U.S. foreign policy should be based on facts and reasoned inquiry. Developing and applying a better grand strategy will make the nation and its citizens safer and more prosperous and will protect our country’s liberal democratic system.
William & Mary’s Global Research Institute (GRI) brings together academics, practitioners, and students to apply research to real world issues. Recently announced support from the Charles Koch Foundation (CKF) and Paul C. Jost and Laura Holmes Jost will allow GRI to expand its work by examining the U.S.’s changing role in geopolitics, the growing world debt crisis, threats to the stability of democratic regimes, and other critical issues.
“The United States is one of the safest countries in the world, and as a great power with a global economy, there’s an opportunity to better understand the role we play,” said CKF Executive Director Ryan Stowers. “Developing grand strategy requires rigorous scholarship and open inquiry into the successes and failures of the past, and evidence-based assessments of the world and our place in it. We look forward to learning from GRI’s top scholars as they address these fundamental questions.”
The CKF and Jost grants will allow GRI to hire post-doctoral fellows who will bring new theories and perspectives not currently represented at GRI. These fellows will collaborate with students on policy-relevant research, covering topics such as U.S. alliances and overseas military commitments, foreign aid, trade, diplomacy, and the links between public opinion and U.S. foreign policy. They also will teach courses not currently offered at William & Mary on topics related to U.S. foreign policy and they will develop a security studies program that will convene scholars and policy practitioners for regular conferences in Williamsburg.
Founded in 2008, GRI takes a multidisciplinary approach to solving global problems. The university-wide initiative operates 10 research labs spanning international relations, global development, U.S. foreign policy, nuclear security, global health, and digital inequality.
“We are excited to continue our support for William & Mary and its incredible students and faculty,” said the Jost family. “This institution is one of the country’s premier research universities. We’re excited to help it contribute to the conversation about how to create a foreign policy that is based on realism and restraint and that relies on strength and smarts to ensure Americans’ security and well-being.”
Read William & Mary’s full announcement. View the grant agreement.