Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security & Diplomacy

Join us and our friends at World Denver on Monday for our final public event of the year, and the final installment of our Nuclear Spring series!

From 5:30-7pm, our Korbel nuclear security expert Dr. Debak Das will discuss nuclear uncertainty and the future of arms control with Rose Gottemoeller of Stanford University, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institute, and Deputy Secretary General of NATO from 2016 to 2019.

Doors to Maglione Hall will open at 5pm for folks to grab some food and drinks and find their seats. We’ll see you there!

RSVP at the link in our bio on our CrimsonConnect page. Have any issues registering? Email us at [email protected] and we’ll add you to our list directly.

Thank you to all who joined us on Monday evening for an in-depth conversation about nuclear security and space policy with guest speaker Dr. Vipin Narang and our very own Dr. Debak Das! We’re looking forward to making the video recording of the event available soon, and setting our sights ahead to our next (and final!) open-to-the-public event as part of our “Nuclear Spring” series on June 2nd with guest Rose Gottemoeller.

We’re also grateful to our friends Denver Council on Foreign Relations for supporting this event. We’ll see you all at our next event soon!

Mark your calendars for our next exciting segment of Nuclear Spring! On May 19th, we are thrilled to be joined by Dr. Vipin Narang for “Nuclear Threats, Deterrence, and Proliferation” as he engages in conversation with our Korbel nuclear security expert Dr. Debak Das. Their conversation will cover such topics as current trends in global nuclera security, foreign and space policy, deterrence strategies, and possible conflict resolution outcomes.
 
Join us in the beautiful Reiman Theater (Margery Reed Building on DU’s campus, at the corner of University Blvd and East Evans Ave) with doors opening at 5pm and the discussion beginning at 5:30. Light refreshments will be served. We are grateful for co-sponsorship by the Denver Council on Foreign Relations, which makes events like this possible!
Register at our Crimson Connect* link in our bio! 
 
About Dr. Vipin Narang: Vipin Narang is the Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security and Political Science and member of the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From March 2022 through August 2024, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and then Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, a portfolio with oversight over the U.S. Department of Defense’s strategic capabilities, including nuclear, space, missile defense, and cyber policy. For his service, he was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. His research interests include nuclear proliferation and strategy, North Korea’s nuclear weapons, South Asian security, and general security studies.

Grad students, mark your calendars! Join us on Friday, May 9th, for our final of this year. Professors Matfess and Das will lead this immersive crisis simulation, during which participants will represent competing (or collaborating!) entities based around Iranian nuclear proliferation/disarmament. We’ll bring the food, you bring the negotiation skills. Click on the link in our bio to secure your spot—we’ll see you on the 9th!

The Sié Center is thrilled to announce that Carla Dirlikov Canales will be returning to Korbel to teach a special two-credit course on cultural diplomacy this spring quarter! 🌏🎶🖼️🎭

This graduate-level course will provide an in-depth look at how the arts and culture have been harnessed by nations, communities and individuals to advance positive social impact worldwide. Starting with a history of cultural diplomacy (using examples both from the United States and countries around the world), participants will then gain experience organizing cultural diplomatic events and initiatives at various scales and discuss how this important foreign policy tool can be implemented in the real world.

Students, you can register for INTS 4710.1 “Cultural Diplomacy: The Power of the Arts for Social Change” via MyDU.
Community members or students who wish to audit the course for zero credits, you can register for free on Crimson Connect at the link in our bio! 🔗

New event alert! 🚨

On Tuesday, April 8th, join us at 5:30pm in Maglione Hall for selections of award-winning film “the bomb” and a conversation with its creators Smriti Keshari and Eric Schlosser. Keshari and Schlosser will then discuss the film and the current state of nuclear security with Korbel’s resident expert Dr. Debak Das (and moderation by Dr. Marie Berry), followed by audience Q&A. Mark your calendars, bring your questions, come hungry (we’ll be serving dinner!) and register to attend at the Crimson Connect link in our bio! 🔗

Doors will open at 5 for folks to find their seats and grab a bite to eat. We’ll see you there!

Missed our previous post? “the bomb” has also been transformed by its creators into an interactive art installation, which we’re hosting at the DU Community Commons Art Gallery from April 1st-18th. Join us at the gallery on the 1st for an opening reception and experience the show firsthand!

On this final Friday of Winter Quarter 2025, we’re spotlighting the recent publication from two of our faculty members: Drs. Debak Das and Rachel Epstein! 💡📝🖥️

Just this morning, Foreign Policy published their piece “An Unreliable America Means More Countries Want the Bomb.” In it, Das and Epstein discuss the destabilizing effects that shifting U.S. security policies are having on the rest of the world, particularly Europe and Asia. New U.S. relationships with NATO and Russia will have very real effects on the nuclear regimes of other countries, the authors argue. Swipe to read some key takeaways and click on the link in our bio to read the full article! 🔗

As this quarter wraps up, stay tuned for more from the Sié Center and Korbel about our upcoming “Nuclear Spring.” Public programming, classroom visits, and more to follow!

Join the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy as we launch the collaborative, multi-media art installation the bomb, which will be in place at the Community Commons Gallery (CCOM 1001) from April 1st through April 15th. We invite guests from all campus departments and the public community to engage with the installation, which explores the history, technology, and existential threat of nuclear weapons through the arts. The digital art installation displays award-winning film The Bomb (2016) from artist-journalist-directors Eric Schlosser and Smriti Keshari, who will join us the following week on April 8th for a film screening and panel discussion with Dr. Debak Das of nuclear disarmament and current security issues on the global scale. Refreshments will be served and all are welcome!
 
THE INSTALLATION
the bomb installation was inspired by nuclear command-and-control centers, addressing the vulnerabilities and the catastrophic potential of these complex technological systems. The centerpiece of the installation is an hour-long film that combines archival footage with animation and an original, electronic score by The Acid. Projected on a circular bank of forty-five screens that rise to the ceiling, surrounded by exposed wiring and circuit boards, the film conveys the hidden chaos and danger of the nuclear age.
 
For more information, interview requests, or press materials, please contact Cherefawn Chang at [email protected].

Full credits:
the bomb is created by Smriti Keshari & Eric Schlosser; Film by Kevin Ford, Smriti Keshari & Eric Schlosser; Installation Design: Ben Kreukniet; Music: The Acid; Art Director: Stanley Donwood; Animation: The Kingdom of Ludd; Installation Technical Lead: Adam Paikowsky, Greenhouse Media; Installation Producer: C.A.V.E.; De-install & Transportation: Dimensions Art Production; Creative Producer: Cherefawn Chang






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📕📈✍️Faculty member Dr. Francisco Rodríguez has had a busy few months—accordingly, we can’t help but spotlight some of his newest publications, not least of all including his new book, “The Collapse of Venezuela: Scorched Earth Politics and Economic Decline, 2012-2020.” Dr. Rodríguez, Rice Family Professor of the Practice of International and Public Affairs, is an expert on the relationship between political conflict and economic performance, and has decades of experience in public service, academia, and the private sector.
 
Swipe right to read more about his recent publications and their central takeaways:

1. “The Global Seigniorage Duopoly,” published by Global Policy on 1/8/2025
2. “The Economic Determinants of Venezuela’s Hunger Crisis,” published in Latin American Perspectives on 2/17/2025
3. “How Trump Could Still Get Venezuela Right This Time Around,” published by Foreign Policy on 3/6/2025
4. The Collapse of Venezuela: Scorched Earth Politics and Economic Decline, 2012-2020, published by the University of Notre Dame Press (March 2025)

Congratulations, Dr. Rodríguez, on your newest publications and excellent research!

Starting this past weekend, several Korbel faculty members (and PhD candidates!) made their way to Chicago for the International Studies Association’s 66th annual convention. The International Studies Association is one of the oldest interdisciplinary associations dedicated to understanding international, transnational and global affairs, and we are proud that so many of our Sié Center affiliates are participating and representing the accomplishments of Korbel!

This year’s schedule includes roundtables, panels, and workshops led and supported by Dr. Deborah Avant, Dr. Naazneen Barma, Dr. Debak Das, Dr. Rachel Epstein, Dr. Oliver Kaplan, Dr. Hilary Matfess, and PhD candidate Sinduja Raja. Take a look at their schedule for a peek at their diverse research and teaching interests!

After many months of work, IGLI (led by Dr. Marie Berry) is thrilled to announce the launch of the Feminist Peace Playbook: A Guide to Transforming U.S. Foreign Policy on March 13 in NYC with our partners , , and . Just weeks into Trump’s second term, it is clear that the stakes have changed dramatically. We face an unprecedented crisis of democracy and the dismantling of human rights, international law, and national and multilateral institutions. To meet this moment, we cannot only be reactive: we must redefine what truly makes us and our communities safe for the survival of people and all life on our shared planet. In this Feminist Peace Playbook, we focus on the need to break militarism’s grip on U.S. foreign policy and advance a feminist peace alternative to Trump’s “peace through strength” — a strategy that we know will imperil lives.
 
Through four interconnected strategies, we outline specific plays for movements, researchers, policymakers, philanthropy, and media professionals to collaborate on, along with specific recommendations for each sector to work towards shifting U.S. foreign policy away from violence and domination toward a safer, more secure, and abundant future.

Join Sié Center Director Marie Berry in conversation with Sara Haghdoosti and Harrison Mann of Win Without War on Monday, March 10th, as they tackle topics such as how to resist authoritarianism, how to build power in our communities, and the links between domestic and foreign policy. Win Without War is a diverse network of activists and organizations working for a more peaceful, progressive U.S. foreign policy, believing that by democratizing U.S. foreign policy and providing progressive alternatives, we can achieve more peaceful, just, and common sense policies that ensure that all people — regardless of race, nationality, gender, religion, or economic status —  can find and take advantage of opportunity equally and feel secure. Executive Director Sara Haghdoosti is a foreign policy expert and peace activist, and Harrison Mann resigned from Defense Intelligence Agency in protest of his office’s military support of Israel in Gaza.
 
Doors to Maglione Hall will open at 5pm and the discussion will begin at 5:30pm with ample time for audience Q&A after initial remarks and introductions. We will be providing light refreshments and hope to see you there!