Hare Examines the Diplomatic Fallout of the Trump-Venezuela Oil Agreement
In a recent commentary for the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, Paul Webster Hare, Master Lecturer and former British ambassador to Cuba, analyzes the implications of a controversial oil agreement between the Trump administration and Venezuela’s interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed her role after the United States’ removal of Nicolás Maduro from power on January 3, 2026. Hare argues that the deal marks a dramatic departure from decades of public diplomacy on both sides....
Verschuren Explores Why International Defense Collaborations Often Fail
Sanne Verschuren, Assistant Professor of International Security at the Pardee School of Global Studies, has published a new article in the Journal of Strategic Studies on September 21, 2026, examining an enduring puzzle in international security: why states repeatedly pursue collaborative military technology projects despite their frequent failures. In her article,“Why interstate arms collaborations fail: The commitment-implementation paradox in the context of NATO BMD,” Verschuren argues that many multinational defense initiatives contain the very conditions that ultimately undermine their success....
Pardee School Marks 25 Years Since 9/11 with Global Reflection on the War on Terror
On September 11, 2026, the Pardee School for Global Studies hosted a day of reflection and discussion with Pardee faculty and experts on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. This event titled ‘9/11 and the Global Perspective: Marking 25 Years Since the Start of the “War on Terror”,’ wove together stories from the day, along with commentary and discussion on how the United States’ response to the attacks still has ramifications today....
Heine Examines the Race to Lead a United Nations in Crisis
As the United Nations prepares to select its next secretary-general, Jorge Heine, former Research Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies and Chilean ambassador to China, explores the challenges facing both the organization and those seeking to lead it in a new article for Project Syndicate Magazine, “Who Will Do the World’s ‘Most Impossible Job’?” Writing on the future of the UN amid mounting financial and political pressures, Heine argues that the next secretary-general will inherit an institution struggling with budget shortfalls, geopolitical tensions, and growing resistance to many of its long-standing priorities, including climate action, gender equality, and international cooperation....
Rodima-Taylor Contributes New Scholarship on Collaborative Economies, Diaspora, and Digital Platforms
Daivi Rodima-Taylor, research associate at the African Studies Center (ASC) of Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, has recently contributed new scholarship on collaborative economies, debt, diaspora, and digital platforms, with a focus on Africa and the Global South. Her recent work includes contributions to the forthcoming Routledge Handbook on Debt and Oxford Bibliographies in Gender and Women’s Studies. Plus, Land and the Mortgage: History, Culture, Belonging and Cryptopolitics: Exposure, Concealment, and Digital Media—two volumes that Rodima-Taylor coedited—were reissued in 2026....
Díaz Chalela’s Research Cited in Examination of the “Medellín Miracle”
Research by Mariana Díaz Chalela, Assistant Professor of International History at the Pardee School, was recently cited in an opinion column published by the Colombian newspaper El Espectador. The article by Tatiana Acevedo Guerrero, titled, ‘Sospechar de los milagros,’ examines the often-celebrated “Medellín miracle” and questions the social and economic costs that have accompanied the city’s development model....
New Policy Brief from Selin Examines the Future of Global Chemicals and Pollution Governance
As governments around the world grapple with the growing challenges of chemical pollution, waste management, and environmental health, a newly established United Nations science-policy body faces the critical task of turning scientific knowledge into effective action. In a recent policy brief for the United Nations’ University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), Henrik Selin, Professor of International Relations at the Pardee School, examines the opportunities and challenges facing the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISP-CWP), a new UN panel created in 2025 to strengthen global cooperation on pollution and chemicals governance....
USC Master of Public Diplomacy Alumni Spotlight
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of USC’s Master of Public Diplomacy program, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy is spotlighting distinguished alumni and their careers since graduation. Alumni reflect on their professional achievements, the influence of their USC education, changes in public diplomacy, and their advice for today’s students....
Pardee Faculty Reflect on 9/11's Enduring Legacy in 'BU Today'
Twenty-five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the consequences of that tragic morning continue to shape global politics, national security, public policy, and everyday life. Pardee faculty members Noora Lori, Jack Weinstein, and Joseph Wippl examined how 9/11 reshaped international affairs, while Rosella Cappella Zielinski, explored the economic consequences of America’s post-9/11 military response. Their reflections highlight enduring questions about security, governance, intervention, alliance-building, and the long-term costs of war....
Shaping Europe’s Future: Garčević Brings Western Balkans Perspective to Bled Strategic Forum
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Pardee School, participated in the Bled Strategic Forum 2026, held in Slovenia on August 31 and September 1. Under the theme The Power to Shape the Future, the Forum brought together heads of state and government from EU member states, EU Commissioners, representatives of the U.S. Department of State, diplomats, experts, and academics to discuss Europe’s geopolitical challenges and its role in shaping the future....
Heine’s ‘The Non-Aligned World’ Cited in Landmark ECLAC Geopolitical Report
The most recent book co-authored by Ambassador Jorge Heine, former Research Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies and Chilean ambassador, The Non-Aligned World: Striking Out in an Era of Great Power Competition (Polity Press 2025), has been cited in a major new report from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), highlighting the growing influence of his concept of "active non-alignment" (ANA) and contemporary debates about the region's place in a changing global order. Titled Ruptures and Opportunities: Proposals for Latin America and the Caribbean to Prosper in the New Geopolitical Era, the report examines how Latin America and the Caribbean can navigate an increasingly fragmented and multipolar international system....
GDP Center Advances China-Global South Cooperation Through High-Level Engagements in Beijing
In July 2026, a group of researchers and staff from the Boston University Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center) traveled to Beijing, China. This was part of bi-annual trip to engage with Chinese partners and stakeholders, and share their latest research and exchange ideas with policymakers, development finance institutions, and academics through workshops and meetings. While in Beijing on July 13, the GDP Center team partnered with the Institute for World Economics and Politics (IWEP) under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), to co-host a workshop on global imbalances and China-Global South relations....