The success of Chinese open weight AI models has created a fundamental tension for the CCP — how can open models be embraced while still maintaining security and control? @gwbstr.com of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social explores how Beijing may choose to strike that balance: ow.ly/sfGf50ZAGMG

Will China Crack Down on Open-Weight Models?

China is embracing open models while placing equal emphasis on security and control. It has not yet decided how it will strike a balance, writes Graham Webster.

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Over the last nine months, senior fellow @mcfaulmike.bsky.social travelled the country to speak about the ideas in his book, Autocrats vs. Democrats. Here are his biggest takeaways from the conversations he had along the way. ⤵️ michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/what-i-lea...

What I Learned on My Book Tour Across America

Over the last nine months, I’ve travelled the country to speak about the ideas in my book, Autocrats vs. Democrats. Here are my biggest takeaways.

michaelmcfaul.substack.com

What do Ukraine’s attacks on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet have in common with the American Revolution? Rose Gottemoeller explains the history of the “mosquito navy” and what it can teach us about the war in Ukraine for the @hooverinstitution.bsky.social. www.thefreedomfrequency.org/p/the-privat...

The Privateer: Rose Gottemoeller on John Manley

The dash of America’s “mosquito navy” led to victories at sea—and eventually on land.

thefreedomfrequency.org

A landmark US-Saudi nuclear deal could redraw the region's map. But without linking it to Saudi-Israeli normalization, Washington may have weakened leverage while setting a new precedent for civilian nuclear cooperation in the Middle East says CISAC's Or Rabinowitz. www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026...

Opinion | For Israel, the U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal is a major strategic failure

The agreement between Washington and Riyadh could create a regional nuclear arms race, while forgoing the only advantage Israel wanted to gain from it: Saudi normalization

haaretz.com

🎧 As global alliances shift and conflict reshapes the international order, how is Beijing responding? @orianamastro.bsky.social joined The Foreign Affairs Interview to explore China's strategy and what it means for U.S. policy. @aparc.stanford.edu www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/wha...

What China Thinks It Can Gain From a Disordered World

A Conversation With Oriana Skylar Mastro

foreignaffairs.com

Cases of cyclosporiasis have now been reported in at least 34 states. Stanford Medicine and CISAC's David Relman explains what to know about the parasitic illness and how to help protect yourself. news.stanford.edu/stories/2026...

What to know about the cyclosporiasis outbreak

Stanford Medicine’s David Relman transformed clinical diagnostics and food tracing for cyclospora, the parasitic organism behind the surge of this diarrheal illness. Here’s what he thinks you should k...

news.stanford.edu

“Everyone has a different number about how many months China is behind the U.S., and the estimates cluster around six months. That is not much of a lead,” says research scholar @gwbstr.com on China's newly unveiled Moonshot AI and the narrowing U.S. lead in A.I. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/b...

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.

nytimes.com

From NATO's evolving approach to China to nuclear security and South Asian strategic stability, CISAC Fellow Sitara Noor shares insights on the security challenges shaping today's geopolitical landscape. cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/news/fellows...

Fellowship Spotlight: Sitara Noor

CISAC Fellow Sitara Noor discusses NATO, nuclear security, South Asian stability, and the experiences that have shaped her career in international security.

cisac.fsi.stanford.edu

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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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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Drawing on new sources, CISAC's Or Rabinowitz traces Israel’s decades-long fear of US pressure to join the treaty, and how this limited its civilian nuclear ambitions, in her latest for Cold War History. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Israel and the NPT: new insights into old questions

Published in Cold War History (Ahead of Print, 2026)

tandfonline.com

Please join The Consortium of Universities for Global Health on July 10 at 9am PT for an emergency panel, "Cessation of Torture & Immediate Release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya from Israeli Detention," featuring CISAC's Ruth Gibson & Tom Dannenbaum. Learn more & register: cugh.org/events/webin...

"In the age of AI, research integrity has become critical infrastructure," writes CISAC affiliate Rachel George, arguing that governments must modernize how they verify evidence as quickly as they adopt AI. www.techpolicy.press/the-next-nat...

The Next National Security Challenge Is Research Integrity

In the age of AI, research integrity has become critical infrastructure, writes Stanford Law School's Rachel A. George.

techpolicy.press

The conversation doesn't end here. This article expands on key themes from the Payne Distinguished Lecture. Watch the event here⤵️ youtu.be/UwJvLeWRtp8?...

Be Careful What You Wish for: Why a Liberal, U.S.-Led World Order Can and Should Be Saved

YouTube video by CISAC Stanford (CISACStanford)

youtu.be

FSI Stanford@fsi.stanford.edu · 2mo ago

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.

A new article from CISAC postdoc Kevin Bustamante explores how Merze Tate challenged conventional balance-of-power theory, arguing that race and empire were central to global politics. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Please join us in welcoming our 2026-2027 fellows! These scholars will spend the academic year generating new knowledge across a range of topics that can help all of us build a safer world. cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/news/cisac-n...

CISAC Names 2026-2027 Fellows

The Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) is pleased to welcome the fellows who will be joining us for the 2026-27 academic year. These scholars will spend the academic year genera...

cisac.fsi.stanford.edu

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 2015 JCPOA bought time, but it was never a lasting solution. The next Iran nuclear agreement should aim higher, says CISAC's Or Rabinowitz, pairing stronger safeguards and verification with a strategy for lasting stability. www.hoover.org/research/jcp...

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. ...

hoover.org

Students from Los Gatos, San Jose, Salinas, and Watsonville met on May 21 for the 5th annual International Security Symposium. Three student groups had the opportunity to present their research projects to CISAC scholars. Read more about their work here ⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/news/local-h...

High School Students Present Their Research Papers on International

Students met for the fifth annual International Security Symposium

cisac.fsi.stanford.edu

In a new @foreignaffairs.com article, CISAC lecturer Rose Gottemoeller examines how Russia’s nuclear coercion has tested long-held assumptions about strategic stability and what it means for the future of global security. www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/stra...

The Strange Defeat of Nuclear Deterrence

And the coming crisis in strategic stability.

foreignaffairs.com

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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We are deeply saddened following the news of Dr. Michael May's passing. Dr. May was the co-director of CISAC from 1993 - 2000 & held positions as a senior fellow with the Freeman Spogli Institute & as a professor in the Stanford School of Engineering. cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/news/remembe...

Remembering Michael May

Dr. May served as the Co-Director at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation from 1993 to 2000.

cisac.fsi.stanford.edu

🗓️ Upcoming webinar | Stopping the Targeted Killing of Healthcare Workers and First Responders in the Middle East Register here ⤵️ us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

The deadline is quickly approaching to get applications in! Make sure to apply by June 8.

Stanford CISAC@stanfordcisac.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The CISAC Fellowship program is expanding for the 2026–2027 academic year, with applications now open for two new fellowship opportunities! The deadline to apply is June 8, 2026. Click here for more information and how to apply⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/cisac-fellow...

On our latest podcast episode, Dr. Jackie Schneider (@jackieschneider.bsky.social) challenges common assumptions about the cyber-nuclear nexus. Moving beyond Hollywood scenarios, she applies percolation theory to show how network centralization impacts vulnerability.

🗓️ Upcoming event | The Future of Decision-Making View the full speaker lineup, agenda, and registration details ⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/futur...

Next week: "Book Talk: Security Through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and US-Russia Relations after the Cold War" with Rose Gottemoeller. RSVP here ⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/book-...

Book Talk: Security Through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and

cisac.fsi.stanford.edu

Next week: "Polarization and International Politics" with Rachel Myrick RSVP here ⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/polar...

Polarization and International Politics | Rachel Myrick

cisac.fsi.stanford.edu

Next week: "Book Talk | Nuclear Weapons: An International History" with David Holloway. RSVP here ⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/book-...

Book Talk: An International History of Nuclear Weapons | David Holloway

cisac.fsi.stanford.edu

🗓️ CISAC EVENT TOMORROW | May 21, 3:30pm PT Join @stanfordcisac.bsky.social for the Payne Distinguished Lecture with Philip H. Gordon, who will discuss why a liberal, U.S.-led world order can and should be saved. ☑️ Register at the link below ow.ly/3TMP50YZfoU

Payne Distinguished Lecture | Be Careful What You Wish for: Why a Liberal

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