CISSM News

As the Trump administration has formally initiated the process of withdrawing from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, saying that Russia has persistently violated the Treaty, a just-completed survey of American voters finds that two thirds oppose taking this step, opting instead for staying within the Treaty and redoubling efforts to work with the Russians to resolve their disputes about compliance.  Those opposed to withdrawing from the Treaty include 55% of Republicans and 51% of Trump voters, as well as 77% of Democrats.

​CISSM hosted a delegation from the European Space Agency (ESA), including Johann-Dietrich “Jan” Wörner, the Director General of ESA, for a discussion about international cooperation on a range of space issues, including exploration, data collection and analysis, and debris mitigation on December 7, 2018.

After arriving in College Park, MD, for her fellowship earlier this fall, Olesia Gretskaia sat down with CISSM to discuss her background and goals for her visit.

Maria Snegovaya will join CISSM as a Research Associate this summer to do work related to Russian security policy and the European political dynamics. She’ll also take a lead role managing CISSM’s U.S.-Russian Security Relations project.

​Nuclear policy scholar Dr. Sara Z. Kutchesfahani joined CISSM as a Research Associate this spring. In addition to her research on a range of nuclear policy topics, including fissile material security, nuclear governance, nonproliferation, and arms control, Kutchesfahani will also be teaching at the School of Public Policy as an adjunct professor. 

Citing her commitment to students, faculty development, and policy-relevant research, School of Public Policy Dean Robert Orr awarded CISSM Director Nancy Gallagher the inaugural Dean’s Award at the school’s celebration of service on April 26, 2018.

The Center for International and Security Studies and Maryland (CISSM)—together with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends—celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a gala event on April 14, 2018 at the Riggs Alumni Center.

Update: The full report, "Iranian Public Opinion after the Protests" was published in July 2018.

In the wake of widespread protests in Iran, very large majorities of Iranians are critical of their government for economic mismanagement and corruption, yet equally large majorities reject the idea that Iran’s political system needs to undergo fundamental change, according to a new survey by the University of Maryland. 

​The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded CISSM a new grant to examine how to minimize the risks of proliferation, terrorist access to fissile material, and use of nuclear or radiological weapons that are emerging from the expansion of nuclear energy capacity and exports from East Asia.

​At the invitation of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, CISSM Senior Research Associate and Associate Research Professor Charles Harry has joined the Chamber's Cybersecurity Leadership Council.

The University of Maryland's Office of the Provost has awarded CISSM a 3-year $300,000 matching grant to further develop its cyber risk assessment model and to apply the model to existing information technology systems.

Research published by CISSM Research Associate Jaganath Sankaran was named a finalist for the 2018 Brodie Prize.

Sankaran’s research, published in the journal Contemporary Security Policy, evaluated the capabilities of missile defense installations in South Korea and the need for the South Korean government to reassure China of its intentions regarding its missile defense cooperation with the United States.