International Security Studies

Expert panelists will explore whether the Arab Awakening has marginalized Al Qaeda or presents opportunities (such as sectarian tensions) that it can exploit.

Turkish foreign policy is coming under increasing scrutiny since the election of the ruling Justice and Development Party in 2002. Critiques state that Turkish foreign policy is becoming 'neo-Ottoman' or 'Islamist', arguing that Turkey is moving closer to the Middle East than Europe. The underlying hypothesis of Hamid Akin Unver's lecture however, argues that Turkey's foreign policy is not becoming more Islamist; it is becoming more British, following a pattern of external affairs in which identity is becoming increasingly more pronounced. By focusing on three case studies: Turkey’s self-appointed role as an energy hub between Europe and Russia, its role in NATO and its recent installation of the missile defense shield, and finally, its changing stance against Iran and Syria following the Arab Spring, the lecture will discuss how identity (as it relates to the narratives of history and culture) shape Turkey’s foreign policy understanding and patterns of cooperation and conflict.

One year after the death of bin Laden, the White House’s top counter-terrorism expert John Brennan discussed the Administration’s ongoing efforts to destroy al Qaeda and its affiliates, as well as the standards and practices behind those efforts. In this Director's Forum, Brennan acknowledged the use of drone strikes against terrorists, and targeted killings overseas.

This talk will examine the extent to which tacit knowledge – work related to practical knowledge – is relevant to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The authors will discuss both historical and contemporary case studies of nuclear and biological weapons.