GRI Newsletter August 2023
Dear friends of GRI,
It’s a new academic year! I know this because I am again scrambling to finish my syllabus … and I just saw a bunch of boxes and freshmen being unloaded from minivans on Jamestown Road. These new members of our community inject new energy and big ideas into existing GRI labs. At the GRI house, our door is always open, and we’re looking forward to welcoming back our community of scholars and greeting new folks. To the big ideas of this season of freshness, freshmen, and transition, I say: welcome home!
Speaking of transitions and homecomings, Kira Allmann '10 has returned to William & Mary and now directs GRI's Partnerships & Communications team. And for the third year in a row, new Post-Doctoral Fellows have joined us here in the Burg. They'll advance research on transitional justice, international cooperation, and water resources in Nepal. Come connect with our community (of 20 years!) at our Homecoming BBQ on Saturday, October 21. Join us between 11 am and 2 pm for the last-ever iteration of this tradition at 427 Scotland Street, before we move to Swem Library this winter.
Hope to see you soon!
Best,
Mike
AidData
As China weighs the risks and opportunities of maritime operations, AidData's new report examines the footprints of China's global ports and captures likely locations for China's next overseas naval bases.
TRIP Project
Scholars and policy elites largely support admitting Sweden and Austria to NATO, a new TRIP Project survey finds — revealing remarkable consensus among academics and practitioners about enlarging the security alliance.
GRI Affiliate Sharan Grewal
A military's behavior under democracy is shaped by how it was treated under autocracy, GRI Affiliate Sharan Grewal outlines in his new book, which builds on 140 interviews with civilian and military leaders, and three surveys of military personnel.
Ignite and AidData
AidData and Ignite tracked a series of changes in China's health funding, revealing how China has responded to shifting demands — such as malaria and Ebola — across 1,026 health projects in 51 African countries.
International Justice Lab
Within security studies, scholars of color feel unwelcome, experience harassment, and desire professional development opportunities at higher rates than white scholars, IJL Director Dr. Kelebogile Zvobgo and co-authors find.
GRI Affiliate Marcus Holmes
Ahead of this month's summit between the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, GRI Affiliate Marcus Holmes co-authored an op-ed, envisioning how a cohesive and enduring alliance structure may emerge from face-to-face diplomacy.
AidData
A new Financial Times article cites research from AidData’s Executive Director Brad Parks & co-authors, which finds that a 10% increase in voting alignment with China in the UN General Assembly yields a 276% increase in aid and credit from Beijing.
Africa Research Center
ARC and DIGLab Director Phil Roessler envisions how the relationship between climate and conflict will play out in the coming years — accounting for dynamics such as agricultural yield, physiological effects, and global cooperation.
AidData
With Africa's growing population prompting new transport needs, policymakers should ensure that women's additional travel barriers and risks are accounted for, AidData's Ammar Malik and co-authors explain, using evidence of mobility patterns in Addis Ababa.
GRI Research Initiatives
To deliberate how the future of AI might impact the future of democracy, GRI co-hosted a policy workshop in DC, featuring experts from industry, civil society, government, and the academy.
Post-Doctoral Fellow Kyuri Park
A pattern of security cooperation in East Asia can inform U.S. foreign policy, as countries in the region have increasingly conducted joint military exercises with China, Post-Doctoral Fellow Kyuri Park shares.
GRI Call for Mentors
The Global Research Institute seeks professional mentors to engage with William & Mary undergraduates — providing valuable insight into choosing career paths, pursuing graduate programs, and more.
