Technology, Security, and Global Affairs

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 Policy Studies from the LBJ School of Public Affairs and a Master of Science in Information Security and Privacy from the iSchool. Bailey holds a B.S. in Radio, Television, 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, and safeguards of 10 rule-of-law democracies. Klein writes, “The U.S. and other rule-of-law democracies have passed major intelligence reforms since Snowden’s leaks. Germany adopted a statutory charter for its main foreign intelligence agency, the…

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. foreign-policy struggle, it is on the technological frontier, thanks to seeds planted long ago by the United States itself.” To read more, view the article here.

Strauss Center Director Adam Klein recently published Lawfare article, “Making Sense of Casualty Counts in the Israel-Hamas War,” where he discusses the legal framework of wartime casualties. The article contends that Hamas’ role in defying humanitarian law has led rise to a humanitarian catastrophe, looking at how Hamas has used nominally non-military objects and locations for military purposes. It also highlights the tension of legal obligation. Hamas is bound to an affirmative legal duty to protect Palestinian civilians, just as Israel must consider potential civilian harm. To read more, click…

Adam Klein, Director of the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, recently appeared on the Slavic Connexion podcast. Klein shared his insights on the concerns around security versus freedom of speech; his work covering the confluence of law, surveillance, and emerging technologies; and his unique perspectives on global affairs. To listen to the podcast, visit here.

Chinmayi Sharma, Cybersecurity and Technology Fellow at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, recently published an article through Lawfare entitled “Who’s Afraid of Products Liability? Cybersecurity and the Defect Model,” about how the Biden administration is looking into establishing a federal tort liability framework for software manufacturers to address cybersecurity concerns. The article argues that “products liability” is a better foundation than “negligence” for a federal tort liability framework for software cybersecurity, emphasizing its advantages in incentivizing better security practices, addressing complex legal issues, and bridging the knowledge…

Jordan Hirsch, Senior Fellow in Technology, Security, and Global Affairs Program at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, recently published an article in Commentary entitled “Israel Doesn’t Need Lectures on 9/11” to discuss parallels of the October 7 attacks in Israel to 9/11 and how these two events are different in nature. “Indeed, the fact that President Biden and others are using America’s post-9/11 reaction to lecture Israel says more about Washington’s policy proclivities than Jerusalem’s. The analogy suggests that the greatest danger is not the evildoer but…

Brendan Groves, a Technology, Security, and Global Affairs Fellow at the Strauss Center, recently published an article on “What China’s Drone Export Ban Means for U.S., Kyiv,” in Real Clear Markets. “China’s export ban, effective September 1st, sets the stage for a significant void in Ukraine’s battlefield technology. Where the gap presents a problem for Kyiv, it is an opportunity for U.S. industry that has already catalyzed a race among the well-prepared.” Brendan Groves To read the article in full, see the article here.