FSI Stanford

🎧 New episode of #WorldClassPodcast
Colin Kahl examines the unfolding military campaign in #Iran w/ Or Rabinowitz of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social and Abbas Milani of @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social, who share their analysis of what the conflict means for the Middle East:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

Seven Things to Know About the U.S.-Israel Campaign in Iran Scholars from FSI offer insights into the war between Iran and U.S.-Israel forces, and the risk of the conflict expanding beyond the Middle East.

As the war in #Iran continues, FSI scholars share seven things to know about the U.S.-Israel campaign and its potential to expand beyond the Middle East.

w/ @mcfaulmike.bsky.social, @frankfukuyama.bsky.social, Colin Kahl, and more from @stanfordcisac.bsky.social & @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social

Kim Jong Un Builds a Wall With South Korea at Party Congress - Korea Economic Institute of America Kim Jong Un’s speech at the Ninth Party Congress covered familiar themes on economic and military development and preconditions for dialogue with the United States, but revealed deep antagonism toward...

After Kim Jong Un's highly antagonistic remarks toward South Korea during the Ninth Congress of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, @dcsneider.bsky.social looks ahead to what this may signify about future relations on the peninsula. ow.ly/AJPj50YolM4

What to know: Operation Epic Fury Amichai Magen, director of Jan Koum Israel studies program at Stanford, joins Raj Mathai to discuss the Iran war.

Amichai Magen of @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social explains how the U.S. strikes on #Iran may work to re-establish its posture with countries like Russia and China, and where the attacks may backfire against America's interests. ow.ly/jVRp50YoRiZ

Watch Shah Biographer Says Tehran ‘Desperate’ for Ceasefire - Bloomberg Stanford University’s director of Iranian Studies, Abbas Milani, says the remnants of the Iranian government are desperate to reach a ceasefire that would end US and Israeli attacks. He says the strai...

WATCH | Abbas Milani offers his insights on how the remaining Iranian regime may respond over the coming days and weeks, and why he believes a civil war within Iran remains unlikely. ow.ly/EpKW50YoluF

Francis Fukuyama on Trump’s War With Iran Yascha Mounk and Francis Fukuyama examine why military strikes rarely achieve their political objectives.

In Persuasion, @frankfukuyama.bsky.social discusses whether the unprecedented strikes on #Iran will lead to the downfall of the mullahs and whether America can avoid getting drawn into a new Middle Eastern quagmire. ow.ly/itsF50YnSrK

The ‘botlash’ movement is gaining momentum Protesting and unsubscribing are being promoted as forms of modern-day strikes

"When the MAGA right and the progressive left converge, something fundamental is shifting...Whoever manages to unite these groups by building a popular AI regulation movement will tap into new political power."

Read more from @marietjeschaake.bsky.social in @financialtimes.com: ow.ly/Np5e50YlqfY

I was US ambassador to Russia. Trump’s recklessness is playing into Putin’s hands 'Trump’s negotiating tactics have dramatically weakened Ukraine’s position,' says Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia

Speaking from firsthand experience negotiating with the Kremlin, @mcfaulmike.bsky.social offers his take on what the White House needs to do to make progress on getting Putin to agree to a ceasefire in #Ukraine. ow.ly/krAy50YkLya

Four Years After the Invasion, Ukrainian Leaders Build Foundations for From parliament to regional government to independent media, alumni of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law’s Strengthening Ukrainian Democracy and Development Program are implemen...

Four years into the full-scale war between Ukraine and Russia, alumni from the Strengthening Ukrainian Democracy and Development Program at @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social are strengthening #Ukraine for the future and building the foundations for recovery.

Read their spotlights at the link ↘️

How U.S. Competition with China is Shaping the Global Political Landscape In the first of a new quarterly series of events, scholars from the Freeman Spogli Institute evaluated recent developments in world affairs, and offered an outlook for 2026.

In the first of a new quarterly series of events, scholars from the Freeman Spogli Institute evaluated recent developments in world affairs, and offered an outlook for 2026. Featuring scholars from @theeuropecenter.bsky.social, @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social, @stanfordcisac.bsky.social

Former National Security Advisors Examine America's Evolving National H.R. McMaster and Jake Sullivan join Colin Kahl on the World Class podcast to break down the 2025 National Security Strategy and discuss how questions around Venezuela, Iran, Russia, China, Ukraine, a...

H.R. McMaster and Jake Sullivan join FSI Director Colin Kahl on #WorldClassPodcast to examine the 2025 National Security Strategy and discuss how questions around Venezuela, Iran, Russia, China, Ukraine, and U.S. partnerships with Europe may shape the rest of 2026: ow.ly/Bu0O50YiGnL

Global Trends and Geopolitics in 2026: A Look Ahead YouTube video by FSIStanford

📹 WATCH | FSI scholars Colin Kahl, Larry Diamond, Or Rabinowitz, Anna Grzymała-Busse, & Harold Trinkunas discuss the risks, opportunities, and policy implications in the increasingly complex global landscape of 2026. @theeuropecenter.bsky.social @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social @stanfordcisac.bsky.social

2026 Oksenberg Conference – Coping with a Less Predictable United States Stanford University

🗓️ Mar. 3, 2-5:30 PM | Join leading experts at the 2026 Oksenberg Conference, focusing on how China and other Indo-Pacific actors read the geopolitical landscape and devise strategies to shape the regional order amid uncertainty about U.S. policy and the future of the intl' order. stanford.io/4aheHrw

Four Years of War: Updates from Ukraine Feb. 24 | A panel discussion with civic and political leaders in Ukraine

🇺🇦 EVENT | Feb. 24, 12:00pm PT
To mark the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian policymakers Oleksii Movchan, Andriy Shevchenk, and Oleksandra Ustinova will join @mcfaulmike.bsky.social and @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social director Kathryn Stoner to discuss the state of the ongoing war.

Climate Change Threatens Credit Ratings for Dozens of Countries Small countries prone to extreme weather may face the highest sovereign risks from climate change in coming years, according to new research.

Building on research from @marshallburke.bsky.social and colleagues, new analysis indicates that climate change could downgrade the credit ratings of dozens of countries, with small countries already prone to extreme weather facing the highest risks and penalties. ow.ly/kUOw50YeCqc

Redrawing America’s Security Bargains in Northeast Asia - Korea Economic Institute of America The Trump administration’s attempts to redraw the security bargains with South Korea and Japan are creating growing tension and uncertainty.

The U.S. is reinterpreting its security agreements with Japan and South Korea in ways that could undermine stability and increase tensions and uncertainty in Northeast Asia, cautions @dcsneider.bsky.social: ow.ly/vTv250YeqGB

Israel's Much Anticipated 2026 Elections: A Guide to the Perplexed Alon Tal, a former member of the Knesset, discusses Israeli democracy and the upcoming elections with Amichai Magen, Director of the Jan Koum Israel Studies Program at CDDRL.

This year, Israel will hold its first national elections since 2023.

Former MK Alon Tal joins Amichai Magen, director of the Jan Koum Israel Studies Program @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social, to explain the state of Israeli democracy, and what to watch for over the coming months: ow.ly/vMOR50Ycq6v

Houston, We Have a Problem It's not rocket science that kept America from returning to the moon. It's state capacity.

NASA's ambitions to go to the moon are both a reminder of American government prowess at its best and a warning about the knock-on effects of reduced state capacity, writes @frankfukuyama.bsky.social in Persuasion: ow.ly/1mMq50YbYUO

Applications for the annual $100,000 Rosenkranz Prize from @healthpolicy.stanford.edu are now open!

The prize is open to Stanford researchers of any discipline working on a project to improve global health in low- to middle-income countries.

Apply by February 28.

LEARN MORE: ow.ly/MVPn50YaFCK

Funding cuts could put research into emerging threats to lung health at risk Wildfire smoke, spore-spread fungal diseases and microplastic are all on the rise, even as the US government slashes support for respiratory research and policy.

Data from @marshallburke.bsky.social shows that death from exposure to wildfire smoke is the largest climate change threat to the U.S. in terms of economic impact, but funding cuts could jeopardize further research into mitigation and prevention strategies. ow.ly/P5wT50Y8Yhg

Survey Reveals How Taiwanese Citizens View National Security Using data from "American Portrait," a Taiwan-based survey that investigates the public's perception of the United States and China, political economist Wen Chin Wu of Academia Sinica unpacks how the ...

Nice coverage by @fsi.stanford.edu on a recent presentation by CASBS fellow @wwc557.bsky.social on his findings from an original multi-wave survey program examining Taiwanese public opinion on national security

aparc.fsi.stanford.edu/news/survey-...

Does America's new national security strategy actually put 'America First'? The Trump Administration has now published its National Security Strategy and its National Defense Strategy. They present an ideological shift in U.S. foreign policy that deprioritizes defending…

"While deterrence is costly, it's a lot cheaper than war."

@fsi.stanford.edu Center Fellow Oriana Skylar Mastro explains why the U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific not only prevents major conflicts in the region but also protects American freedoms.

🎧️ Listen via @wbur.org On Point: buff.ly/r2pQgvJ

Negotiating with Russia and the Art of the Nuclear Arms Deal Rose Gottemoeller discusses “Negotiating the New START Treaty,” her new book detailing how she negotiated a 30 percent reduction in U.S.-Russia strategic nuclear warheads.

The New START Treaty expires today. But to learn how it began and what it meant for global nuclear arms control, read NEGOTIATING THE NEW START TREATY by Rose Gottemoeller of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social, the lead U.S. negotiator of the deal.

📚 Available from @CambriaPress ↘️ ow.ly/NbIM50Y8lFE

Venezuela, Greenland, Denmark, Europe, NATO, Iran, China, Japan . . . @frankfukuyama.bsky.social gets into all of the latest developments in international relations and more with @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social. Watch now ⏯️

ow.ly/6u9L50Y6Oth

The Dangerous Fallout of Trump’s Retreat to the Hemisphere The revolution in U.S. foreign policy will lead to a much less stable world.

Retreating into spheres of influence does not secure U.S. interests or consolidate its strength, and will likely create severe strategic dilemmas as allies turn away and enemies converge, cautions @glandsbergis.bsky.social in @foreignpolicy.com.

The Case for Making Every Vote Count Ranked-choice voting in presidential primaries would boost candidates with broad electoral appeal.

"A more extended, deliberative electoral process would not only be more democratic; it would also produce candidates with the ability to forge compromises and craft broader coalitions," says Larry Diamond of @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social on ranked choice voting in @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social.

Dry January is almost over — was it worth it? Here’s what experts say about the health benefits The health impacts of Dry January haven’t been studied rigorously, but research on alcohol use, its harms and potential benefits, and observational studies offer clues.

Dry January is wrapping up. Was it worth it?

Whether a month of sobriety is a temporary pause or the start of a lifestyle change, participating in the trend can positively impact your health, says Keith Humphreys of @healthpolicy.stanford.edu in the @sfchronicle.com: ow.ly/z2HH50Y5HMG

New Data on Biographic and Demographic Attributes of Legislators CDDRL Research-in-Brief [3.5-minute read]

Scholars from @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social have compiled the largest dataset of biographic and demographic information on national legislators ever assembled, allowing researchers to better assess how often voters elect those with life experiences resembling their own: ow.ly/vTj050Y5srV

Does America Need a Deeper State to Save It? A Conversation with Tyler Cowen and Francis Fukuyama Two of the foremost thinkers of our time debate whether America has enough 'state capacity' for effective governance

Is the answer to populist revolts against government...more government?

@frankfukuyama.bsky.social joins @theunpopulist.net to debate the value of state capacity and the "deep state," and why liberal states in complex modern societies need a functional bureaucracy. ow.ly/AtgY50Y4ARf

Intervention to Get Patients Off Benzos Succeeds in Trial Intervention, now in electronic format, had previously shown benefit using printed materials

A study by @healthpolicy.stanford.edu researchers finds that the use of a self-administered electronic intervention via an app led to cessation of benzodiazepines among long-term users, creating a potentially low-cost and scalable way to help address benzos dependence: ow.ly/aPwL50Y47kY