Press | National Security

Last week, the Clements Center for National Security, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, the Intelligence Studies Project and the America in the World Consortium brought together Stephen Slick, Paul Edgar, Simone Ledeen and Adam Klein for a conversation on the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, the likely Israeli response, and the broader…

“It contests democracy… not by arguing that this focus is misplaced, but that American conceptions of democracy are ‘fake.’ It’s a fascinating choice for a ruling party that is only about seven percent of China’s population, but one that may get traction in places that have clashed with the United States or other Western powers…

On this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Professor Stephen Slick, Dr. Paul Edgar, and Ms. Simone Ledeen spoke about Hamas’ terrorist attack on Oct. 7th in Israel. The conversation began with a discussion about terrorism, human cruelty and Hamas’ wanton killing of civilians in the attack. The three panelists then discussed different facets of the…

Suri notes that “Instability in the Middle East affects oil prices. It affects energy access. This will only lead to more instability in energy markets, which, of course, affect Texas.”

“The best for the U.S. is to avoid escalation and to do what we can to avert a humanitarian crisis.” Skip ahead to 1:57 to watch the interview.

Slick noted that given the scale and variety of the Hamas attacks, “it is highly unlikely that the planning, training and positioning of this number of fighters would have escaped Israel’s collection systems. It’s more likely that relevant information was not processed or evaluated correctly or recognized as an indicator of hostilities.”

The Clements Center offers predoctoral fellowships to advanced PhD students to live and work in Austin, Texas. Fellows will spend the substantial portion of their time working on their own research and writing projects, while taking advantage of the many academic resources available here at the University of Texas-Austin. The fellowship offers a competitive stipend, full use…

Earlier this month, the Clements Center for National Security and the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law, with the support of the University of Texas at Austin, hosted Secretary Antony J. Blinken, the 71st Secretary of State of the United States, for a conversation on the state of foreign affairs with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. The event…

Distinguished National Security Fellow Gen. Vince Brooks participated as a panelist in the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS) panel discussion about the Republic of Korea-U.S. Alliance.

On September 13th, the Clements Center for National Security, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and the Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project, hosted “The War in Ukraine: On the Battlefield, in the Kremlin, and in the Courtroom.” The event kicked off with keynote remarks on “Investigating Russian War Crimes: Ukraine’s Quest for Justice” by…

The Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project is now accepting applications to participate in the 2024 Texas Intelligence Academy (TIA). TIA is a competitive, all-expenses paid, intensive academic program for UT undergraduate students focused on intelligence and national security in Washington, D.C. The 2024 program will run from May 12 to 21, 2024. INFO SESSION: October 24,…

In this new article, graduate fellow Sam Rosenberg and Dr. Alexandra Chinchilla delve into why the U.S. should consider sending military advisers to Ukraine: “Advisers will, in other words, help bring about the war’s endgame: a free Ukraine integrated into the institutions at the foundation of Europe.”

Take a look at the Clements Center’s summer programming and what we have in store for the fall!

Applications are open now through Friday, November 3, 2023 at 11:00 pm Central for the “London Maymester: The U.S., U.K., and World Order.” London Maymester: The U.S., U.K., and World Order In partnership with the world-renowned War Studies Department at King’s College London, the Maymester in London provides exemplary students the opportunity to learn firsthand about…

As part of Tablet’s ongoing series on the U.S.-Israel ‘special relationship’, Daniel J. Samet and Raphael Benlevi explain “The Pro-America Case for Ending Aid”. “Rather than being a zero-sum equation, it is in the best interests of both the U.S. and Israel to phase out aid gradually.”

The highly selective program brought twenty-two advanced doctoral students from premier universities in the U.S. and abroad, including Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Georgetown, King’s College London, Cambridge, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Boston and Chicago, for a week of learning, discussion and networking. Seminar participants discussed the relationship between history and policy with distinguished policymakers and academics, including…

“Since he came to power in 2012, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been laser-focused on ensuring the security of his regime.”

Sam Rosenberg, Jahara Matisek and William Reno make a case for more informal assistance to Ukraine from the United States and its allies: “Over the past year, such informal assistance has come to play a crucial role in many aspects of the Ukrainian war effort and counteroffensive.”

This June, the Clements Center led nine undergraduates from UT-Austin on a tour of Israel and the Palestinian Territories in order to study the modern political history of Israelis and Palestinian Arabs from the late 19th century through the present. Students learned firsthand from scholars, policymakers, and even a few who lived through the politically…

“Diplomacy is much more than exchanging words. It is rather a complex choreography of many elements of national power, aimed to influence multiple audiences.” Read Will Inboden’s thoughts on Secretary of State Tony Blinken’s visit to Beijing earlier this week on World.

For our annual London Maymester “The U.S., U.K., and World Order” program, twenty undergraduate students from UT-Austin traveled to the United Kingdom, France and Belgium to study the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom with the world-renowned War Studies Department at King’s College London. Throughout the month, students attended lectures including…

Departure Statement from the Clements Center’s founding Executive Director William Inboden: After thirteen incomparable years at the University of Texas at Austin, and ten years leading the Clements Center for National Security, I have accepted a new leadership position at the University of Florida. Beginning August 1, I will be working for University of Florida…

Hear Gen. Brooks discuss President Biden’s nomination of Gen. Charles Q. Brown for the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

Last month, the America in the World Consortium’s team of scholar-practitioners from Duke University, Johns Hopkins SAIS, and the University of Texas at Austin hosted the fourth iteration of the AWC Annual Policy Conference. This year, the Consortium convened at the Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Virginia to bring together experts from academia and…

Clements Center Executive Director pens “Kissinger at 100” commemorating the centenary of Henry Kissinger. “When anyone lives to celebrate a 100th birthday, it is notable. Living to a century while still commanding public attention, influencing policy, and writing bestselling books is another matter altogether. Such is the case with Henry Kissinger.” Kissinger serves as a member…

Hear Gen. Brooks discuss President Biden’s nomination of Gen. Charles Q. Brown for the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

Last month, the America in the World Consortium’s team of scholar-practitioners from Duke University, Johns Hopkins SAIS, and the University of Texas at Austin hosted the fourth iteration of the AWC Annual Policy Conference. This year, the Consortium convened at the Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Virginia to bring together experts from academia and…

James Barnett, research fellow at Hudson Institute and Clements Center alum, adds context to Tuesday’s attack on the US convoy in Nigeria “so that policymakers, analysts, and the media can understand how an attack like this could come about and avoid misinterpreting the incident.”

How will the United States and China sustain the large defense budgets required for long-term competition? Rosella Cappella Zielinski, a former visiting professor at the Clements Center, and Sam Gerstle, an upcoming participant in our Summer Seminar in History and Statecraft, try to answer this question.

Our latest newsletter is out! Take a look back at the spring semester at the Clements Center.

On this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, William Inboden, editor-in-chief of the Texas National Security Review and executive director of the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin, sat down with Amb. Kay Bailey Hutchison, former United States senator from Texas and, later, the U.S. permanent representative to NATO. The two had a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation about European security and global energy policy.

Congratulations to former Clements Center Grad Fellow Augusta Dell’Omo on being awarded UT’s Outstanding Dissertation Award for 2023 for Humanities & Fine Arts! Her research focuses on global white supremacist movements and their use of emerging mass media and Internet technologies. Dr. Dell’Omo is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Presidential history at Southern Methodist…