About
The Institute for Security and Conflict Studies (ISCS) is a graduate-level scholarly community dedicated to producing high quality research in security studies, training the next generation of security scholars, and influencing U.S. policy debates on important security questions of the day. The Institute's faculty consists largely of Elliott School-affiliated Political Scientists. Each year, the Institute hosts 1-2 predoctoral fellows from other institutions, a half dozen Visiting Scholars from the United States and around the world whose research brings them to Washington, and 4-6 Political Science Ph.D. students from GW, all engaged in the study of security from many angles.
Our History
The Institute for Security and Conflict Studies was founded by Professor Charles L. Glaser in 2009 with the support of then-Dean of the Elliott School, Michael E. Brown. Glaser directed the Institute until 2019 and served as co-director (with Professor Alexander B. Downes) until his retirement in 2023. ISCS currently has nearly two dozen affiliated faculty and dozens of alumni--former predoctoral fellows, Visiting Scholars, and GW Ph.D. students. It is housed in Suite 605 of the Elliott School of International Affairs.
Workshops
Security Studies Workshop
The Institute runs two bi-weekly workshops. The Security Studies Workshop features scholars from other institutions presenting work in progress. These 90-minute sessions include a short presentation from the speaker, comments from an ISCS-affiliated discussant, and audience questions. The speaker's paper is circulated in advance to enable participants to ask informed questions and provide useful feedback.
The Research-in-Progress
The Research-in-Progress is our bi-weekly internal speaker series. All ISCS affiliates, including predoctoral fellows, Visiting Scholars, GW Ph.D. students in residence, and faculty, present their research on a wide range of topics. Papers are circulated beforehand and everyone reads them and comes prepared with feedback. Presenters give only brief introductory remarks before turning it over to a discussant followed by Q&A.
Affiliates
In addition to its faculty, ISCS hosts three types of affiliates.
- 1-2 predoctoral fellowships per year to support doctoral students involved in cutting-edge research in security studies
- 4-6 Visiting Scholars, typically Ph.D. students or faculty from other institutions whose research brings them to Washington for archival research or interviews
- Political Science Ph.D. students from GW. Affiliates present at the Research-in-Progress workshop and serve as discussants for both workshops.
Research
- 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.