years of studying and exploring this issue thanks...
Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Editor-in-Chief of the Texas National Security Review and Director of the Asia Policy Program, recently authored an article in Texas National Security Review (TNSR), “When Conventional Wisdom Fails.” The article argues that the United States faces a profound moment of reckoning across multiple dimensions—trade, security, diplomacy, and higher education—as its traditional leadership role is disrupted and global assumptions are upended. TNSR...
Professor Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Director of the Asia Policy Program, was recently interviewed for a piece on the US-Korea relationship in Seoul Shinmun. Having developed a connection with Korea when her younger sister was adopted from Korea, she has been studying Asia, including Korea, China, and North Korea, and international security, based on experience studying abroad in Korea. "South Korea has...
Strauss Center Senior Fellow Dr. Rana Siu Inboden published an article, “The Global Chinese Anaconda,” for China Change. Dr. Siu Inboden warns against China's attempts to influence the international community. “These CCP slogans are not mere words,” states Dr. Siu-Inboden. “They contain concepts, such as protecting human rights only via cooperation rather than accountability, elevating development over human rights, and aligning our views with China’s in...
Strauss Center Senior Fellow Dr. Rana Siu Inboden recently published an article, “How China Hijacks the International Human Rights System,” for The Diplomat. “Beijing is maneuvering to turn the UN into a venue where China can advance its official positions and propagate PRC propaganda about its achievements, rather than a forum for accountability,” writes Dr. Siu Inboden.
The Strauss Center is very pleased to announce the acceptance of six master's students to its 2025 – 2026 cohort of Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellows. We are incredibly excited to welcome this dynamic cohort of students into the Brumley Program from across the Forty Acres, and know they will bring unique perspectives to the multi-disciplinary programs of the Strauss...
The Strauss Center is very pleased to announce the acceptance of nine undergraduate students to its 2025 – 2026 class of Brumley Next Generation Undergraduate Scholars. We are incredibly excited to welcome this dynamic cohort of students into the Brumley Program from across the Forty Acres, and know they will bring unique perspectives to the multi-disciplinary programs of the Strauss Center....
The Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law joins the University of Texas community in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of I. Jon Brumley. Alongside his wife Rebecca, Jon’s generosity and kindness made a lasting impact on the lives of countless deserving University of Texas students. Jon’s support changed the lives of so many talented, ambitious students at...
The Strauss Center is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2025-26 Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellows and Undergraduate Scholars programs. These unique opportunities provide research training, mentorship, and networking to exceptional students from varied disciplines across the Forty Acres. For Graduate Students: The Brumley Next Generation Fellows Program The mission of the Brumley Next Generation Fellows Program...
The Strauss Center for International Security and Law in collaboration with the Center for Identity at the University of Texas at Austin are excited to announce that Bailey Crane has been selected as the university's International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Westin Scholar Award recipient for the 2023-2024 award round. Bailey Crane is a second-year graduate student, pursuing a Master of Global...
The Robert Strauss Center is very pleased to announce the acceptance of nine undergraduate students to its 2019 – 2020 class of Brumley Next Generation Scholars. The program’s new class comprises an impressive group of undergraduate students drawn from schools and departments across UT campus. (more…)
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI), led by CAMPI Director Stephanie Leutert and CAMPI Fellow Caitlyn Yates, have released the November 2025 update on "Migration Dynamics and Conditions at the U.S.-Mexico Border." This report focuses on current U.S. asylum restrictions at ports of entry and migrants' experiences in Mexican border cities. It draws on phone and WhatsApp interviews with Mexican government officials and...
Stephanie Leutert, Director of the Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative, published an article in International Migration Review with Dr. Mary Evans and Ludovica Gazze, titled "Rescue Beacons and Migrant Deaths in Southern Arizona." This article aims to better understand the Border Patrol's humanitarian activities and their effects by exploring the relationship between rescue beacons and migrant deaths in Pima County, Arizona...
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI), led by CAMPI Director Stephanie Leutert and CAMPI Fellow Caitlyn Yates, have released the quarterly report on Asylum Processing at the U.S.-Mexico Border. This August 2025 asylum processing update focuses on current U.S. asylum restrictions at ports of entry and migrants’ experiences in Mexican border cities. It draws on phone and WhatsApp interviews with Mexican government officials...
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI), led by our CAMPI Director Stephanie Leutert and CAMPI Fellow Caitlyn Yates, have released the quarterly report on Asylum Processing at the U.S.-Mexico Border. This May 2025 asylum processing update focuses on current U.S. asylum policies at ports of entry and migrants’ experiences in Mexican border cities. Since the Trump Administration assumed office and halted asylum processing, the conditions for...
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI), led by our CAMPI Director Stephanie Leutert and CAMPI Fellow Caitlyn Yates, have released the quarterly report on Asylum Processing at the U.S.-Mexico Border. This February 2025 asylum processing update focuses on current U.S. asylum policies at ports of entry and migrants’ experiences in Mexican border cities. As of January 20, 2025, there is no longer any asylum...
The Strauss Center congratulates Central America & Mexico Policy Initiative Director Stephanie Leutert for her recognition by The Washington Post in the new Post Next 50 List for 2025. The Post Next 50 aims to introduce readers to a wide variety of figures that the Post sees as influential in the upcoming year. Stephanie Leutert was recognized for her research,...
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative Director, Stephanie Leutert, assisted in data collection for an article in The Washington Post, "Border Drownings Rose as Migrants Rushed to Cross and Texas Clamped Down." In the article, Leutert's data was used to show the number of migrants who have drowned attempting to cross the US-Mexico border from 2017-2023. Leutert's data was also used to...
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI), led by our CAMPI Director Stephanie Leutert and CAMPI Fellow Caitlyn Yates, have released the quarterly report on Asylum Processing at the U.S.-Mexico Border. This November 2024 asylum processing update focuses on the CBP One appointment system and conditions for waiting asylum seekers in Mexican border cities. While waiting in Mexico for a CBP One appointment, asylum...
Stephanie Leutert, Director of the Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative, was recently quoted in The New York Times on "Biden's Policies Offer a Starting Point for Trump's Border Crackdown." "All of the Biden administration restrictions give them a starting point far beyond what they had in 2016," said Leutert. Read the article in its entirety here.
Two Texas Cybersecurity Clinic students, Deborah Chu and Meera Hatangadi, were awarded theTexas Cybersecurity Clinic Excellence Award in honor of their performance in the Spring 2025 - Fall 2025 cohort of the Clinic. This award is made possible through the generosity of Socium Solutions. The Strauss Center for International Security and Law extends special thanks to Tam Nguyen, Chief Executive...
The University of Texas Regional Security Operations Center (UT-RSOC) recently partnered with Texas Cybersecurity Clinic Practicum students to host a mock Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (TX-RAMP) audit with a regional independent school district, illustrating the Clinic's strengthening relationship with the UT-RSOC and continued opportunity for Clinic students to gain practical cybersecurity field experience as part of the Clinic's...
Texas Cybersecurity Clinic students, Sarah Ding and Jen Kim, were awarded the inaugural Texas Cybersecurity Clinic Excellence Award in honor of their performance in the Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 cohort of the Clinic. This award is made possible through the generosity of Socium Solutions. The Strauss Center for International Security and Law extends special thanks to Tam Nguyen, Chief...
Strauss Center Cybersecurity Clinic Lead Francesca Lockhart was recently featured in the Texas Standard discussing the potential defunding of the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program, a vital resource for tracking software security threats. Lockhart emphasized the risks that cutting federal support for the program would pose to global cybersecurity coordination, particularly as organizations rely on the CVE database to prioritize and patch...
Two Texas Cybersecurity Clinic students, Deborah Chu and Meera Hatangadi, were awarded theTexas Cybersecurity Clinic Excellence Award in honor of their performance in the Spring 2025 - Fall 2025 cohort of the Clinic. This award is made possible through the generosity of Socium Solutions. The Strauss Center for International Security and Law extends special thanks to Tam Nguyen, Chief Executive...
The University of Texas Regional Security Operations Center (UT-RSOC) recently partnered with Texas Cybersecurity Clinic Practicum students to host a mock Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (TX-RAMP) audit with a regional independent school district, illustrating the Clinic's strengthening relationship with the UT-RSOC and continued opportunity for Clinic students to gain practical cybersecurity field experience as part of the Clinic's...
The Atlantic Council interviewed students from the Strauss Center's Texas Cybersecurity Clinic to provide insight into participating in the 2025 DC Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge. On March 13 - 14, 2025, the Atlantic Council's Cyber Statecraft Initiative hosted its flagship Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge in Washington, D.C. Cyber 9/12 is a dynamic, scenario-based cybersecurity competition that challenges student teams to...
On Friday, October 31st, CBS Austin interviewed Bryson Byrd, Texas Cybersecurity Clinic Senior Industry Expert, and Nikki Jennings, Vice President of Technical Sales at Huntress, on the dual role played by the Strauss Center's Texas Cybersecurity Clinic in workforce development and ensuring Texas-area businesses and institutions are more cyber-secure. They discussed the high level and wide spectrum of cybersecurity attacks...
Strauss Center Senior National Security Fellow Brett Freedman recently co-authored an article for SC Media titled “The Silent Killer in Cyber.” “We must work to empower technical experts, overhaul outdated procurement models, and create space for innovation unimpeded by red tape,” writes Freedman. “It’s time to stop pretending that cybersecurity is something we can buy off the shelf and instead...
On Friday, August 29, Strauss Center's Texas Cybersecurity Clinic Lead Francesca Lockhart was interviewed by KXAN for a discussion about Senate Bill 2610, a new cybersecurity law designed to support Texas small businesses. The bill limits civil liability for small businesses in the event of a data breach, provided that they have implemented a cybersecurity program within the standards of...
This summer, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin joined the Center for Cybersecurity Policy and Law and ON2IT Cybersecurity in hosting local cybersecurity experts to discuss state cybersecurity law and policy as well as state and local cyber resilience. The experts included leaders from Texas agencies and cities, water and energy...
Texas Cybersecurity Clinic students, Sarah Ding and Jen Kim, were awarded the inaugural Texas Cybersecurity Clinic Excellence Award in honor of their performance in the Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 cohort of the Clinic. This award is made possible through the generosity of Socium Solutions. The Strauss Center for International Security and Law extends special thanks to Tam Nguyen, Chief...
Strauss Center Cybersecurity Clinic Lead Francesca Lockhart was recently featured in the Texas Standard discussing the potential defunding of the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program, a vital resource for tracking software security threats. Lockhart emphasized the risks that cutting federal support for the program would pose to global cybersecurity coordination, particularly as organizations rely on the CVE database to prioritize and patch...
The Clements Center for National Security and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Alexandra Sukalo to lead the University’s Intelligence Studies Project (ISP). ISP was established in 2013 as a joint venture of the Clements and Strauss Centers out of a conviction that...
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs published the results of two annual national surveys of public attitudes sponsored by UT-Austin’s Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project (ISP). The surveys conducted in 2023 and 2024 confirm that most Americans believe the US intelligence agencies are vital to protecting the nation and effective in carrying out their specialized tasks. These final polls of the...
UT Austin’s Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project is now accepting applications from UT undergraduate students of all academic disciplines to participate in its 2026 Texas Intelligence Academy (TIA). The TIA is an intensive, 3-hour credit, academic program focused on intelligence and national security in Washington, D.C. on May 6 to 27, 2026. The TIA offers a competitively-chosen group of UT undergraduate students...
The Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project at the University of Texas at Austin is pleased to congratulate the winners of the 11th annual Inman Award competition that recognizes outstanding student research and writing on topics related to intelligence and national security. The recipient of this year’s Inman Award is Dr. Jennifer Smith-Heys (Colonel, USA), who recently earned her PhD in Public Policy from...
The Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project of The University of Texas at Austin announces the 11th annual competition recognizing outstanding student research and writing on topics related to intelligence and national security. The winner of the “Inman Award” will receive a cash prize of $5,000, with two semifinalists each receiving a cash prize of $2,500. This competition is open to unpublished work by...
INFORMATION SESSION: October 21 at 5:00PM in UT-Austin’s Flawn Academic Center (FAC) 430. UT-Austin’s Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project is now accepting applications from UT undergraduate students of all academic disciplines to participate in its 2025 Texas Intelligence Academy (TIA). The TIA is a competitive, all-expenses paid, intensive academic program focused on intelligence and national security. TIA 2025 will run from May...
The recipient of this year’s “Inman Award” from the Intelligence Studies Project is Jemima Baar, a recent Master of International Affairs graduate of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Her paper, Cold War Confrontations: US Intelligence Insights and Policy Responses to the Sino-Soviet Split and the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis (1956-1961), contrasts the responses by policymakers in the second Eisenhower...
The Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project hosted the fifth Texas Intelligence Academy (TIA) from May 12 to 21, 2024 in the National Capital Area. The TIA 2024 cohort comprised 15 UT-Austin undergraduate students. Students participated in lectures, exercises, and discussions with current and former professionals on intelligence collection, analysis, espionage, geospatial intelligence, measurement and signature intelligence, signals intelligence, covert action, counterterrorism, intelligence reform, and intel-policymaker relations. To read more about TIA and see...
The Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project of The University of Texas at Austin announces the 10th annual competition recognizing outstanding student research and writing on topics related to intelligence and national security. The winner of the “Inman Award” will receive a cash prize of $5,000, with two semifinalists each receiving a cash prize of $2,500. This competition is open to unpublished work by undergraduate and graduate...
The Strauss Center for International Security and Law, Clements Center for National Security, and School of Civic Leadership are pleased to announce that Robert D. Kaplan, the renowned foreign affairs correspondent and author, will be joining The University of Texas at Austin as a Distinguished Senior Lecturer. Kaplan will teach undergraduate and graduate courses, participate in our public events, and...
Visiting Professor of Law Michael Schmitt published an article for Just Security titled “Legally Available Options in Response to Russia’s Penetrations of NATO Airspace.” “The implications of Russia’s unlawful actions are stark. These incidents comprise part of a broader strategy of probing, testing, and undermining Alliance cohesion,” writes Schmitt. “Some have expressed the view that a firm response, one that...
Strauss Center Senior National Security Fellow Brett Freedman recently co-authored an article for SC Media titled “The Silent Killer in Cyber.” “We must work to empower technical experts, overhaul outdated procurement models, and create space for innovation unimpeded by red tape,” writes Freedman. “It’s time to stop pretending that cybersecurity is something we can buy off the shelf and instead...
Strauss Center Visiting Professor of Law Michael Schmitt published an article for Just Security titled “Striking Drug Cartels Under the Jus ad Bellum and Law of Armed Conflict.” “We seem to be on a normative slippery slope that endangers the very values the right to use force in self-defense is meant to protect. This is not to deny the devastating...
On Wednesday, June 11, Strauss Center Director Adam Klein testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary at a hearing examining the national security risks from the bankruptcy of genetic testing firm 23andMe and the potential sale of its repository of genomic data. “Data is not just another commodity,” Klein's testimony began. “When our adversaries buy or steal sensitive American data,...
Strauss Center Director Adam Klein shared his assessment of Supreme Court arguments around the upcoming January 19 federal ban of the social media platform TikTok with Austin ABC-affiliate KVUE. “[The federal ban] says that ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok has to sell the U.S. TikTok app,” Klein explained, “to a company – not even an American company – any company...
Strauss Center Director Adam Klein spoke at the Committee Hearing for the Texas House Select Committee on Securing Texas from Hostile Foreign Organizations, highlighted in the December 2024 Interim Report. Director Klein’s oral and written testimony highlighted some of the most pressing national security threats for Texas, including espionage, cybercrime, subversion, and Iran’s efforts to support protest movements within the United States....
The Robert Strauss Center and Ohio Northern University's Pettit College of Law are pleased to announce that Ashley Deeks, Class of 1948 Scholarly Research Professor at the University of Virginia Law School, is the winner of the 2024 Mike Lewis Prize for National Security Law Scholarship. Professor Deeks' article, (Sub-)Delegating National Security Powers was published in the University of Pennsylvania...
The Strauss Center congratulates Asia Policy Program Director Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens for her new role as the Editor in Chief for the Texas National Security Review. In her introduction, Dr. Greitens highlighted how she first became interested in national security and discussed her vision for the Texas National Security Review. Texas National Security Review seeks to publish the best...
The Strauss Center for International Security and Law, Clements Center for National Security, and School of Civic Leadership are pleased to announce that Robert D. Kaplan, the renowned foreign affairs correspondent and author, will be joining The University of Texas at Austin as a Distinguished Senior Lecturer. Kaplan will teach undergraduate and graduate courses, participate in our public events, and...
Strauss Distinguished Scholar Joshua Busby co-authored a piece for The National Interest titled "The Price of Inaction: Countering China’s Mineral Dominance.” The article warns that the United States is running out of time to counter China’s dominance in critical minerals and rare earth elements. “The White House and Congress need to understand that this is not a slow-moving economic adjustment,”...
Strauss Center Senior Fellow Jordan Hirsch published an article in Tablet titled "June Israel vs. October Israel." "To understand where Israel is heading requires tracing how these two Israels have manifested over time and how the latest advent of a “June Israel” moment is poised to change Jerusalem’s relationship with friend and foe alike for years to come," Hirsch writes.
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Joshua Busby was featured in a recent article published by Defense One on the growing role of climate change in U.S. national security strategy. In the article, co-authored with Greg Pollock, Dr. Busby outlined how rising temperatures, extreme weather, and sea-level rise are already imposing significant costs on military infrastructure and readiness, while also driving new...
The Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law joins the University of Texas community in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of I. Jon Brumley. Alongside his wife Rebecca, Jon’s generosity and kindness made a lasting impact on the lives of countless deserving University of Texas students. Jon’s support changed the lives of so many talented, ambitious students at...
Strauss Center students with the Technology and National Security Research Partnership briefed NSA Director (DIRNSA) General Timothy Haugh on their research during a visit by the DIRNSA to the University in March 2025. The Technology and National Security Research Partnership is a multidisciplinary program that applies research in law, political science, engineering, and the natural sciences to problems in national...
Asia Policy Program Director Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens introduced Volume 8, Issue 2 of the Texas National Security Review where she serves as editor-in-chief. In her introduction, Dr. Greitens highlights the role that history plays in informing strategic thinking and U.S. national security strategy. She discusses the significance of historical awareness policy development and adapting to evolving global challenges.“This issue...
Asia Policy Program Scholar and LBJ Professor Dr. Jaganath Sankaran was interviewed for a recent article published by Politifact titled “Trump Releases Vague, but Ambitious, Vision for Missile Defense.” Dr. Sankaran was asked about the plausibility of establishing a US missile defense shield similar to the Iron Dome currently used by Israel. “It makes sense to have some limited defense,...
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and Former Ambassador Larry André was featured on NPR’s 1A Podcast where he spoke about the Trump administration’s recent. In particular, Ambassador André spoke about his experience in Somalia and how USAID assisted in communities affected by terrorist organizations like Al-Shabaab. He argues that USAID is crucial to US interests internationally and sending workers home harms...
The Strauss Center for International Security and Law, Clements Center for National Security, and School of Civic Leadership are pleased to announce that Robert D. Kaplan, the renowned foreign affairs correspondent and author, will be joining The University of Texas at Austin as a Distinguished Senior Lecturer. Kaplan will teach undergraduate and graduate courses, participate in our public events, and...
Jeremi Suri, Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs and Senior Fellow at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, recently appeared on TWC News to discuss the recent prisoner swap between Russia and the United States. “Let me just make myself as clear as I can: when Americans are being held overseas, our government should do whatever it can,...
Today, we join the family, friends and many supporters of Vladimir Kara-Murza in celebrating his release from detention in Russia. Vladimir was charged, convicted and imprisoned in an illegitimate process contrived to silence his public calls for an end to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, respect for basic human rights and the restoration of democratic governance in Russia. Vladimir...
Jaganath Sankaran, Assistant Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and faculty affiliate of the Strauss Center and the Asia Policy Program, recently published the article "The Failures of Russian Aerospace Forces in the Russia-Ukraine War and the Future of Air Power" in the Journal of Strategic Studies. Professor Sankaran argues that the Russian Aerospace Forces failed to have...
Professors Larry André, Josh Busby, Paul Pope, and Jeremi Suri, all Strauss Center Distinguished Scholars, and Steve Slick, Intelligence Studies Project Director, recently published an article discussing the need for additional legislation in support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. “We are alarmed that the United States may abandon the people of Ukraine, who are fighting bravely to repel...
"We are scholars and practitioners of national security at the University of Texas at Austin. We are alarmed that the United States may abandon the people of Ukraine, who are fighting bravely to repel an unprovoked invasion. The United States should act in its own interest by continuing to support Ukraine diplomatically, financially, and militarily." In the March 21, 2024...
Dr. Kiril Avramov, Director of the Global Disinformation Lab at the University of Texas and Fellow at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, recently lectured on what he calls the “Russian Targeted Killing Program” at Catholic University in Washington DC. He discussed how these assassinations are mainly directed at Russian citizens who Putin sees as a threat to...
Message from the Director We draw your attention to a Moscow court’s recent sentencing of Russian politician, journalist and historian Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in a penal colony for an earlier treason conviction for his public criticism of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Many of you will recall Kara-Murza’s visit to UT-Austin in February 2022 – two weeks...
Former Strauss Center Senior Student Associate (SSA) Janina Staguhn recently co-authored a report for CSIS titled “Enabling an Economic Transformation of Ukraine: Recovery, Reconstruction, and Modernization.” The report primarily stressed how “it is in the national security interest of the G7 and European Union for Ukraine to become a modernized economy and remain a secure democracy” after the war. The...
Non-resident Scholar Diane Howard was invited to participate on a panel for the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ recent event, “Keeping China Grounded: Ensuring Long-Term U.S. Tech Leadership in Low Earth Orbit.” Dr. Howard was featured on a panel discussing technological innovation in space, where she discussed the role of AI in securing space safety and finding manageable windows...
The Strauss Center for International Security and Law is pleased to announce that Connor Sale has been awarded the Aerospace Policy Solutions LLC Award in Space Policy for 2025. This $2000 award, sponsored by Aerospace Policy Solutions LLC, is given to an exceptional UT-Austin student engaged in research related to space policy or interested in pursuing work related to space...
The Strauss Center for International Security and Law is pleased to announce the call for applications for the inaugural Aerospace Policy Solutions LLC Award in Space Policy. This $2000 award, sponsored by Aerospace Policy Solutions LLC, will be given to an exceptional UT-Austin student engaged in research related to space policy or interested in pursuing work related to space policy...
Strauss Center Non-resident Scholar Diane Howard was quoted in a recent article published by SpacePolicyOnline.Com on the Trump administration's Executive Order concerning NASA. On August 28, President Trump issued an executive order that reclassifies NASA as being primarily engaged in intelligence or national security work, removing collective bargaining rights for a significant portion of NASA's workforce. “We, as a nation,...
Space Security, Safety, & Sustainability Program Lead Dr. Moriba Jah recently published an article in the Scientific American about the buildup of debris in space. Dr. Jah highlights the amount of objects launched into space each year has reached an unsustainable pace, with over 25,000 trackable objects currently orbiting Earth. The amount of space debris poses risk to satellites, the International Space Station, and...
Strauss Space Security, Safety, & Sustainability Program Lead Dr. Moriba Jah recently published an article, "Why Starlink must be reined in," in his opinion column Jahniverse in the AIAA Aerospace America Magazine. In the article, Dr. Jah discusses the implications of Elon Musk's Starlink and the potential the company has to monopolize space. Starlink is in the process of effectively crowding out...
The Strauss Center for International Security and Law is delighted to announce that Perry Lum has been awarded the Aerospace Policy Solutions LLC Award in Space Policy for 2024. This $2000 award, sponsored by Aerospace Policy Solutions LLC, is given to an exceptional UT-Austin student engaged in research related to space policy or interested in pursuing work related to space...
Lead for the Space Security, Safety, and Sustainability Program at the Strauss Center, Distinguished Scholar Dr. Moriba Jah, recently wrote A circular economy is the only path to sustainability in space on Jahniverse, his op-ed column in Aerospace America. Dr. Jah argues that increasing space sustainability is necessary to prevent the buildup of space debris, and that the short-term costs...
Lead of the Space Security, Safety, and Sustainability program Dr. Moriba Jah recently published A preventable Black Swan: incompatible tech in spaceflight on Jahniverse, his op-ed column in the AIAA Aerospace America Magazine. Dr. Jah discusses the recent controversy regarding the stranded Starliner crew, and argues that standardizing protocols across the space community is necessary to prevent future catastrophes, which...
Asia Policy Program Director Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens recently provided an analysis to Financial Times in an article titled, "How 'Safe China' Sells Its Security Strategy to the World." Within the article, Dr. Greitens discusses how China is reshaping the global security order by making the case that it is the safest country in the world (and that the United...
Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Director of the Asia Policy Program, Rana Siu Inboden, Senior Fellow at the Strauss Center, and Adam Klein, Director of the Strauss Center, have released a new report exploring China’s export of surveillance technologies and its provision of other forms of authoritarian social and political control. This report culminates years of studying and exploring this issue thanks...
Strauss Center Director Adam Klein was quoted in an ABC News look at economic concerns surrounding global oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz if the Israel-Iran war escalates. He identified the Strait of Hormuz as a "highly vulnerable, highly strategic chokepoint," critical for the oil market both regionally and globally, and warned that any disruption could spike prices worldwide....
On Wednesday, June 11, Strauss Center Director Adam Klein testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary at a hearing examining the national security risks from the bankruptcy of genetic testing firm 23andMe and the potential sale of its repository of genomic data. “Data is not just another commodity,” Klein's testimony began. “When our adversaries buy or steal sensitive American data,...
Adam Klein, Director of the Strauss Center, and Jordan Hirsch, Senior Fellow at the Strauss Center, just published an article "Let It Rip," in Arena. "Accelerating innovation is more than a domestic imperative—it is perhaps the most crucial foreign policy choice of our time," argue Klein and Hirsch. "The United States faces a great-power competition with China that is, at...
Space Security, Safety, & Sustainability Program Lead Dr. Moriba Jah recently published an article in the Scientific American about the buildup of debris in space. Dr. Jah highlights the amount of objects launched into space each year has reached an unsustainable pace, with over 25,000 trackable objects currently orbiting Earth. The amount of space debris poses risk to satellites, the International Space Station, and...
Are you a graduate or undergraduate student interested in technology and national security? Register for this week-long Washington, DC May term course on “The Future of Technology & National Security” offered by Harry Krejsa, the Director of Studies, Washington Office, at the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology. The Future of Technology & National SecurityPA 388K | Unique: 60306Professor Harry KrejsaMay 19-23, 2025Washington, DC This...
Strauss Technology, Security, and World Affairs Senior Fellow Simone Ledeen was recently featured in a TV spotlight by BBC News regarding the recent death of Yahya Sinwar, senior leader of Hamas. Ledeen discussed the outlook for the current conflict in the wake of Sinwars death and highlighted the implications for U.S. national security in the region with the decision to...
Strauss Technology, Security, and Global Affairs Senior Fellow Jordan Hirsch was recently featured in The Washington Post for a book review of The Long History of the Future by Nicole Kobie. In his review, Hirsch praises Kobie's argument that shortcoming in technology still contributes to progress by inspiring new generations, but pushes back on Kobie's argument that tempering expectations is...