Faculty Publications

Historians have always faced the problem of deciding how much to trust their sources, given that their sources often lie, mislead, sugarcoat, deflect, and rationalize. In the foreign policy realm, this problem intensifies because there are only a few people “in the room where it happened” who can provide insights into the motives, mindsets, and emotions of elite decision-makers.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine mark the end of the post-Cold War era. A possible way forward would be to synthesize a consensus approach around the concept of “climate geopolitics," in which Western economies seek to become less dependent on authoritarian states for their natural resources.

The U.S.-Japan Alliance has entered a new era. The old days in which the alliance was based on a hierarchy are clearly over. Japan is emerging as an equal partner.

In Ukraine, the new year has brought no respite from Russia's war and little hope of peace. Air raid sirens blared and explosions boomed under a barrage of exploding drones. In turn, Ukraine confirmed it carried out a weekend attack that killed scores of Russian troops. Nikolas Gvosdev, professor of national security at the U.S. Naval War College, joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the state of the war.

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine is a pivotal moment in strategic competition between the U.S. and Russia and their respective allies and partners. A defining element of this conflict is defending the rules-based order and the European security architecture anchored along transatlantic ties.

Naunihal Singh speaks to podcast Democracy Paradox about his recent article in the Journal of Democracy explaining why the recent spate of coups does not indicate coup contagion and what the long term prospect for future coups in the world is.

Episode 66 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast explores how America’s security cooperation programs can help shape regional security environments by training foreign militaries.

U.S. midterms spell little change for policy toward Russia and Ukraine. Despite the appearance of partisan divisions, opposition to Russia and support for Ukraine is one of the few issues to enjoy deep and robust bipartisan support.

From the beginning of the global pandemic in the spring of 2020, politicians, public health officials, the media, and others have referred to the “war on covid.” But recent research suggests that at least during the COVID-19 pandemic, this familiar political rhetoric may have done little to increase support for behavioral restrictions or for essential workers and may have even backfired.

For anyone who has participated in such games, the recent news about Taiwan might provoke an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu. The sequence of events — a visit by a prominent American politician, aggressive People’s Liberation Army posturing, and a U.S. freedom of navigation exercise in the Taiwan Strait — are ones we’ve played out before. And the next move is usually nothing good.

The Canadian Armed Forces is among the better providers of foreign military training in terms of imparting technical skills, building professional relationships, and inculcating key tenets of military professionalism and civil-military relations.

New aerospace startups are attracted to the Fort Collins area every year due to the high quality of living. However, the average American let alone Coloradan is unaware of the significant presence of space and related defense technology companies in Colorado.

Nuclear weapons are assuming new salience for security dynamics in East Asia and on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea’s nuclear weapons program continues to advance. This year, North Korea ended its four-year moratorium on testing intercontinental ballistic missiles and, as of mid-October, had carried out at least 40 missile tests in 2022 alone, the most in any year so far.

The administration sets the near ethical goal of defeating autocracy in order to foster cooperation to deal with the longer-term challenge of climate change.

The National Security Strategy aims to break down the separation between "domestic" and "foreign" policy but does not provide a mechanism for reconciling competing imperatives.