"The Iranian regime used to fear the unpredictability of Mr. Trump. I think now they use it to their benefit and put it as part of their calculation," Abbas Milani tells NPR's Michele Kelemen: https://ow.ly/QYXY50Zs2vn

Trump says Iran is desperate to talk. Experts see a different reality

President Trump says Iran is desperate to negotiate — but experts warn the conflict may be drifting further from diplomacy.

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As wildfires burn across the continent, @marshallburke.bsky.social reminds us that it's a wide range of people who are vulnerable to wildfire smoke damage. "It's pregnant people, it's kids in schools, it's anyone with asthma, it's people with cancer," he tells @sciencealert.com.web.brid.gy.

What's Wildfire Smoke Actually Doing to Your Body? Studies Show It Might Be Worse Than You Think

This past week, a child stood on the observation deck of Toronto's CN Tower and looked out at a city skyline blurred by haze.

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There is real innovation going on in China's AI ecosystem, Graham Webster of Stanford CISAC tells The New York Times, and that is rapidly closing the performance gap between U.S. and Chinese models. https://ow.ly/NXmr50ZqUGV

China’s Latest A.I. Breakthrough Threatens America’s Lead

China’s Moonshot AI unveiled a freely available artificial intelligence model that seemed to narrow the gap with cutting-edge offerings from U.S. tech companies.

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There's never been a more feasible time — or more pressing — for the EU, South Korea, and Japan to come together and establish a closer strategic dialogue, writes Gi-Wook Shin of Stanford APARC in the The Diplomat . https://ow.ly/RkTp50Zqg9c

EU-Japan-South Korea Cooperation Is Indispensable Now

The trilateral is more feasible – and more important – than ever before.

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Israel’s policy of nuclear ambiguity has survived through the Cold War and the geo-strategic shifts of the start of the 21st century, but recent political changes in the region might finally force a posture change, writes Or Rabinowitz of Stanford CISAC. 📄 READ MORE: https://ow.ly/f8Le50ZnsLB

"I retain optimism that we will recover from these setbacks. But people have to believe they’re part of a common project that is more important than their partisan differences.” Francis Fukuyama reflects on the next 250 years of American life. ↘️ https://ow.ly/RSwI50ZoYy6

Fukuyama: A superpower at war with itself

Political scientist Francis Fukuyama tells Lianhe Zaobao video producer Audrey Jiajia Li that America on its 250th anniversary is divided and polarised as never before, but there is still hope if it can believe in itself again.

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Is international law actually designed to hold states accountable? @tomdannenbaum.bsky.social of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social discusses what international law can and cannot do in a moment of mounting global crises, and why the system is more about political mobilization, legitimacy, and restraint.

International Law, Crimes, and Accountability

Podcast Episode · Lawyering Without Law · July 10 · 49m

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What role does Israel's ‘alleged undeclared military nuclear program’ play in the country's long history with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)? Or Rabinowitz of Stanford CISAC offers new insights in her latest for Cold War History: https://ow.ly/ax3750ZnUp4

Could shared anxieties about the United States be the balm that helps bring South Korea and Japan closer together? @dcsneider.bsky.social looks into the promise and potential problems along the path to an improved relationship.

The Trump effect on Japan–South Korea relations

Shared anxieties over an increasingly unpredictable Washington are drawing Japan and South Korea closer, but differing policy stances and wartime history issues are still far from being water under th...

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Since Russia's invasion, the war in Ukraine has reshaped the face of modern conflict, U.S. policy, and NATO’s future. Rose Gottemoeller of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social & @shustry.bsky.social join @kqedforum.bsky.social to discuss the trajectory of the conflict and how it's reshaping geopolitics.

The Ukraine War Is in Its Fifth Year. Is Peace Possible? | KQED

We'll discuss the state of the war and how it has changed the face of modern conflict, U.S. policy, and NATO's future.

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The future of defense and deterrence is both national and transnational, argue FSI Director Colin Kahl and Tobias Vestner. Read their recommendations in @foreignaffairs.com for how to build this network of public-private, domestic-international partnerships: ow.ly/oPwX50ZmBQE

How to Win the Defense Innovation Contest

America and its allies must pool their efforts.

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Happy 50th anniversary to the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education! 🎉 In this spotlight, Dr. Bert Bower reflects on the early years of SPICE’s Latin America Project and how working as a curriculum developer for the program became a life-changing experience.

Celebrating SPICE’s 50th: SPICE’s Latin America Project, 1976–1998

Dr. Bert Bower reflects on the early years of SPICE’s Latin America Project

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Short bursts of deliberative exercises can have large and long-term effects on turnout and voting behavior, finds research by @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social scholars.

The Lasting Effects of Deliberation on Civic Engagement

CDDRL Research-in-Brief [4-minute read]

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As the latest NATO summit gets underway in Turkey, @mcfaulmike.bsky.social makes the case for why the United States needs NATO, and how leaders can reform and strengthen the alliance for the future. 🌐 READ MORE: ow.ly/4hPF50ZloGg

The United States Needs NATO

Reform it, don’t destroy it.

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"The Washington who most deserves our attention is the one history has most neglected: the spymaster. Without that Washington, there is no nation to celebrate." Read more from Amy Zegart @amyzegart.bsky.social on the first president's dual role as America's first spymaster. ↘️

The Revolution’s Spymaster: Amy Zegart on George Washington

Washington's greatest military innovation wasn't battlefield brilliance—it was building an intelligence network that helped secure American independence.

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The U.S. faces considerable domestic and international challenges, but the notion that the America is no longer capable of playing a global leadership role is not backed up by the facts, writes @philgordondc.bsky.social, the Payne Distinguished Lecturer @stanfordcisac.bsky.social.

Don’t Give Up on Global Order

America depends on global order—and can restore it.

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The dangers of AI are already here, and discussions of AI regulation need to shift from if regulation is needed to how regulation is going to be codified, says Francis Fukuyama. @frankfukuyama.bsky.social

America’s AI Policy Is Truly Chaotic

What we need is real regulation, fast.

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G7 leaders have backed a joint statement pledging stronger military support for Ukraine and more pressure on Russia, but the real test will be whether the declaration is followed by specific steps, former US Amb. to Ukraine and @theeuropecenter.bsky.social affiliate Steven Pifer tells @kyivpost.com.

Need inspiration for your summer reading list? Browse new and upcoming titles from @mcfaulmike.bsky.social, Rose Gottemoeller, David Holloway, @frankfukuyama.bsky.social, @larrydiamond.bsky.social and more. 📚 BROWSE HERE: ow.ly/Xt1950T9XQs

China's pipeline for cultivating expertise in AI is more robust than previously thought, including a deepening bench of researchers who have never passed through the U.S., write Amy Zegart and @idenarch.bsky.social in a new whitepaper with @hooverinstitution.bsky.social & @stanfordhai.bsky.social.

Update: DeepSeek AI and the Great Talent Competition

In April 2025, we analyzed the 223 researchers behind DeepSeek's first five papers and found that the company's talent ran deeper than the prevailing story allowed. This update extends the analysis to...

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China is hard at work quadrupling its nuclear arsenal. With the growing risk of a three-way nuclear stand-off, Rose Gottemoeller of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social makes the case for why arms control agreements are more important now than ever.

The nuclear arms race nobody is talking about

Listen to The nuclear arms race nobody is talking about

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The JCPOA wasn't perfect, but it was a fine start, writes Or Rabinowitz for @hooverinstitution.bsky.social. She argues that any new agreement with Iran must aim higher.

The JCPOA was flawed, but it bought time; a new deal should aim higher

Iran’s nuclear program remains a profound strategic challenge for both the United States and Israel, despite the consecutive joint aerial campaigns launched against it in June 2025 and February 2026. ...

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Can playing games help regulators better manage real-life energy crises? A project from our Program on Energy and Sustainable Development and Stanford Impact Labs aims to find out. Read more about their game-based electricity market trainings ↘️ ow.ly/MWuY50Zfscw

Can E-learning Help Regulators Better Adapt to a Changing Energy Landscape? - Stanford Impact Labs

With funding from Stanford Impact Labs, Stanford's Program on Energy and Sustainable Development developed e-learning modules designed to help energy regulators work more effectively in a changing ene...

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New guidelines developed with input from Douglas Owens, director of @healthpolicy.stanford.edu, provide evidence-based recommendations to help people who are overweight understand the benefits and harms of obesity medication.

New ACP Guidelines: Empowering Doctors to Prescribe Pharmacologic Therapy

The American College of Physicians (ACP) develops a clinical guideline for clinicians caring for adults with overweight or obesity.

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New evidence shows that prescribed burns reduces air pollution over time. "Sometimes the benefits take a while. We’re not that good at delayed gratification, but our numbers say in the end, it’s worth it," study lead @marshallburke.bsky.social tells @sfgate.com.

Stanford study finds surprising upside of prescribed burns

"As a species, we’re not that good at delayed gratification."

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Analysis from the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions indicates that while grant allocation to non-elite Chinese universities is rising, high-value “Key Programs” funding—and therefore power and influence—remains heavily concentrated in around 40 of the country's elite universities.

A Handful of Elite Universities Have Dominated China's Basic Science

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With new defense technology like drones, growing instability in Russia, and growing European momentum behind Kyiv, momentum on the battlefield has clearly swung to Ukraine, and time is no longer on Putin's side, writes @mcfaulmike.bsky.social. 🇺🇦 READ MORE: ow.ly/Eyrh50ZcbbN

Ukraine Is Winning

This spring, the stalemate on the battlefield has shifted in Ukraine's favor, complementing other Ukrainian victories in the war.

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🎓 Congratulations to the 2026 graduating class of the Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy! You've studied hard and are now on your way to change the world for the better through new careers, civic engagement, military service, further academic pursuits, and beyond.

Herb Lin, a senior research scholar at @stanfordcisac.bsky.social, has joined the Science and Security Board at @thebulletin.org. The board provides objective external perspectives on issues relating to nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies. ow.ly/ihQE50ZaAc2

Jeffrey Lewis and Herbert Lin join the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board

The Bulletin is honored to welcome nuclear proliferation and arms control expert Jeffrey Lewis and nuclear risk and disruptive technologies expert Herbert Lin to its Science and Security Board (SASB)....

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Thai pro-democracy leader Pita Limjaroenrat analyzed the recent electoral defeat of his progressive party, weighed in on Thailand’s regional and geopolitical balancing act, and considered the prospects for the country’s future at a recent visit to @aparc.stanford.edu.

Pita Limjaroenrat Strategizes a Path Forward for Thailand

Banned from political office but unbowed, the Thai pro-democracy leader revisited Stanford to analyze the recent electoral defeat of his progressive party, weigh in on regional tensions in Southeast A...

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