France’s role in the Sahel is under scrutiny as military strategies falter and local resentment grows. Explore the root causes of the crisis and how genuine partnerships—not paternalism—can rebuild trust and stability in the region.
Insights News Archive
Indiana University Hamilton Lugar School's Adam Liff sounds the alarm on the accelerating disappearance of expertise and coursework on Japanese foreign policy at major U.S. universities. His US-Japan Foundation report – now cited by global media – calls for urgent investment to safeguard the future of Japanese studies in American universities.
In the News: Jessica Steinberg
How can governments and tech companies balance digital growth with environmental responsibility? See what Hamilton Lugar School Associate Professor Jessica Steinberg told WVXU about the rising resource demands of data centers.
Professor Hong Zhang explains China’s shift toward public-private partnerships in African infrastructure, a move that could attract global investors and signal renewed Chinese commitment to the region’s infrastructure development.
Traditional Chinese literature has been known for canonical genres like poetry, fiction, and drama. What were other types of textual productions and how were generic boundaries crossed and remade? A new book edited by Hamilton Lugar’s Manling Luo explores these themes through nine case studies.
Timely topic: Hamilton on Foreign Policy #284
When the guardrails of democracy weaken, who steps in? Congressman Lee Hamilton explores why America’s checks and balances are under strain—and what it means for the future of governance.
A gripping exploration of survival and resistance under Nazi and Communist regimes, László Borhi’s latest book, Survival under Dictatorships - Life and Death under Nazi and Communist Regimes, sheds light on the human spirit in the darkest of times.
In the News: Sarah Bauerle Danzman
Hamilton Lugar School’s Sarah Bauerle Danzman helped shape a new Council on Foreign Relations report on U.S. economic security, offering strategies to strengthen America’s leadership in critical technologies.
Antarctica tops Fodor’s ‘No List 2026’ as overtourism threatens fragile ecosystems. IU Hamilton Lugar School’s Jessica O’Reilly explains why the world’s most pristine environment can’t sustain high visitor numbers—and what this means for climate governance.
Timely topic: Hamilton on Foreign Policy #283
Rep. Lee Hamilton says Americans want a Congress that deliberates before war and works beyond party lines. Read his latest reflections on why Congress reclaiming its constitutional role isn’t just housekeeping—it’s essential to restoring trust in government.
NPR interviews Hamilton Lugar School expert Adam Liff regarding a major diplomatic dispute this month between Japan and China regarding Taiwan.
Nicole Hassoun’s new documentary warns that cuts to global health aid could cost millions of lives—and calls for bold action to ensure justice. Join the IU preview Dec. 2 during World AIDS Day Week.
Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School made headlines in Taiwan for co-hosting the world’s first Global Taiwan Studies online summer course. Curated by Professor Fei-Hsien Wang, the program united 60 scholars worldwide to explore Taiwan’s global connections, earning coverage by Taiwan’s Central News Agency.
Hamilton Lugar Lecturer Issam Albdairat explores code-switching and linguistic identity in the Arabic-speaking world. Discover how his chapter in Mosaic of Tongues champions multilingualism as a powerful source of academic and social strength.
Hamilton Lugar School’s Asma Afsaruddin explored Qur’anic interpretations affirming women’s agency at a global conference on Islamic feminism and decolonial futures.
Faculty Q&A: Katherine Ntiamoah
Language isn’t neutral—it drives diplomacy and conflict. Explore Katherine Ntiamoah’s insights from Hamilton Lugar’s Global and Area Perspectives (GAP) Symposium on the words that shape our world.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made headlines for recent comments on how Japan might respond in the event of a conflict across the Taiwan Strait. Do her comments mark a shift in Japan’s position, as many have suggested? Professor Adam Liff of IU’s Hamilton Lugar School weighs in.
Can international justice work in Asia? Dean John Ciorciari unpacks the region’s skepticism and offers ideas for reform in this thought-provoking JURIST interview.
In the News: Feisal Amin al-Istrabadi
Dick Cheney vs. the truth on the ground: Amb. Feisal Amin al-Istrabadi, founding director of the Hamilton Lugar Center for the Study of the Middle East, gives his expert analysis on the long-term consequences of the Iraq War's failed exit strategy.
Timely topic: Hamilton on Foreign Policy #282
Congressman Lee Hamilton analyzes the roots of current U.S. political tensions through the lens of historical and contemporary political violence, raising critical questions about the effects of this violence on politicians and the public's response to these events.
The world order is shifting but not collapsing. Hussein Banai and co-authors use the English School perspective to reveal how a Global International Society is reconfiguring. Discover why shared norms, diplomacy, and core institutions will continue to shape the 21st century's geopolitics, avoiding bipolarity or dissolution.
How is climate knowledge really made? Jessica O’Reilly’s recent book, Inside the IPCC, takes you behind the scenes of global climate assessment. Based on four years of ethnographic research, this groundbreaking study explores the human side of report authorship, revealing the IPCC's main strengths and challenges for a more actionable understanding of climate change.
What does jihad really mean, and why has it been so widely misunderstood? Professor Asma Afsaruddin’s groundbreaking work challenges the militant misappropriation of the term and reclaims its ethical and spiritual roots.
Faculty Q&A: Dean John Ciorciari
In Cambodia, words once justified genocide. Today, they help survivors heal. Dean John Ciorciari reflects on his work in Cambodia and previews the Global and Area Perspectives Symposium, where “Languages, Cultures, and Conflict” takes center stage.
Timely Topic: Hamilton on Foreign Policy #281
George Washington’s Farewell Address is one of the key documents of America’s founding era. It’s not as familiar as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and some other writings, but it was a clarion call for national unity when the United States was forming its identity.
How can past insights guide modern foreign policy amid shifting alliances and renewed global tensions? See what Hamilton Lugar School Professor László Borhi shared at an event commemorating 100 years of U.S.–Hungarian cooperation.
How are China’s domestic challenges—from youth unemployment to climate change—reshaping its global future? Discover Wendy Leutert’s insights in a new RAND policy publication.
Timely Topic: Hamilton on Foreign Policy #280
Hamilton Lugar School's Rep. Lee Hamilton reflects on the United Nations at 80—its promise, its flaws, and why U.S. leadership matters more than ever. Learn why he believes reform, not rejection, is the key to unlocking its potential.
In the News: Sarah Bauerle Danzman
Hamilton Lugar School Associate Professor Sarah Bauerle Danzman was featured in ProPublica discussing reports that SpaceX received direct Chinese investment. An expert on global finance and national security, Bauerle Danzman warned such ties could pose serious security risks if investors accessed nonpublic information, underscoring the complex overlap between foreign capital and U.S. security interests.
What do data centers mean for Indiana communities? Hamilton Lugar School Assistant Dean Isak Nti Asare shares insights with WRTV—perspective he also brings to the school's Cybersecurity and Global Policy Program.
In the News: Jae DiBello Takeuchi
Hamilton Lugar School's Jae DiBello Takeuchi spent the summer at Ehime University researching dialects, foreign-accented Japanese, and the role of AI in education. Her visit deepened international collaboration and sparked new questions about language change and cultural understanding.
Timely Topic: Hamilton on Foreign Policy #279
Renaming the Defense Department to the War Department sends a troubling message. Hamilton Lugar School's Rep. Lee Hamilton argues that the shift undermines diplomacy, emboldens adversaries, and rewrites a legacy of deterrence. Learn why preserving the name matters for America’s global role.
What triggered Israel’s 2025 strike on Qatar—and what does it signal for diplomacy, deterrence, and Gulf alliances? IU Hamilton Lugar School Assistant Professor Ibrahim Gemeah analyzes the attack’s origins and fallout, offering students and scholars a timely lens on one of the region’s most consequential crises.
Why do maritime disputes, from high seas fishing to the South China Sea, remain central to global politics? Hamilton Lugar School Executive Associate Dean David Bosco joined the New Books Network Oceanic Studies podcast to discuss the history and future of ocean governance, drawing on his book The Poseidon Project.
Timely Topic: Hamilton on Foreign Policy #278
As trust among Americans continues to erode, our ability to govern—and even the future of our democracy—hangs in the balance. Hamilton Lugar School's Rep. Lee Hamilton explains why rebuilding trust is more urgent than ever.
In the News: Sarah Bauerle Danzman
Hamilton Lugar School Associate Professor Sarah Bauerle Danzman joined the BBC on the World Business Report podcast to discuss how the U.S. Republicans shifted from supporting free markets and limited government to advocating for significant interventions in the American economy.
In the News: Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies
Get a vibrant glimpse into the Hamilton Lugar School's beautiful spaces and global culture through a recent Herald-Times photo gallery. The stunning images capture everything from the school’s unique architecture to the rich cultures of its departments.
Timely Topic: Hamilton on Foreign Policy #277
As trust among Americans continues to erode, our ability to govern—and even the future of our democracy—hangs in the balance. Hamilton Lugar School's Rep. Lee Hamilton explains why rebuilding trust is more urgent than ever.
In the News: Sarah Bauerle Danzman
Is the U.S. shifting to state-managed capitalism? A recent New York Times article features Hamilton Lugar School Associate Professor Sarah Bauerle Danzman on how the government's growing corporate involvement could reshape global economics.
In the News: Sarah Bauerle Danzman
The U.S. may take a 10% stake in Intel. Why does that matter?Hamilton Lugar School Professor Sarah Bauerle Danzman explains the stakes for tech, policy, and the global economy. What happens when academic insight meets national policy?
What did the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment really change—and what still needs fixing? Hamilton Lugar School’s Jessica O’Reilly and co-authors Kari De Pryck and Hannah Hughes unpack the science, politics, and participation shaping global climate knowledge.
Borders aren’t just physical. States extend border politics into cyberspace—linking firewalls to border walls. Hamilton Lugar School’s Assistant Professor Rachel Hulvey and co-author Beth Simmons' explain the politics of controlling cyber and AI —and which states are poised to take the most assertive national stances.
Timely Topic: Hamilton on Foreign Policy #276
Nearly $7 trillion spent—and the debt keeps climbing. Why can’t Washington rein it in? Hamilton Lugar School's Rep. Lee Hamilton breaks down the politics, the pitfalls, and what must change.
Can international law hold powerful leaders accountable? Hamilton Lugar School’s David Bosco unpacks the ICC’s arrest warrant for Putin, revealing the court’s legal reach—and its diplomatic limits.
In the News: Sarah Bauerle Danzman
Curious about the "golden share" in the U.S. Steel sale? Hamilton Lugar School Professor Sarah Bauerle Danzman a former CFIUS case officer, breaks down the unprecedented government role on NPR's Planet Money.
In E-International Relations, Hamilton Lugar School faculty members Jamsheed K. Choksy and Carol E. B. Choksy argue that empowering Iranians from within—rather than relying on foreign intervention—offers the most viable path to transforming the Islamic Republic. Drawing on deep expertise in Iranian history, governance, and secular institutions, they outline a strategy for supporting grassroots change that could lead to a more stable and representative Iran.
What sparked the 2025 Israel-Iran war, and what does it reveal about the future of diplomacy, deterrence, and great power politics? Hamilton Lugar School Associate Professor Hussein Banai unpacks the conflict’s origins and global fallout in Foreign Affairs, offering students and scholars a timely lens on one of the most consequential crises of our time.
In the news: Zachary Constantino
Zachary Constantino, an incoming Hamilton Lugar School faculty member, co-authored a Foreign Affairs article exploring why nuclear-armed states are increasingly engaging in conventional wars. His insights shed light on the eroding norm of nuclear deterrence and what policymakers could do to enhance strategic stability—just as he begins his academic journey at Indiana University.
In the News: Sarah Bauerle Danzman
What happens when academic insight meets national policy? Hamilton Lugar School Professor Sarah Bauerle Danzman brings scholarly expertise to Capitol Hill, testifying before Congress on the future of U.S. investment security—don’t miss her powerful message on transparency, democracy, and global impact.
Hamilton Lugar School’s David Bosco brings expert insight to NPR, analyzing the U.S. sanctions on a U.N. human rights expert and what it means for international justice.
Why is the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO and the freezing of USAID programs such a devastating blow to global health? Hamilton Lugar School’s Professor Nicole Hassoun explains the immense consequences for millions of lives and U.S. foreign policy.
How do we define justice in war? Hamilton Lugar School’s David Bosco joins NPR’s Throughline to explore the global fight to hold war criminals accountable.
Is government waste really about bloated bureaucracy? In The Atlantic, Hamilton Lugar School professor Stephen Macekura flips the script, revealing how outsourcing—not civil servants—may be the real driver of inefficiency and rising costs in federal operations.
Welcome to our News & Insights page at the Hamilton Lugar School!
We have created this page to share timely analysis, celebrate school achievements, and highlight how our faculty shape global conversations. Drawing on our in-house expertise and that of visiting scholars and practitioners, News & Insights is your window into the world as seen from the Hamilton Lugar School. Learn more in our first Q&A with Dean John Ciorciari.