International Security Research and Analysis

An introductory survey of research methods, with special attention to how research can be utilized to inform policies related to international security. The course gives particular emphasis to the processes of identifying research topics and designing research projects. It will also address the basic elements of doing policy analysis. Students who complete the course will be able to read with comprehension and critically assess research produced across a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The course will also address how to write up and present research proposals and finished research products, and will consider the ethics of doing research. The course will be conducted primarily in lecture format, but some class time will also be devoted to exercises that involve active student participation.

This course examines the role of intelligence in the conduct of US national security. The course will cover the basics of intelligence, to include the intelligence cycle, intelligence requirements, types of collection and analysis, and the roles and capabilities of organizations that make up the US intelligence community. The course will look at the role of intelligence over history and include case studies.

LEARNER OUTCOMES:

1. Identify the members of the US Intelligence Community and describe their general responsibilities.

2. Understand and explain the different stages of the intelligence cycle.

3. Describe the various types (INTs) of Intelligence and corresponding US agencies in responding to national requirements.

4. Using a case study approach, understand the interaction between policy makers and the intelligence community.

5. Apply course content to write a paper on a member of the intelligence community or a intelligence collection capability and its impact to US policy.

Understanding the complex dynamics of global politics requires examination of a number of issues and characteristics of the international system. The key objective of this class is to provide students with the ability to approach different perspectives to any global political issue. These elements of the study of global politics include theoretical frameworks and historical trajectories, without which no global issue can be understood adequately. Other topics of discussion will include global governance, transnational global problems, and the international financial system.

The course reflects the evolving nature of international relations, a continuous process since recorded history, which included the rise of the Westphalian nation-state system. The continuous transformation now includes the rise of non-state actors as influential participants and protagonists (not necessarily always benign) in the global system; entities that include terrorist and insurgent groups, non-governmental organizations, multi-national corporations, for example.

This course is devoted to a simulation of the second NPT Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting, which will be held in Geneva from July 22-August 2, 2024. The focus of the next PrepCom is hard to anticipate, especially in light of the unprecedent failure of the 2023 PrepCom to adopt the Chair’s Factual Summary of the meeting, which concluded on August 11. 2023. Although much remains uncertain, the next PrepCom will need to address an array of issues related to nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, as well as regional security. Among major subjects likely to be debated are: the pace of and potential for meaningful nuclear disarmament, arms control, and nuclear risk reduction; further strengthening of the NPT review process, the erosion of nuclear norms accentuated by imprudent rhetoric about nuclear weapons use and attacks on and foreign occupation of civilian nuclear facilities; the integrity of nuclear security assurances; the deployment of nuclear weapons outside of national territories, sharing of naval propulsion technology, viability of nuclear-weapon-free zones; DPRK nuclear brinkmanship; the status of the JCPOA; the future of the CTBT; the potential for nuclear terrorism; and the prospects for peaceful nuclear use. The base point for the simulation is the “real world” at the time of the course.

This course is an introduction to open source analysis used in the context of nonproliferation and terrorism studies. The instructors will give policy lectures as well as hands-on training in the lab. The course is designed as an overview of geospatial and data analysis techniques which are only just recently being applied to the nonproliferation and terrorism research fields. Students will study policy and intelligence analysis using deep web searching, ground and satellite imagery analysis, basic GIS, 3D modeling, crowd-sourcing, text mining, and network analysis.

"But what if they're lying?" By the end of the course, students will know exactly how to respond to the most common question ethnographers face. This workshop will introduce students to a key qualitative data methodology: conducting ethnographic and semi-structured field interviews. It will provide an overview of qualitative research techniques, specifically focusing on the development of effective interviewing skills to uncover the depth of human stories and perspectives. A significant portion of the course will center on researching in complex environments and will include a discussion on research ethics. Through practical exercises, participants will gain firsthand experience in designing an interview plan, formulating impactful questions, finding and establishing a connection with subjects, and employing analytical strategies to interpret complex data.

Workshop: Writing and Briefing Memos

The goal of this workshop is to hone students’ professionally-relevant, policy-oriented communication abilities, including memo writing and briefing. The course will include a combination of lectures, seminar-style discussion, small working group engagement, and individual student work.

Unlike the surface level web, the dark web is a network of sites hidden behind powerful encryption technology. Encryption allows individuals to access sites on the dark web without being easily observed by law enforcement or others. Given these high levels of secrecy, the dark web has become a hub for illegal activity, including dark web marketplaces (where individuals buy and sell illegal goods) and hacker forums (where individuals advertise and hire expert hackers). In recent years, researchers have collected dark web data to explore a range of phenomena, including the dynamics of dark web marketplaces and the characteristics of victims of double extortion ransomware attacks. In this workshop, students will learn safety protocols and ethical standards for accessing sites on the dark web. Students will learn about the range of potential data sources available via sites on the dark web and engage in hands-on exploration of these sources. Students will also become familiar with how dark web data has been used in current research , as well as how it might be applied in future research. By the end of the workshop, students will have developed an understanding of how to safely access sites on the dark web and the wide range of potential research applications for dark web data.

Students will develop and hone digital investigation techniques as they learn a risk-based approach to tracing the source of blockchain funds and de-anonymizing cryptocurrency transactions with cryptocurrency forensic tools. From Cryptocurrency 101 to writing reports to aid law enforcement with writing subpoenas, after the completion of the course students will be able to:

-Trace the source of blockchain funds and de-anonymize cryptocurrency transactions with cryptocurrency (or blockchain) forensic tools

-Quickly risk-rate tokens, transactions, and digital asset businesses

-Use advanced open-source techniques (like darknet research) to help complete enhanced due diligence reports

-Produce reports that can be given to law enforcement for asset recovery