Top scholars challenge conventional national security wisdom in interdisciplinar

In an effort to offer novel solutions to some of the most pressing global security challenges facing U.S. policy makers, the most recent issue of the Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs features articles from scholars known for their willingness to defy conventional approaches. “Essays from Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett, P.J. Crowley, Anne-Marie Slaughter, and other distinguished scholars challenge the standard policy talking points and propose unorthodox solutions to the security threats facing the world today and in the future,” said executive editor and Penn State Law Professor Amy Gaudion.

The issue is based on a year-long lecture series and comprised of essays advocating a new approach to engaging Iran, exploring the intersection of national security policy and the growing cyber sphere, and examining the increasing use of private-public partnerships to accomplish foreign policy objectives. Matthew Peetz '13, the journal's editor-in-chief said the ideas discussed in the issue, “have the power to change the usual paradigms and practices of our national security leaders.” He cited as an example Crowley's article, “The Rise and the Decline of Secrecy in the Age of Global and Social Media,” which argues that in the face of Twitter and other social media, governments need to communicate more transparently and effectively to ensure their policies and actions are viewed as credible and legitimate.