Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology

10/16/2026

How do institutions and human behavior shape political decision-making?

This fall, students in Prof. Geoff McGovern’s Decision Processes in American Political Institutions course are exploring the structures of American government, the philosophical ideas that shape its institutions, and the theories that help explain political behavior.

10/16/2026

In an analysis for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, CMIST non-resident fellow Troy Stangarone addresses questions about the commercial viability of South Korean investments in the US and argues that a portion of remaining funds should be dedicated to projects that will improve national security and supply chain security.

Seoul and Washington should dedicate a portion of the investments to projects that will improve national security and supply chain security even if they entail accepting some commercial risk.

10/15/2026

"Political scientists will find in this book a generative set of concepts for rethinking how states compete within and through shared institutions, while policymakers will find a sober counterpoint to the alarmism that too often dominates cyber discourse," CMIST's Justin Canfil writes about Jon Lindsay’s book, Age of Deception.

Read the full review: https://issforum.org/roundtables/roundtable-18-11-on-lindsay-age-of-deception

10/15/2026

Applications for the Master of Information Technology Strategy (MITS) program are now open!

The Master of Information Technology Strategy is a cooperative endeavor administered by the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology and in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering and the Carnegie Mellon University Kenneth C. Griffin School of Computer Science.

Applications are due January 15. Learn more about this multidisciplinary program and how you can advance your career in just 12 to 16 months.

https://www.cmu.edu/cmist/academics/graduate-programs/mits/index.html

10/14/2026

CMU Scholar in Residence, Patrick Cronin joined Arirang TV News show “Within the Frame” to discuss North Korea's missile launches.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oTyLnZ-blI

10/14/2026

Is the public debate on AI missing the real battlefield?

While media headlines focus on model benchmarks, the US–China AI contest is being decided deep within compute supply chains, export controls, and industrial deployment at scale.

The recording for "China and the Geopolitics of AI"—part of the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology’s Geopolitics in the Age of AI speakers series—is now live!

Watch as Jason Hsu and Paul S. Triolo discuss this important topic with Carnegie Mellon University Scholar-in-Residence Patrick Cronin.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/IlYIFHnLXjQ

10/13/2026

Beyond being the epicenter of American policy and democracy, Washington, DC offers an incredible backdrop of historic landmarks, vibrant neighborhoods, and inspiring history.

Imagine spending your semester learning and living in the heart of it all. Today is the final day to apply for the Spring 2027 Carnegie Mellon University Washington Semester Program cohort!

Don’t miss your chance—apply now via the link in our bio.

10/13/2026

Don't miss out on next week's Scientists & Strategists speakers series with Lt Gen (Ret) Jack Shanahan & CMIST Director Audrey Kurth Cronin. The event titled National Security AI in Practice: Evaluation, Governance, Human-Machine Integration, and Other Emerging Issues will take place at CMU on Tuesday, 10/20 from 5pm-6:30pm ET, but we are offering a virtual option for those who cannot be there.

Registration required: https://forms.gle/rGouqJnqE5jZ9pNx9

10/12/2026

Are our global cyber theories limited by Western-centric data?

A new publication in International Studies Quarterly by Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology faculty member Nadiya Kostyuk, alongside coauthors Lee and Jon Lindsay, examines how reporting and codification biases shape major cyber-conflict datasets.

In "Coding Conflict: Bias and Visibility in Cyber-Incident Data Construction," the authors show that rather than simply underrepresenting non-Western states, the data overrepresents them specifically through an adversarial lens—shaping how international relations scholars understand global cyber operations.

Read the full open-access paper: https://academic.oup.com/isq/article/70/4/sqag080/8907169?guestAccessKey=2b9011f8-6500-4ed3-bfa7-19e41ecf89d8&utm_source=authortollfreelink&utm_campaign=isq&utm_medium=email

10/12/2026

Happy fall break! Wishing our students and faculty a safe, restful break and plenty of time to enjoy the changing season, from misty mornings to crisp, sunny days.