International Security

direct.mit.eduVolume 51 Issue 1 | International Security | MIT Press

The Summer 2026 issue is online! Read articles by @stephenwalt.bsky.social, Mearsheimer, Cederman et al (incl. @andijot.bsky.social, @jwucherpfennig.bsky.social), Sanchez. Plus letters to the editor on studying what China wants. direct.mit.edu/isec/issue/5... @mitpress.bsky.social

3 Sept

Attending APSA? Stop by the MIT Press booth tomorrow, September 4, 4-5:30pm for drinks, nibbles, new magnets, and help International Security celebrates its 50th!

direct.mit.eduVolume 51 Issue 1 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgCorrespondence: The Challenge of Studying What China WantsDavid Kang, Jackie S. H. Wong, and Zenobia T. Chan analyze Chinese Communist Party material by building innovatively on methods that they generously credit to Paul Godwin, Alice Miller, Michael Swaine...

“Correspondence: The Challenge of Studying What China Wants.” Rushi Doshi, Todd Hall, Andrea Ghiselli, @onegruffydd.bsky.social, and Arash Heydarian Pashakhanlou respond to @daveckang.bsky.social, Jackie Wong, and Zenobia Chan’s Summer 2025 article. doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

direct.mit.eduVolume 51 Issue 1 | International Security | MIT Press

We hope you enjoy the new issue of International Security! Summer 2026: direct.mit.edu/isec/issue/5...

direct.mit.eduVolume 51 Issue 1 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgThe Return of Nationalist Geopolitics: Liberal Backsliding and Armed ConflictAbstract. The post-Cold War decline in violent conflict has given way to rising instability both within and between states. While many attribute this shift to intensified great power competition, we a...

“The Return of Nationalist Geopolitics: Liberal Backsliding and Armed Conflict,” by Lars-Erik Cederman, Paola Galano Toro, Luc Girardin, @andijot.bsky.social, @jwucherpfennig.bsky.social doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

doi.orgSeeing Through “Transparent Oceans”: Emerging Technology, Submarine Vulnerability, and the Future of MADAbstract. Ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) are widely believed to be invulnerable to disarming strikes because of their weak detectable signatures and the large areas within which they can threate...

“Seeing Through “Transparent Oceans”: Emerging Technology, Submarine Vulnerability, and the Future of MAD,” by Eli Sanchez doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

direct.mit.eduVolume 51 Issue 1 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgInternational Security at Fifty YearsAbstract. Fifty years ago, the founders of this journal hoped that its creation would help revitalize the academic study of international security. Their ambitions have been fulfilled: International S...

The issue includes: “International Security at Fifty Years,” by @stephenwalt.bsky.social doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... Ungated thanks to @mitpress

doi.orgThe Iron Cage of International AnarchyAbstract. Great power competition has been endemic to the modern system of industrialized nation-states that began emerging in Europe around 1800. This article seeks to describe and explain the princi...

“The Iron Cage of International Anarchy,” by John Mearsheimer doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... Ungated thanks to @mitpress

direct.mit.eduVolume 51 Issue 1 | International Security | MIT Press

@pearson-edits.bsky.social

International Security is celebrating its 50th birthday! This and future issues will include essays on how the world and the security studies field have evolved over the past five decades and what the future may hold.

International Security reposted

Amanda Pearson

6 Aug

Summer 2026 issue preview @intsecurity.bsky.social! 50th anniversary essay | @stephenwalt.bsky.social & J. Mearsheimer Lars-Erik Cederman et al. @ethz.ch | nationalist geopolitics E. Sanchez @ssp-mit.bsky.social l | emerging tech & transparent oceans Plus authors debate “What Does China Want?”

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 4 | International Security | MIT Press

The new Spring 2026 issue is online! Articles by @eunajo.bsky.social, @jessicacweiss.bsky.social, Rosato, @fiona-cunningham.bsky.social, Ven Bruusgaard, Joshi, @rohanmukherjee.bsky.social, @kerbydavis.bsky.social, Gholz Correspondence on paradigms, realism, Ukraine direct.mit.edu/isec/issue

doi.orgCorrespondence: Realism, Russia, and UkraineBarry Posen argues that Russia's full-scale invasion is “consistent with the logic of preventive war.”1 He writes, “Historians will debate whether it was Putin's strategic calculus or his commitment t...

“Correspondence: Realism, Russia, and Ukraine.” @jimgoldgeier.bsky.social and @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social respond to Posen’s Winter 2024/25 article. doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 4 | International Security | MIT Press

We hope you enjoy the new issue of International Security! Spring 2026: direct.mit.edu/isec/issue @mitpress.bsky.social

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 4 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgBlockade by Fire: China's Potential to Blockade Taiwan Using Missile Attacks on PortsAbstract. The possibility that China might use military force to try to reunify with Taiwan increasingly worries analysts, especially as China expands its military investments and the political relati...

“Blockade by Fire: China's Potential to Blockade Taiwan Using Missile Attacks on Ports,” by @kerbydavis.bsky.social and Eugene Gholz doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... This article is Open Access.

doi.orgCorrespondence: Paradigms and PowerJohn Mearsheimer routinely argues that only realists are capable of “[thinking] deeply about power politics,” but most of his audience remains unpersuaded. In this article, he blames the continuing in...

“Correspondence: Paradigms and Power.” @segoddard.bsky.social, Paul MacDonald, @dhnexon.net, and Rajesh Rajagopalan respond to Mearsheimer’s Spring 2025 article. doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 4 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgEscalate to Survive?: Nuclear First Use in Contemporary Great Power ConflictAbstract. Why do great powers believe it is necessary to have nuclear first-use options? What explains the different types of first-use options in the nuclear force postures of Russia and the United S...

“Escalate to Survive? Nuclear First Use in Contemporary Great Power Conflict,” by @fiona-cunningham.bsky.social and Kristin Ven Bruusgaard doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... This article is Open Access.

doi.orgThe Cost of Restraint: India's Divergent Responses to China and Pakistan as Nuclear RivalsAbstract. Since the United States and the Soviet Union acquired the bomb in the 1940s, the common wisdom has been that each new proliferator would trigger its regional rivals and competitors to follow...

“The Cost of Restraint: India's Divergent Responses to China and Pakistan as Nuclear Rivals,” by Yogesh Joshi and @rohanmukherjee.bsky.social doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... This article is Open Access.

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 4 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgThe Ideology Trap: China and the Limits of Cold War AnalogiesAbstract. What role do ideological differences play in great power relations? Existing studies often treat ideological differences as fixed variables that exacerbate frictions between great powers. In...

The issue includes: “The Ideology Trap: China and the Limits of Cold War Analogies,” by @eunajo.bsky.social and @jessicacweiss.bsky.social doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

doi.orgCompetition Under the Security DilemmaAbstract. The security dilemma is one of the most famous concepts in international politics. Yet questions remain about its causes and consequences. Specifically: How often are great powers under the ...

“Competition Under the Security Dilemma,” by Sebastian Rosato doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

International Security reposted

MIT Press

@mitpress.bsky.social

18 Mar

New and #OpenAccess in the International Security Winter 2026 Issue: Deception and Detection: Why Artificial Intelligence Empowers Cyber Defense over Offense direct.mit.edu/isec/article... @intsecurity.bsky.social

direct.mit.eduDeception and Detection: Why Artificial Intelligence Empowers Cyber Defense over OffenseAbstract. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to automate key tasks in the life cycle of a cyber operation. Many have predicted that AI will revolutionize cyber conflict by enabling…

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 3 | International Security | MIT Press

1) ***Announcement*** The new Winter 2025/26 issue is online! Read articles by Ron Krebs; @janinadill.bsky.social, Emily Myers, and Livia Schubiger; @lmaschmeyer.bsky.social; Joel Brenner; and @johnseverini.bsky.social and Stephen Biddle. direct.mit.edu/isec/issue @mitpress.bsky.social

doi.orgTechnology, Behavior, and Effectiveness in Naval Warfare: The Battles of Savo Island and Cape Saint GeorgeAbstract. What explains success and failure in naval warfare? Most political science research on military effectiveness focuses on land combat, often overlooking how behavior shapes outcomes at sea. T...

6) “Technology, Behavior, and Effectiveness in Naval Warfare: The Battles of Savo Island and Cape Saint George,” by @johnseverini.bsky.social and Stephen Biddle doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... This article is Open Access.

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 3 | International Security | MIT Press

7) We hope you enjoy the new issue of International Security! Winter 2025/26: direct.mit.edu/isec/issue

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 3 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgDeception and Detection: Why Artificial Intelligence Empowers Cyber Defense over OffenseAbstract. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to automate key tasks in the life cycle of a cyber operation. Many have predicted that AI will revolutionize cyber conflict by enabling offense...

4) “Deception and Detection: Why Artificial Intelligence Empowers Cyber Defense over Offense,” by @lmaschmeyer.bsky.social doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... This article is Open Access.

doi.orgArtificial Intelligence and the Problem of SurpriseAbstract. This article is the first to explore the limitations of artificial intelligence in strategic decision-making and in preventing strategic surprise. Using well-known cases, it examines repeate...

5) “Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Surprise,” by Joel Brenner doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 3 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgWhy Populists Love Dead Soldiers and Hate Live OfficersAbstract. Right-wing populist leaders often seem to love soldiers (especially fallen ones) and the trappings of military life. But their love affair with the military rarely endures. This article expl...

2) Articles from the issue include: “Why Populists Love Dead Soldiers and Hate Live Officers,” by Ronald R. Krebs doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... This article is ungated thanks to @mitpress.bsky.social

doi.orgA Matter of Principle: How Local Consent Affects U.S. Support for Military InterventionsAbstract. U.S. policy elites regularly claim that local populations welcome U.S. military intervention on their territory, which implies a powerful moral justification for war. Does the consent of the...

3) “A Matter of Principle: How Local Consent Affects U.S. Support for Military Interventions,” by @janinadill.bsky.social, Emily Myers, and Livia I. Schubiger doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

International Security reposted

Elizabeth N. Saunders

@profsaunders.bsky.social

caitlintalmadge.comcaitlintalmadge.com

So foreseeable that my amazing former colleague @proftalmadge.bsky.social published this analysis, “Closing Time: Assessing the Iranian Threat to the Strait of Hormuz,” in 2008 in @intsecurity.bsky.social. www.caitlintalmadge.com/uploads/8/5/4/1/85419560/closing_time.pdf

Chris Murphy@chrismurphyct.bsky.social

5/ And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN. I can't go into more detail about how Iran gums up the Strait, but suffice it say, right now, they don't know how to get it safely back open. Which is unforgiveable, because this part of the disaster was 100% foreseeable.

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 2 | International Security | MIT Press

1) ***Announcement*** The new Fall 2025 issue is online! Read articles by Marc Trachtenberg, @aaronbateman.bsky.social, @ajmount.bsky.social, Dong Jung Kim, and @mikegoldfien.bsky.social direct.mit.edu/isec/issue @mitpress.bsky.social @belfercenter.bsky.social

doi.orgTo Agree or Not to Agree: Hawks, Doves, and Regime Type in International Rivalry and RapprochementAbstract. Existing scholarship emphasizes hawks’ advantages in making peace, but it is squarely focused on electorally accountable leaders, even though most international rivalries feature at least on...

6) “To Agree or Not to Agree: Hawks, Doves, and Regime Type in International Rivalry and Rapprochement,” by @mikegoldfien.bsky.social doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 2 | International Security | MIT Press

7) We hope you enjoy the new issue of International Security! Fall 2025: direct.mit.edu/isec/issue

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 2 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgConventional Deterrence of Nuclear UseAbstract. Some academic literature and U.S. policy documents suggest that conventional deterrence is weaker than nuclear deterrence. But recent developments in U.S. policy suggest that conventional fo...

4) “Conventional Deterrence of Nuclear Use,” by @ajmount.bsky.social doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

doi.orgBetween a Rock and a Hard Place: How Clients Evade Patrons’ Costly Strategic DemandsAbstract. How do U.S. security clients cope with the United States’ strategic demands to take actions that conflict with their political or economic interests? Much of the literature on intra-alliance...

5) “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: How Clients Evade Patrons’ Costly Strategic Demands,” by Dong Jung Kim doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 2 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgThe Rules-Based International Order: A Historical AnalysisAbstract. There has been a good deal of talk in recent years about the “rules-based international order”—the system of laws, agreements, principles, and institutions that, many observers say, lay at the heart of the international system that came into being after World War II. It is often argued that maintaining the rules-based order—and extending it if possible—should be a fundamental goal not just for the United States but for Western countries more generally. Those liberal internationalist arguments are supported by a number of historical claims: about how the rules-based order came into being and about the role played by key institutions, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Bretton Woods monetary system. Those claims are examined here. The basic finding is that many common arguments in this area are not supported by the historical evidence. That finding serves as a kind of springboard for thinking about whether there are any viable alternatives to the sort of policy the liberal internationalists have called for. The argument here is that there are viable alternatives—alternatives based on certain traditional ideas about how foreign policy should be conducted.

2) Articles from the issue include: “The Rules-Based International Order: A Historical Analysis,” by Marc Trachtenberg doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... This article is ungated thanks to @mitpress.bsky.social.

doi.orgU.S. Space Power and Alliance Dynamics in the Cold WarAbstract. U.S. space power has long been anchored to terrestrial geography. In the Cold War, the United States depended on a global network of facilities to track and communicate with military, intell...

3) “U.S. Space Power and Alliance Dynamics in the Cold War,” by @aaronbateman.bsky.social doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... This article is Open Access.

International Security reposted

Boyd van Dijk

@boydvandijk.bsky.social

21 Aug 2025

This is an intriguing new @intsecurity.bsky.social article on China as essentially a status quo power challenging US assumptions of high aggression direct.mit.edu/isec/article...

direct.mit.eduWhat Does China Want?Abstract. The conventional wisdom is that China is a rising hegemon eager to replace the United States, dominate international institutions, and re-create the liberal international order in its own im...

International Security reposted

Liviu Horovitz

@liviuhorovitz.bsky.social

29 Aug 2025

Replying to @liviuhorovitz.bsky.social

A US–USSR limited war was unlikely due to land theater & limited precision, yet US–China tensions, centered on a maritime theater with precision & non-kinetic weapons, make a limited regional nuclear war over Taiwan more likely, argue Henrik Hiim & Øystein Tunsjø @intsecurity.bsky.social 10/10

direct.mit.eduThe U.S.-China Stability-Instability Paradox: Limited War in East AsiaAbstract. With China and the United States seemingly locked in intensifying and enduring competition, many analysts compare today's U.S.-China rivalry with the one between the Soviet Union and the Uni...

direct.mit.eduKnowing What Not to Know About Islamic State: Terrorism Studies and Public SecrecyAbstract. This article identifies key differences between mainstream and Iraq-based understandings of Islamic State (ISIS) and how it rose to power in Iraq. The conventional wisdom in…

17 Sept 2025

Great piece on Iraq in this season's issue of @intsecurity.bsky.social @belfercenter.bsky.social

MIT Press@mitpress.bsky.social

New and #OpenAccess in the Summer 2025 issue of International Security — Knowing What Not to Know About Islamic State: Terrorism Studies and Public Secrecy: direct.mit.edu/isec/article... @intsecurity.bsky.social

17 Sept 2025

Terrific issue. @belfercenter.bsky.social

MIT Press@mitpress.bsky.social

Our journal, International Security, has defined the debate on U.S. national security policy and set the agenda for scholarship on international security affairs for over 40 years. The summer 2025 issue is out now: direct.mit.edu/isec/issue/5... @intsecurity.bsky.social @belfercenter.bsky.social

@drjlhazelton.bsky.social @belfercenter.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social @ssp-mit.bsky.social

17 Sept 2025

Jacqueline L. Hazelton@drjlhazelton.bsky.social

Great book on Iraq, which seems to have fallen off the map lately. Read my review, too. @intsecurity.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social @belfercenter.bsky.social @ssp-mit.bsky.social

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 1 | International Security | MIT Press

***Announcement*** The Summer 2025 issue is online! Read articles by @drsarahphillips.bsky.social and Daniel Tower; @daveckang.bsky.social‬, Jackie S. H. Wong, and @zenobiachan.bsky.social; Wu Riqiang; Nick Anderson and Daryl Press; and Henrik Hiim and Øystein Tunsjø direct.mit.edu/isec/issue

doi.orgThe U.S.-China Stability-Instability Paradox: Limited War in East AsiaAbstract. With China and the United States seemingly locked in intensifying and enduring competition, many analysts compare today's U.S.-China rivalry with the one between the Soviet Union and the Uni...

“The U.S.-China Stability-Instability Paradox: Limited War in East Asia,” by Henrik Hiim and Øystein Tunsjø doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 1 | International Security | MIT Press

We hope you enjoy the new issue of International Security! Summer 2025: direct.mit.edu/isec/issue

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 1 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgKeeping Pace with the Times: China's Arms Control Tradition, New Challenges, and Nuclear LearningAbstract. Many scholars assume that classical arms control theory, derived from U.S.-Soviet experiences, is universal. But China—being the weaker party in an asymmetric nuclear relationship—has develo...

“Keeping Pace with the Times: China’s Arms Control Tradition, New Challenges, and Nuclear Learning,” by Wu Riqiang doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

doi.orgAccess Denied? The Sino-American Contest for Military Primacy in AsiaAbstract. How has the balance of power shifted in maritime East Asia, and what does this change mean for the U.S.-China military competition in the region? We examine these questions by focusing on a ...

“Access Denied? The Sino-American Contest for Military Primacy in Asia,” by Nick Anderson and Daryl Press doi.org/10.1162/ISEC...

direct.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 1 | International Security | MIT Press

doi.orgKnowing What Not to Know About Islamic State: Terrorism Studies and Public SecrecyAbstract. This article identifies key differences between mainstream and Iraq-based understandings of Islamic State (ISIS) and how it rose to power in Iraq. The conventional wisdom in English-language...

Articles from the issue include: “Knowing What Not to Know About Islamic State: Terrorism Studies and Public Secrecy,” by @drsarahphillips.bsky.social and Daniel Tower doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... This article is Open Access.