Foreign Policy

Research Interest

Brandon Tsung-wei Chen

Ph.D. Student
Political Science

Brandon is a PhD student in international relations. His research focuses on how states prepare for military threats across both government and society, specifically in the contexts of Taiwan and the broader East Asian security environment. Prior to Berkeley, Brandon worked as an analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense, taught English in Hualien County, Taiwan on a Fulbright grant, and received his bachelor's degree in Government from Harvard College.

Yunlin Wang

PhD student in Political Science
Political Science

Yunlin Wang is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on international and comparative political economy, particularly foreign investment. She received both her undergraduate and master's degrees from Peking University, with dual bachelor’s degrees in International Political Economy and Management of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and a master’s degree in International Relations

Andrew Reddie

Associate Research Professor
Goldman School of Public Policy

Andrew Reddie is an Associate Research Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. He works on projects related to cybersecurity, nuclear weapons policy, wargaming, and emerging military technologies. He is also the founder and faculty director for the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab.

Andrew serves in faculty leadership roles at UC Berkeley’s Center for Security in Politics, Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity, and the Berkeley APEC Study Center and is an affiliate at the University of California’s Institute on Global...

Rebecca Herman

Associate Professor
History

Rebecca Herman is an Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley. She has received grants and fellowships from the Social Science Research Council, the Mellon Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Council on Library and Information Resources. Prof. Herman studies modern Latin America, along with U.S.-Latin American relations, environmental and international history.

Foreign Policy

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Daniel J. Sargent

Associate Professor
History
Goldman School of Public Policy
Daniel J. Sargent is associate professor at the University of California, where he is jointly appointed in the Department of History and the Goldman School of Public Policy. He is a historian who specializes in U.S. foreign policy and the history of international relations. His research has explored how states and decision makers adapt to long-term changes in their international environments, including the historical advance of globalization. He is presently interested in how the United States has strived, over the long arc of its history, to constitute and sustain international order,...

Politics of the Red Sea: A Conversation with Ethan Chorin of Red Sea Futures

April 16, 2026

April 28, 2026 | 12:30 - 2:00 PM | 223 Philosophy Hall

Register

Join IIS and Ethan Chorin, Founder and Director Red Sea Futures, for a lunchtime talk to discuss the intense competition between regional and global powers in the Red Sea. Over one fifth of the world’s trade passes through this critically important waterway.

The...

Surviving Rupture: California’s Subnational Diplomacy in Today’s World with Evan Reade

March 30, 2026
April 17, 2026| 12:30 – 2 PM | 223 Philosophy Hall Join IIS to learn how the State of California is navigating international cooperation and standing as a global leader during a period of global rupture. About Evan Reade:

Evan Reade ('79) is a career diplomat and national security professional with over three decades of service across the U.S. Department of State, the National Security Council, and the U.S. military. His foreign service postings span four continents, including assignments as Deputy Counselor for Political-Military Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, First Secretary at...

China's Rare Earth Monopoly

April 2, 2026

April 14, 2026|1:00PM-3:00PM |223 Philosophy Hall

China's Rare Earth Monopoly: Hong Kong Finance and Threats to Taiwan & the Pacific

Organizer: Hong Kong Affairs Association of Berkeley

Learn how Beijing’s dominance in rare earth mineral mining is enabled by Hong Kong’s USD-pegged markets, banking networks, dollar clearing, and sanctions evasion. Join us for an assessment of risks to Taiwanese security, and potential countermeasures via the US led Rare Earth Alliance.

Panelists:

-Ray Wong...

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTRgsUEOmqegsn892l07nxb8aS32TKKRDfCm8O…

Complicating Simple Stories about Chinese AI

March 3, 2026

March 5, 2026 | 5 - 6:30 pm | 306 Soda Hall

China looms large in US conversations about AI policy. But often the stories that spread about Chinese AI are oversimplified—"China is poised to overtake the US in the AI race," "DeepSeek proved that chip export controls have failed," "AI is one area where the US and China should obviously cooperate." Since reality is usually more complicated, this talk, featuring Helen Toner (Georgetown CSET) in conversation with...