UofA International Security Studies

The Illiberal International Authoritarian cooperation is reshaping the global order.

Check out this new article by ISS instructors Matias Bianchi and Jennifer Cyr in @foreignaffairs.com. www.foreignaffairs.com/china/illibe...

Excited to announce the 4th Annual U.S.-Mexico Defense and Security Roundtable will take place on 4 December at 4pm MST. This year, the roundtable will be hosted by UNAM in Mexico City and will be livestreamed www.youtube.com/live/KM1YdCc...

The military instrument of national power is valuable but it can't do it all. ISS students learn about its capabilities and limitations. iss.sbs.arizona.edu

Stop inside-the-beltway national security groupthink! ISS offers a way for high performers limited by time, geography, or resources to break into the national security space and create more innovative and effective policy. iss.sbs.arizona.edu

A House of Dynamite: Fact, Fiction, and U.S. Homeland Defense | HTK YouTube video by Center for Strategic & International Studies

House of Dynamite on Netflix was intense, but how accurate was it? Check out this roundtable with experts from CSIS. www.youtube.com/live/xUn5OdN...

Applications are open for the University of Arizona MA in International Security Studies. Your employer may be one of our corporate partners. Employees can reach out to HR to see if they are eligible for tuition assistance. online.arizona.edu/about/corpor...

Ready to move up to the next level? An MA in International Security Studies will give you the tools to take on the toughest national security challenges. The window for Spring 2026 applications is open until 10 December. iss.sbs.arizona.edu

War on the Rocks - Submissions Want to write for War on the Rocks? Start here.

Want to write for War on the Rocks?

Check out this prescient Small Wars Journal article by ISS grad Bryan Baker. "a greater danger of convergence is its ability to draw the US into another seemingly endless series of interventions abroad, some of which may be morally questionable." archive.smallwarsjournal.com/index.php/jr...

Roy Godson on Cuba: "Covert action, neither for the first time nor for the last, was the substitute for well-thought-out policy... Instead, covert action was viewed as a magic bullet that in a single round could achieve a desirable objective without committing the United States militarily."

What do most high level national security officials have in common? They combine professional experience with rigorous academic study. Get a seat at the table with an MA in International Security Studies. iss.sbs.arizona.edu

YouTube video by U.S. Army War College Episode 1: Strategy is Performance - Col. Celestino Perez - Army War College

Want to learn about strategy? A great place to start is with the U.S. Army War College Strategy is Performance videos with Celestino Perez. youtu.be/U9J4g-NeSbo?...

"There are political forces that demand a strong response under the assumption that a strong response is an effective response. To be effective, U.S. actions must be judged on whether they preserve, erode, or expand U.S. power." - Robert Worley in Orchestrating the Instruments of Power

Venezuela: The President’s Flotilla Podcast Episode · American Diplomat · 10/02/2025 · 45m

Great discussion on military operations in the Caribbean and the situation in Venezuela with the former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela James Story podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/v...

The 23rd President of UofA, Dr. Suresh Garimella, said, "Students are the heartbeat of any university" We couldn’t agree more. Our program is student-centered because our mission is to develop national security professionals.

"...while that [the authority] of the British King extends to the declaring of war and to the raising and regulating of fleets and armies: all of which by the Constitution under consideration would appertain to the Legislature." - Hamilton, Federalist No. 69

YouTube video by UArizona International Security Studies UofA International Security Studies - Program Attributes

Our International Security Studies program is intellectually challenging, but built to support active professionals. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc5F...

Taking a break from the foreign policy grind? Not interested in spending that time in DC? Our MA program is asynchronous. That means you can refine your thinking and hone your language skills at a café in the south of France or on a beach in Thailand. iss.sbs.arizona.edu

"The ability to attract allies is a valuable asset in any competitive system. By contrast, those who cause others to align against them are at a significant disadvantage." - Stephen Walt, The Origins of Alliances

"So the propagandist exhausts the interest in reality by a tolerably plausible beginning, and then stokes up energy for a long voyage by brandishing a passport to heaven." - Walter Lippmann

This Small Wars article by ISS grad Bryan Baker is from several years back, but its bold claim is still relevant today:
"U.S. failure to reduce the demand for narcotics is a clear example of America exercising the tyranny of the majority over Mexico." archive.smallwarsjournal.com/index.php/jr...

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

One of the strengths of ISS is our amazing students. Learn more about recent grad Amanda Vidimos in this student spotlight. iss.sbs.arizona.edu/news/iss-stu...

"It is this mind-set, the idea that the U.S. Army could defeat any enemy on any battlefield given enough firepower and the freedom to apply it indiscriminately, that precluded organizational learning on counterinsurgency during the Vietnam War." - John Nagl from Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife

"All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations." Article 2, United Nations Charter, signed 26 June 1945

Trump and Kim, Act Two: Challenges of Engagement in a New Geopolitical Landscape | Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University This analysis explores how shifting dynamics test the viability of U.S. strategies in the Indo-Pacific and highlights the urgent need for adaptable, multi-faceted policy approaches to address emerging...

How should the United States adapt its strategies regarding North Korea given the shifting global security environment? Check out this piece by ISS grad Jonathan Bak in Small Wars Journal smallwarsjournal.com/2025/03/12/t...

Roy Godson on Cuba: "Covert action, neither for the first time nor for the last, was the substitute for well-thought-out policy... Instead, covert action was viewed as a magic bullet that in a single round could achieve a desirable objective without committing the United States militarily."

Transnational Organized Crime is often overlooked as an element of national power. Yet, it has become a key tool for North Korea and Russia. ISS students learn how states work in the shadows to achieve their policy objectives. iss.sbs.arizona.edu

"Rather than viewing drug trafficking and security challenges as problems to solve, they should be seen as issues to be managed with sound policies and strategies that are aimed at limiting as many negative consequences on the international system as possible." - Paul Rexton Kan

YouTube video by University of Arizona Online Overcome Complex Security Challenges | MA in International Security | Arizona Online

High performers don’t always have time to slow down for graduate school. University of Arizona's International Security Studies program provides a tailored MA for mid-career professionals. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eVE...