Press | 2015

On September 15 & 16, CIA Director John Brennan was at the University of Texas to speak about “Intelligence in American Society” and the release of Presidential Daily Briefs from the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Below are a selection of news items from his visit.

The CIA released Presidential Daily Briefs (PDBs) from the Johnson and Kennedy administrations on September 16th at the LBJ Presidential Library. Executive Director William Inboden was a featured guest on the panel titled “Delivering Intelligence to the President.” 

Executive Director William Inboden discusses the upcoming visits of Pope Francis and Chinese President Xi Jinping to the United States in his latest Foreign Policy piece. 

The Clements Center’s Summer Student Development Fund enables UT undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern at some of the top governmental and non-governmental organizations across the world by providing monetary support for unpaid positions. This summer, the Center funded nine students and here is Mariam Ahmed’s story. 

The Intelligence Studies Project at the University of Texas at Austin sponsored “Intelligence in American Society” with featured speaker CIA Director John O. Brennan, University of Texas Chancellor William McRaven, former Director of Central Intelligence Porter Goss, and Intelligence Studies Project Director Steve Slick. 

Professor Eugene Gholz has been awarded the 2015 Fiona McGillivray award at the 2015 APSA annual meeting for a paper he presented in 2014 and later published titled “Assessing the ‘Threat’ of International Tension to the U.S. Economy.” 

On Thursday, August 20, the Clements Center’s Executive Director and UT President spoke to the UT Board of Regents about the Center and the great work it is doing building the next generation of national security leaders.

The Clements Center’s Summer Student Development Fund enables UT undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern at some of the top governmental and non-governmental organizations across the world by providing monetary support for unpaid positions. This summer, the Center funded nine students and here is Imaad Khan’s story. 

Intelligence Studies Project Director Steve Slick has published a piece on the Lawfare blog regarding the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC). 

The Clements Center’s Summer Student Development Fund enables UT undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern at some of the top governmental and non-governmental organizations across the world by providing monetary support for unpaid positions. This summer, the Center funded nine students and here is Caitlin Goodrich’s story. 

In November 2014, the Clements Center and War Studies Department at King’s College London hosted 30 current and former academics and practitioners for “Grand Strategy and the Anglo-American Worldview: A Century of the Special Relationship.” The following articles have been published in The American Interest as a result of the panel presentations. 

In August 2015, the Clements Center welcomed Dr. Olivia Sohns of the University of Cambridge and Dr. Michael Taylor of UC Berkeley to the University of Texas.

Executive Director William Inboden provides commentary on President Obama’s Iran speech in his latest piece on ForeignPolicy.com. 

On August 4, incoming students in the LBJ School’s masters degree programs completed an analytic simulation led by visiting officials from CIA’s Directorate of Analysis. 

The Intelligence Studies Project of the University of Texas at Austin is pleased to announce the winner and two semifinalists of its inaugural competition recognizing outstanding student research and writing on topics related to intelligence and national security.

In a new Shadow Government post, Associate Director Paul D. Miller discusses the impact of of the former Taliban leader’s death on the Islamic State and Middle East. 

On Sunday, July 26, the Clements Center’s second annual Summer Seminar in History and Statecraft kicked-off in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

The Austin American-Statesman invited Clements Center Executive Director William Inboden and Faculty Fellow Jeremi Suri to offer alternative views on the Iran nuclear deal. 

Strauss Center Director and Clements Senior Fellow Robert Chesney was quoted in a New York Times article by Charlie Savage on Obama’s promise to close Guantanamo Bay.

The Clements Center’s Summer Student Development Fund enables UT undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern at some of the top governmental and non-governmental organizations across the world by providing monetary support for unpaid positions. This summer, the Center funded nine students and here is Jennifer Johnson’s story. 

Incoming Graduate Research Student Anna Waterfield and the Clements Center’s 2014-15 Graduate Assistant Ashley Nelle-Davis were featured in an online discussion on VICE News “On the Line” in early July. 

Zhelun Chen, Clements Center Maymester in London participant and UT senior, was interviewed by Galveston County’s The Daily News about his experience on the inaugural program in the United Kingdom.

Executive Director William Inboden outlines multiple areas where the comparisons between Presidents Obama and Reagan fall short in his latest Shadow Government piece. 

The Clements Center congratulates Jim Langdon on being named one of this year’s University of Texas-Austin Distinguished Alumni. 

Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow Ted Bromund has published an article in The American Interest based on his presentation at the November 2014 KCL-UT conference on Grand Strategy and the US/UK “Special Relationship.”

From November 19-21, 2015, the Clements Center for National Security and Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law will sponsor the second annual National Security Forum at the University of Texas at Austin. This year’s event, “Great Powers, Failed States, and New Frontiers: National Security Challenges in the 21st Century,” will explore the security challenges the U.S. currently faces, and how our national security institutions are positioned to respond.

Foreign Policy Breakthroughs: Cases in Successful Diplomacy is the title of the forthcoming co-edited book by Professor Jeremi Suri and former LBJ School Dean Robert Hutchings. The book is set to be released around July 9 and is available through Oxford University Press.

Executive Director William Inboden has been quoted in an AP story about Jeb Bush’s upcoming trip to Europe before announcing his presidential bid. 

Joshua Eisenman, Clements Faculty Fellow and LBJ School Assistant Professor, has published an oped in the Wall Street Journal on China’s current and historical expansion to disputed territories.

Clements Faculty Affiliate Jeff Engel has published an article in The American Interest based on his presentation at the November 2014 conference at King’s College London titled “Grand Strategy and the Anglo-American World View: A Century of the Special Relationship.”

Clements Undergraduate and Graduate Fellows are selected based on their outstanding academic achievements and professional qualities. Several Fellows will be starting the next chapter in their career this fall and the Center would like to recognize their accomplishments. 

The Clements Center’s Maymester program kicked off in London this week. 16 students from a wide range of departments are taking part in the 4-week course that will primarily be taught by faculty in the Department of War Studies at the world-renowned King’s College London.

The Clements Center recognizes that great research and scholarship often requires great resources. The Center therefore provides grants to UT students and professors who undertake research at presidential libraries and foreign archives, as well as paper presentations at academic conferences. 

Director of Graduate Studies Professor Mark Lawrence believes “that political fallout from the Iraq war could prove to be less radioactive than that of Vietnam, which took decades to play itself out.” 

On May 13, Strauss Center Director Robert Chesney and Intelligence Studies Project Director Steve Slick spoke to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board about “Separation of Powers and the History of E.O. 12333.” Executive Order 12333 “governs the intelligence efforts of the United States.”

Undergraduate Fellow Jake Barnett has filed this report on his time at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center while studying abroad in Jordan Spring 2015.