International Peace and Security

The world is facing a new era of nuclear risk. Longstanding agreements and practices, which have for many years helped to avert nuclear dangers are under pressure. Cold War-era arms control treaties have not kept up with technological and political change. As governments struggle to adapt to this new landscape, independent analysis is critical. To these ends, we foster policy-relevant research and dissemination by experts and scientists; promote international dialogues between experts from key nations; and support educational efforts that expand and deepen nuclear expertise.

With the aim of reducing the risks posed by nuclear weapons, our grantmaking focuses on: 

• Preventing nuclear war and crisis escalation 
• Reducing the political salience of nuclear weapons 
• Promoting greater understanding of nuclear dangers

The international environment is undergoing fundamental shifts with the reemergence of global power competition, strategic and economic realignments, and advances in technology with military implications. Managing the potentially negative consequences of these trends, as well as leveraging the positive outcomes they might present, require deep understanding of international developments and their key drivers, particularly as they relate to major power interactions. To these ends, we promote in-depth analysis and its dissemination, facilitate international engagements on critical regional and global challenges, and support educational programs that expand and deepen expertise on relevant countries and issues.  

With the aim of reducing the risks to global stability, our grantmaking focuses on: 

• Euro-Atlantic Security with emphasis on the relationship between the United States and Russia and broader security-related developments in the Euro-Atlantic region  
• Asian Security with emphasis on the relationship between the United States and China and broader security-related developments in the Asia-Pacific region 
• Emerging Global Challenges with emphasis on the impact of technological advances and other emergent trends on international peace and security

Geopolitical and financial drivers contribute to enduring conflict in parts of the broader Middle East. At the same time, the region’s social scientists are documenting widespread erosion of governance and citizenship; economic insecurity and lack of public services; militarized or collapsed states; forced displacements and hardening of borders; and institutionalized corruption. In adapting our field-building commitment to changing contexts and opportunities, we use our grantmaking to empower local institutions and scholars to improve outcomes for the region, promote cross-regional analysis and dissemination, and contribute to international policymaking.   

With the overarching goal of bringing Arab-region expertise to bear on transnational issues, our grantmaking focuses on: 

• Building up the region’s knowledge sector in specific fields and social science disciplines 
• Fostering international connections among relevant expert communities 
• Promoting policy transparency regarding the MENA region  

In all of its diversity, Africa remains a continent marked by stark contrasts, with entrepreneurial energy and economic dynamism in some parts and severe governance challenges and intractable conflicts in others. Despite some sporadic gains, peacebuilding — a notion that continues to evolve along with the field itself — has fallen short of its initial promise, with numerous externally and locally directed efforts failing to prevent armed conflict and establish sustainable peace. Addressing these gaps requires relevant local knowledge and expertise, as well as the integration of African approaches into policymaking by external, regional, and national actors. To these ends, we promote policy-relevant research and outreach by African scholars, and international engagements of relevance to peacebuilding in Africa. 

With the aim of bolstering Africa’s peacebuilding efforts, our grantmaking focuses on: 

• Support and mentorship for African scholars engaged in policy-relevant research on peacebuilding and related fields 
• Connections between African peacebuilding scholars and academic, practitioner, and policy communities on the continent and beyond 
• Dissemination of research by African peacebuilding scholars within Africa and globally 

Promoting peace and prosperity in today’s complex, quickly changing world requires cutting-edge knowledge, its practical application, and its effective communication to policymakers and other concerned parties, including the public. New technologies, spurred by the global presence and use of the Internet, have leveled the playing field of content creation, posing new security challenges. These developments, which have also led to the spread of skewed opinions, misinformation, and doctored content professing to be trustworthy news and facts, have increased the need for well-researched and reliable sources of information. To address this need, we support rigorous, evidence-based and policy-relevant academic research and its connectivity and applicability to the policymaking community and the public at large. 

In order to foster more informed policymaking, our grantmaking focuses on: 

• Bridging the Gap between academic and policy communities with emphasis on improving the accessibility of policy relevant scholarship beyond the academy. 
• Congressional education with emphasis on expanding understanding of critical international peace and security issues among lawmakers and congressional staffers