FSI Stanford
@fsi.stanford.edu
The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies is Stanford's hub for nonpartisan, interdisciplinary research, teaching, and policy impact in international affairs.
"A more extended, deliberative electoral process would not only be more democratic; it would also produce candidates with the ability to forge compromises and craft broader coalitions," says Larry Diamond of @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social on ranked choice voting in @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social.
The Case for Making Every Vote Count
Ranked-choice voting in presidential primaries would boost candidates with broad electoral appeal.
ow.ly
January 30, 2026 at 5:04 PM
"A more extended, deliberative electoral process would not only be more democratic; it would also produce candidates with the ability to forge compromises and craft broader coalitions," says Larry Diamond of @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social on ranked choice voting in @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social.
Dry January is wrapping up. Was it worth it?
Whether a month of sobriety is a temporary pause or the start of a lifestyle change, participating in the trend can positively impact your health, says Keith Humphreys of @healthpolicy.stanford.edu in the @sfchronicle.com: ow.ly/z2HH50Y5HMG
Whether a month of sobriety is a temporary pause or the start of a lifestyle change, participating in the trend can positively impact your health, says Keith Humphreys of @healthpolicy.stanford.edu in the @sfchronicle.com: ow.ly/z2HH50Y5HMG
Dry January is almost over — was it worth it? Here’s what experts say about the health benefits
The health impacts of Dry January haven’t been studied rigorously, but research on alcohol use, its harms and potential benefits, and observational studies offer clues.
ow.ly
January 30, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Dry January is wrapping up. Was it worth it?
Whether a month of sobriety is a temporary pause or the start of a lifestyle change, participating in the trend can positively impact your health, says Keith Humphreys of @healthpolicy.stanford.edu in the @sfchronicle.com: ow.ly/z2HH50Y5HMG
Whether a month of sobriety is a temporary pause or the start of a lifestyle change, participating in the trend can positively impact your health, says Keith Humphreys of @healthpolicy.stanford.edu in the @sfchronicle.com: ow.ly/z2HH50Y5HMG
Scholars from @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social have compiled the largest dataset of biographic and demographic information on national legislators ever assembled, allowing researchers to better assess how often voters elect those with life experiences resembling their own: ow.ly/vTj050Y5srV
New Data on Biographic and Demographic Attributes of Legislators
CDDRL Research-in-Brief [3.5-minute read]
ow.ly
January 29, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Scholars from @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social have compiled the largest dataset of biographic and demographic information on national legislators ever assembled, allowing researchers to better assess how often voters elect those with life experiences resembling their own: ow.ly/vTj050Y5srV
Is the answer to populist revolts against government...more government?
@frankfukuyama.bsky.social joins @theunpopulist.net to debate the value of state capacity and the "deep state," and why liberal states in complex modern societies need a functional bureaucracy. ow.ly/AtgY50Y4ARf
@frankfukuyama.bsky.social joins @theunpopulist.net to debate the value of state capacity and the "deep state," and why liberal states in complex modern societies need a functional bureaucracy. ow.ly/AtgY50Y4ARf
Does America Need a Deeper State to Save It? A Conversation with Tyler Cowen and Francis Fukuyama
Two of the foremost thinkers of our time debate whether America has enough 'state capacity' for effective governance
ow.ly
January 28, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Is the answer to populist revolts against government...more government?
@frankfukuyama.bsky.social joins @theunpopulist.net to debate the value of state capacity and the "deep state," and why liberal states in complex modern societies need a functional bureaucracy. ow.ly/AtgY50Y4ARf
@frankfukuyama.bsky.social joins @theunpopulist.net to debate the value of state capacity and the "deep state," and why liberal states in complex modern societies need a functional bureaucracy. ow.ly/AtgY50Y4ARf
A study by @healthpolicy.stanford.edu researchers finds that the use of a self-administered electronic intervention via an app led to cessation of benzodiazepines among long-term users, creating a potentially low-cost and scalable way to help address benzos dependence: ow.ly/aPwL50Y47kY
Intervention to Get Patients Off Benzos Succeeds in Trial
Intervention, now in electronic format, had previously shown benefit using printed materials
ow.ly
January 27, 2026 at 5:30 PM
A study by @healthpolicy.stanford.edu researchers finds that the use of a self-administered electronic intervention via an app led to cessation of benzodiazepines among long-term users, creating a potentially low-cost and scalable way to help address benzos dependence: ow.ly/aPwL50Y47kY
Reposted by FSI Stanford
Delighted to welcome Ambassador, Mayor, Congressman, and former White House Chief of Staff @rahmemanuel.bsky.social for a conversation with @fsi.stanford.edu's @mcfaulmike.bsky.social on U.S. alliances with Japan and other key partners, leadership at home and abroad in this pivotal moment, and more.
January 27, 2026 at 12:51 AM
Delighted to welcome Ambassador, Mayor, Congressman, and former White House Chief of Staff @rahmemanuel.bsky.social for a conversation with @fsi.stanford.edu's @mcfaulmike.bsky.social on U.S. alliances with Japan and other key partners, leadership at home and abroad in this pivotal moment, and more.
🎧 New #WorldClassPodcast episode! 🎧
FSI Director Colin Kahl joins @mcfaulmike.bsky.social to discuss the importance of innovative research and data-driven policy in an era of rapidly changing global order, and to announce a new host for the podcast.
FSI Director Colin Kahl joins @mcfaulmike.bsky.social to discuss the importance of innovative research and data-driven policy in an era of rapidly changing global order, and to announce a new host for the podcast.
World Class
Politics Podcast · Updated Bimonthly · Podcast from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University, featuring Director Michael McFaul, former U.S. Ambassador to Ru...
podcasts.apple.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:47 PM
🎧 New #WorldClassPodcast episode! 🎧
FSI Director Colin Kahl joins @mcfaulmike.bsky.social to discuss the importance of innovative research and data-driven policy in an era of rapidly changing global order, and to announce a new host for the podcast.
FSI Director Colin Kahl joins @mcfaulmike.bsky.social to discuss the importance of innovative research and data-driven policy in an era of rapidly changing global order, and to announce a new host for the podcast.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has exceeded expectations thus far by stabilizing foreign relations and securing pragmatic gains with the United States, China and Japan, but he's not out of the woods, writes @dcsneider.bsky.social in @eastasiaforum.bsky.social. ow.ly/TQbA50Y0jbS
Lee Jae-myung’s foreign policy successes in the shadow of political polarisation
Lee Jae-myung enters 2026 after a strong year, but on increasingly fractured ground
ow.ly
January 23, 2026 at 4:59 PM
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has exceeded expectations thus far by stabilizing foreign relations and securing pragmatic gains with the United States, China and Japan, but he's not out of the woods, writes @dcsneider.bsky.social in @eastasiaforum.bsky.social. ow.ly/TQbA50Y0jbS
With White House rhetoric over Greenland escalating, @frankfukuyama.bsky.social urges European leaders to stand firm and not concede on issues of trade, tariffs, or territory. ow.ly/xw1q50Y0esp
Don’t Back Down, Europe
Trump’s tariff threats against allies should be the last straw.
ow.ly
January 21, 2026 at 5:28 PM
With White House rhetoric over Greenland escalating, @frankfukuyama.bsky.social urges European leaders to stand firm and not concede on issues of trade, tariffs, or territory. ow.ly/xw1q50Y0esp
Reposted by FSI Stanford
Project Unleaded grew out of a successful lead intervention in Bangladesh. Thanks to recent gifts, the initiative is now expanding to address pervasive lead contamination worldwide.
📖 stanford.io/4sGBTrE
🎥 bit.ly/3LEeaYA
📖 stanford.io/4sGBTrE
🎥 bit.ly/3LEeaYA
Stanford's Project Unleaded takes on global lead poisoning crisis
An ambitious initiative based at the new Center for Human and Planetary Health is tackling the pervasive issue of lead contamination, which exerts a heavy toll on global health. Researchers aim to identify major sources of lead exposure and develop affordable detection methods in communities worldwide. MB01V12VWSDHDEP
bit.ly
January 20, 2026 at 8:22 PM
Project Unleaded grew out of a successful lead intervention in Bangladesh. Thanks to recent gifts, the initiative is now expanding to address pervasive lead contamination worldwide.
📖 stanford.io/4sGBTrE
🎥 bit.ly/3LEeaYA
📖 stanford.io/4sGBTrE
🎥 bit.ly/3LEeaYA
Writing in @foreignpolicy.com, @glandsbergis.bsky.social argues that the American strikes in #Venezuela signal an abrupt and deliberate retreat from the United States' position of global superpower, not a continuation of traditional power projection. ow.ly/uyhG50XXqSY
The Dangerous Fallout of Trump’s Retreat to the Hemisphere
The revolution in U.S. foreign policy will lead to a much less stable world.
ow.ly
January 20, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Writing in @foreignpolicy.com, @glandsbergis.bsky.social argues that the American strikes in #Venezuela signal an abrupt and deliberate retreat from the United States' position of global superpower, not a continuation of traditional power projection. ow.ly/uyhG50XXqSY
Reposted by FSI Stanford
Venezuela shows U.S. shifting focus to "the one region where [its] dominance faces no serious challenge,” which raises concerns that "there might be strategic neglect of the Indo-Pacific moving forward," @fsi.stanford.edu @stanfordcisac.bsky.social Oriana Skylar Mastro cautions.
Indo-Pacific Neglect? Venezuela Shows U.S. Shifting Security Strategy
Stanford scholar Oriana Skylar Mastro, a leading expert on Chinese military and security policy, identifies the U.S. Venezuela operation as demonstrating a fundamental shift in U.S. strategic…
buff.ly
January 16, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Venezuela shows U.S. shifting focus to "the one region where [its] dominance faces no serious challenge,” which raises concerns that "there might be strategic neglect of the Indo-Pacific moving forward," @fsi.stanford.edu @stanfordcisac.bsky.social Oriana Skylar Mastro cautions.
Reposted by FSI Stanford
Want to understand better what is happening and why in Iran? Listen to Abbas Milani here:
McFaul’s World Podcast: Talking Iran with Abbas Milani
open.substack.com/pub/michaelm...
McFaul’s World Podcast: Talking Iran with Abbas Milani
open.substack.com/pub/michaelm...
McFaul’s World Podcast: Talking Iran with Abbas Milani
Stanford’s leading Iran scholar on the regime, protests, and what comes next
open.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Want to understand better what is happening and why in Iran? Listen to Abbas Milani here:
McFaul’s World Podcast: Talking Iran with Abbas Milani
open.substack.com/pub/michaelm...
McFaul’s World Podcast: Talking Iran with Abbas Milani
open.substack.com/pub/michaelm...
🗓️ UPCOMING EVENT | Jan. 20, 3:30pm PT
Join us in-person or online for a discussion about AI's impact on the world with distinguished tech executive Craig Mundie and @nytimes.com columnist Tom Friedman. Opening remarks by FSI Director Colin Kahl, co-sponsored by @stanfordhai.bsky.social.
Join us in-person or online for a discussion about AI's impact on the world with distinguished tech executive Craig Mundie and @nytimes.com columnist Tom Friedman. Opening remarks by FSI Director Colin Kahl, co-sponsored by @stanfordhai.bsky.social.
Entering a New Era of Human Civilization: A Discussion with Craig Mundie and Tom Friedman
events.stanford.edu
January 16, 2026 at 5:11 PM
🗓️ UPCOMING EVENT | Jan. 20, 3:30pm PT
Join us in-person or online for a discussion about AI's impact on the world with distinguished tech executive Craig Mundie and @nytimes.com columnist Tom Friedman. Opening remarks by FSI Director Colin Kahl, co-sponsored by @stanfordhai.bsky.social.
Join us in-person or online for a discussion about AI's impact on the world with distinguished tech executive Craig Mundie and @nytimes.com columnist Tom Friedman. Opening remarks by FSI Director Colin Kahl, co-sponsored by @stanfordhai.bsky.social.
Writing for Persuasion, @frankfukuyama.bsky.social offers a cautionary tale from America's past about the pitfalls of nation-building and "nation building-lite," and how that should inform U.S. actions in #Venezuela moving forward.
The Problem With America’s Venezuela Policy
Trump isn’t trying to install democracy. But nor is he succeeding with nation building-lite.
ow.ly
January 14, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Writing for Persuasion, @frankfukuyama.bsky.social offers a cautionary tale from America's past about the pitfalls of nation-building and "nation building-lite," and how that should inform U.S. actions in #Venezuela moving forward.
"The AI race is no longer a sprint toward a single finish line nor is it even a marathon. Instead, the United States and China are competing in an AI decathlon and the U.S. must shift its strategy accordingly," writes FSI Director Colin Kahl in @foreignaffairs.com
The Myth of the AI Race
Neither America nor China can achieve true tech dominance.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:44 PM
"The AI race is no longer a sprint toward a single finish line nor is it even a marathon. Instead, the United States and China are competing in an AI decathlon and the U.S. must shift its strategy accordingly," writes FSI Director Colin Kahl in @foreignaffairs.com
The authoritarian framework of fear, coercion, and economic control is starting to crumble in #Iran, writes Abbas Milani in @newstatesman1913.bsky.social. ow.ly/PJoU50XUpiz
Iran is on the edge of revolution
The forces that created the Islamic Republic are fomenting its destruction
ow.ly
January 12, 2026 at 5:00 PM
The authoritarian framework of fear, coercion, and economic control is starting to crumble in #Iran, writes Abbas Milani in @newstatesman1913.bsky.social. ow.ly/PJoU50XUpiz
Driving stoned is not as dangerous as driving drunk, but it's still worse than driving sober, write Keith Humphreys and @beaukilmer.bsky.social.
Read their suggestions for how screening for marijuana use can be improved to keep roads and drivers safer.
Read their suggestions for how screening for marijuana use can be improved to keep roads and drivers safer.
Bulk of the evidence finds driving drunk is worse than driving stoned. But driving stoned is still worse than driving sober
#THC is lipophilic, creating challenges for detecting #cannabis DUIs
My latest w/ Keith Humphreys @washingtonpost.com offers some ideas
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
#THC is lipophilic, creating challenges for detecting #cannabis DUIs
My latest w/ Keith Humphreys @washingtonpost.com offers some ideas
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | States made marijuana use legal. Now they should get it off the road.
There’s no breathalyzer test for driving under the influence of cannabis. But there are other options.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Driving stoned is not as dangerous as driving drunk, but it's still worse than driving sober, write Keith Humphreys and @beaukilmer.bsky.social.
Read their suggestions for how screening for marijuana use can be improved to keep roads and drivers safer.
Read their suggestions for how screening for marijuana use can be improved to keep roads and drivers safer.
Reposted by FSI Stanford
📹 New APARC Briefing episode | @larrydiamond.bsky.social of @fsi.stanford.edu & @hooverinstitution.bsky.social joins APARC's Kiyoteru Tsutsui to unpack the implications of the U.S. actions in Latin America for Taiwan, U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, and global order and security. buff.ly/7mGj7jE
Larry Diamond on What the U.S. Raid in Venezuela Means for Taiwan and Asia
In this APARC Briefing episode, Stanford University sociologist Kiyoteru Tsutsui, the Henri H. and Tomoye Takahashi Professor and Senior Fellow in Japanese Studies at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific…
youtu.be
January 8, 2026 at 9:56 PM
📹 New APARC Briefing episode | @larrydiamond.bsky.social of @fsi.stanford.edu & @hooverinstitution.bsky.social joins APARC's Kiyoteru Tsutsui to unpack the implications of the U.S. actions in Latin America for Taiwan, U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, and global order and security. buff.ly/7mGj7jE
Irrespective of its technological advances and manufacturing capabilities, China's system of totalitarian party-state rule is ultimately going to curtail its ability to win the AI-led industrial revolution, argues @chenggang-xu.bsky.social of the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions.
Why China Can’t Win the AI-Led Industrial Revolution
Di Guo & Chenggang Xu show that the country lacks the institutions needed to generate and sustain innovation over the long run.
ow.ly
January 8, 2026 at 8:25 PM
Irrespective of its technological advances and manufacturing capabilities, China's system of totalitarian party-state rule is ultimately going to curtail its ability to win the AI-led industrial revolution, argues @chenggang-xu.bsky.social of the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions.
🗓️ UPCOMING EVENT: Jan. 7, 12:00pm PT
Scholars from @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social & @stanfordcisac.bsky.social will discuss plausible futures now confronting #Venezuela, and how the current situation could lead to authoritarian rebalancing, prolonged disorder, or democratic recovery. ow.ly/zAzW50XSzRU
Scholars from @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social & @stanfordcisac.bsky.social will discuss plausible futures now confronting #Venezuela, and how the current situation could lead to authoritarian rebalancing, prolonged disorder, or democratic recovery. ow.ly/zAzW50XSzRU
Venezuela After Maduro: Democracy, Authoritarian Rebalancing, or Chaos
January 7, 12:00 pm PT
ow.ly
January 6, 2026 at 5:58 PM
🗓️ UPCOMING EVENT: Jan. 7, 12:00pm PT
Scholars from @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social & @stanfordcisac.bsky.social will discuss plausible futures now confronting #Venezuela, and how the current situation could lead to authoritarian rebalancing, prolonged disorder, or democratic recovery. ow.ly/zAzW50XSzRU
Scholars from @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social & @stanfordcisac.bsky.social will discuss plausible futures now confronting #Venezuela, and how the current situation could lead to authoritarian rebalancing, prolonged disorder, or democratic recovery. ow.ly/zAzW50XSzRU
Thank you for engaging with our work in 2025! From all of us at FSI, we wish you a happy holiday season and a peaceful new year.
December 19, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Thank you for engaging with our work in 2025! From all of us at FSI, we wish you a happy holiday season and a peaceful new year.
Explore FSI's contributions to international research, teaching, and policy this year in our 2025 Annual Report, which includes a final letter from @mcfaulmike.bsky.social as the institute's director.
Annual Report 2025
fsi.stanford.edu
December 17, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Explore FSI's contributions to international research, teaching, and policy this year in our 2025 Annual Report, which includes a final letter from @mcfaulmike.bsky.social as the institute's director.
Reposted by FSI Stanford
What does the war in Ukraine look like from Europe, and what will it take to sustain support? Former Lithuanian FM Gabrielius Landsbergis, now a visiting fellow at Stanford, joined me on @fsi.stanford.edu World Class Podcast for a conversation on both. Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/37mo...
Hope and Despair: The Emotional Response to the War in Ukraine
World Class · Episode
open.spotify.com
December 16, 2025 at 9:00 PM
What does the war in Ukraine look like from Europe, and what will it take to sustain support? Former Lithuanian FM Gabrielius Landsbergis, now a visiting fellow at Stanford, joined me on @fsi.stanford.edu World Class Podcast for a conversation on both. Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/37mo...
As the possibility of cuts to Medicaid increases, Lee Sanders of @healthpolicy.stanford.edu explains why it's essential to understand how changes to pediatric hospitals could affect families’ access to care, as well as the financial stability of health systems. ow.ly/eTya50XK7lA
Why Tracking Pediatric Hospital Care Matters as Medicaid Cuts Loom
ow.ly
December 16, 2025 at 5:51 PM
As the possibility of cuts to Medicaid increases, Lee Sanders of @healthpolicy.stanford.edu explains why it's essential to understand how changes to pediatric hospitals could affect families’ access to care, as well as the financial stability of health systems. ow.ly/eTya50XK7lA