U.S. Strategic Nuclear Policy Toward China
The project will address U.S. nuclear strategy and forces; U.S. missile defense requirements and their implications for U.S. strategy and arms control; the implications of U.S. strategic nuclear choices for the U.S.-Japan alliance and for the nuclear proliferation decisions of Japan and South Korea; U.S. conventional strategy in East Asia and its relationship to U.S. nuclear strategy and capabilities; and, the possible escalatory dangers that could be generated by U.S. conventional operations.
Spheres of Influence, Regional Orders, and China's Rise
The project will begin with an exploration of the basic concepts: What is a sphere of influence? Via what mechanisms do military capabilities, military alliances and economic cooperation create a sphere of influence? In the specific case of a rising China, what special challenges does a declining state face when striving to preserve its sphere of influence? The project will then explore a range of means (military, international institutions, economic policy, diaspora relations) that a state can employ in support of a sphere of influence or a regional order, or both.
Energy and International Conflict
The ISCS Energy Security Project supports research that examines the links between energy and international conflict from a traditional security studies perspective. Our collaborative book project, Crude Calculus: Reexamining the Energy Security Logic of America’s Military Presence in the Persian Gulf, brings together energy experts at GW and other leading institutions to explore the key rationales underpinning U.S. force posture in the Gulf and consider strategic alternatives. Faculty members currently researching this topic include Charles Glaser, Rose Kelanic, Llewelyn Hughes, Marcus King, Caitlin Talmadge, and Rob Weiner.
