Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

After serving on the White House's Gender Policy Council and working on issues of gender-based violence and women's rights, Nibba Ahmed knew SAIS would be the key to her future. "After much research, it was abundantly clear that Johns Hopkins SAIS was where I needed to be to reach my career aspirations," said Nibba.

In SAIS' latest Student Story, Nibba discusses her time at SAIS and the profound impact that the 2023 Women's International Leadership Summit had on her. "The event highlighted the university's dedication to celebrating women's leadership," she said, which inspired her to join the student-run SAIS Global Women Lead group. Nibba now serves as the group's co-conference chair.

Read more: https://sais.jhu.edu/news-press/student-stories/profound-impact-sais-education

SAIS students' diverse interests were on full display during this week's student club fair, featuring 27 student-run organizations dedicated to:
🌏 Regional interests, like the SAIS Africa Club, Latin American Studies Club, and Southeast Asia League of Students
💼 Career interests, like the Careers in Diplomacy Club, Defense and Intelligence Club, and the Global Women in Leadership Club
💭 Special interests, like SAIS Pride, Black Student Union, and SAIS Observer

See all 27 clubs represented at the fair on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_RhMTMNF0O/

In the words of Vice Dean Chiedo Nwankwor, “Be bold, be audacious, fail fast, and fail forward.” 👏 Congratulations to SAIS’ newest class and, to all returning students, welcome back! Let this year be your boldest yet.

Download the class photo here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saishopkins/53939369817/in/album-72177720319702226

In Autocracy, Inc., Pulitzer Prize-winning author and SAIS Senior Fellow of International Affairs Anne Applebaum writes that dictators do not need to have the same backgrounds to accomplish the shared goal of undermining liberal democracy.

"The argument in my book is that they don't have anything in common ideologically," she says. "They don't have identical backgrounds." What unites them, she says, is their dislike of the United States and democratic allies. "They're joined by their determination to undermine both the language and the reality of liberal democracy," she added.

Read more in the Hub:

Dictators united: How authoritarian states work together to thwart democracy In 'Autocracy, Inc.', Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anne Applebaum writes that dictators do not need to have the same backgrounds to accomplish the shared goal of undermining liberal democracy

Meet Myron Sotunde-Adesina, a SAIS Europe student who joined SAIS after participating in Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps.

While pursuing a Master of Arts in International Affairs in Bologna, Myron says the tight-knit SAIS Europe community became her family, and she cites this community — the staff, faculty, alumni, business office, and security — as having taught her the most.

Read her full Student Story here: https://sais.jhu.edu/news-press/student-stories/everyone-becomes-connected-one-way-or-another .

Everyone Becomes Connected One Way or Another Coming to SAIS opened my eyes to the economic realities of the world.

Today, SAIS welcomed to campus the next class of students that will change the world. "We know that's why you came to SAIS," Dean Steinberg said in his opening remarks. "To make a difference." 👏👏👏

SAIS' Dean Steinberg sat down to discuss contextual leadership in the inaugural episode of Living Leadership, a new podcast series by the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School's Center for Innovative Leadership.

When asked about the behavior and role of today's global leaders, Dean Steinberg said, "We need to be careful about overemphasizing the role of individual leaders ... We're very focused on it because it's a very colorful way to think about things, right? It's very vivid and we think of this as it's about Putin, it's about Zelensky, it's about Netanyahu, it's about Biden, it's about Trump.

But when we think about international events, we have to recognize that you have to ask yourself the question, how much are these being driven by the individual ... and how much are these as a result of deeper forces [such as external factors, structural factors, domestic political factors]?"

Listen to the full episode — where they discuss informationally complex environments, the impact of emerging technologies, the fundamental roles of governance, and more — here:

Living Leadership Podcast | Johns Hopkins Carey Business School Explore leadership insights with top industry pioneers in the Living Leadership podcast by the Center for Innovative Leadership at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Tune in for innovation, growth, and success.

Each Friday this summer, SAIS hosted 25 young professionals in the U.S.- Mexico Foundation's summer internship program.

At each study session, interns learned from SAIS faculty and experts on topics related to the region, including the energy transition, policy challenges, the role of think tanks, Mexico's role in the global emerging economy, the intricate relationship between Mexico and the International Monetary Fund, the upcoming United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement revision, and more sponsored by Fundación Coppel.

Afterwards, the group took advantage of SAIS' location, visiting nearby museums, the White House, and the Library of Congress.

SAIS student Felix Spiekerkoetter discovered his passion for transatlantic cooperation working at OSCE and Tesla. This led him to SAIS, where he could spend one year studying in Bologna and the other in D.C.

"The opportunity to spend time studying in Europe and in the United States was exactly what I was looking for. It offers the chance to gain diverse perspectives, both academically and culturally, by immersing myself in different environments on both sides of the Atlantic," said Felix, calling his SAIS journey "nothing short of extraordinary."

Read Felix's full Student Story here: https://sais.jhu.edu/news-press/student-stories/sais-brings-together-brightest-minds .

SAIS Brings Together the Brightest Minds SAIS brings together some of the brightest students from around the world, creating a truly diverse and intellectually stimulating environment. This experience has consistently impressed me, broadened my horizons, and challenged my thinking.

To wrap up the summer internship spotlight series, SAIS is sharing nine more students who spent their time this summer working in the public, private, nonprofit, and multilateral sectors in Taiwan, Uzbekistan, India, Ethiopia, and the U.S. ⤵️ See part one here: bit.ly/3X6KOVA.

👤 Benie Kwarteng: Political, Economic, Public Diplomacy Sections Fellow at the Kaohsiung Branch Office of the American Institute in Taiwan

👤 Kelly Nguyen: Public Diplomacy Rangel Fellow at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

👤 Harry Otimos: Research Intern at the Brookings Institution’s the Anti-Corruption, Democracy, and Security Project in Washington, D.C.

👤 Amruta Veer: Climate Research Intern at the Observer Research Foundation in Mumbai, India

👤 Brandon Scott: Global Security Analyst at Leidos in Reston, Virginia

👤 Sumaya Elkashif: Rangel Fellow at the Political-Economic Section of the U.S Mission to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

👤 Louis Li: Short-Term Temporary at World Bank Finance and Accounting in Washington, D.C.

👤 Rachel Schwam: Graduate Intern at the Scowcroft Group in Washington, D.C.

👤 Veronica Marcone: Security Assistance Monitor Intern at the Center for International Policy in Washington, D.C.

For SAIS' newest group of international students, today marked the beginning of their journey at SAIS. The group was welcomed by Student Affairs, Global Careers, and second-year international students as they set foot on campus for the very first time.

Second-year students and the SAIS Student Affairs team offered the group advice on working as an international student, joining student clubs, the nearest gelato spot, networking, resources for students with children, and more.

SAIS asked Hopkins-Nanjing Center student Yan Manshu what advice she would give future students. Her response? "Seize every opportunity to engage with and understand different viewpoints ... Also, make use of the alumni resources; HNC has many outstanding alumni who are very willing to provide guidance and assistance."

Read Yan's full Student Story here:

Understanding the Nuances in International Relations I chose the Hopkins-Nanjing Center because I wanted to deepen my understanding of global affairs from a Sino-American perspective...The HNC's academic excellence and its focus on fostering U.S.-China relations perfectly align with my career aspirations.

In SAIS' latest In the News 📩 newsletter, SAIS faculty and experts weigh in on peace talks in Gaza, a divided Paris, Venezuela's elections, Elon Musk and U.S. space policy, autocratic alliances, NATO, the most powerful passports in 2024, and more. Read the full newsletter here: https://sais.jhu.edu/news-press/in-the-news-newsletter/news-august-1-2024

1️⃣ Killing of Hamas political leader points to diverging paths for Israel, U.S. on cease-fire
👤 Vali Nasr in AP
🔗 https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-israel-hamas-iran-war-gaza-afb71f63184761011548cd5ff37eb4a4

2️⃣ As the Summer Olympics dawn, Paris is divided by more than the Seine: The Summer Games arrive amid excitement and anxiety in the host nation, with the potential to bridge gaps or widen them.
👤 Matthias Matthijs in the Washington Post
🔗 https://washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2024/07/25/paris-olympics-france-politics/

3️⃣ Venezuela’s Dictator Can’t Even Lie Well: Nicolás Maduro stole the election. So why is a longtime opposition leader in such a good mood?
👤 Anne Applebaum in The Atlantic
🔗 https://theatlantic.com/international/archive/2024/07/venezuela-stolen-election-interview-leopoldo-lopez/679305/?gift=hVZeG3M9DnxL4CekrWGK31TYKw-WpnWCM2PkRZ_NrHE&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

4️⃣ With Elon Musk all in for Donald Trump, what might that mean for US space policy? A second Trump administration could not only feature much more work for SpaceX, but a White House adviser role for Musk
👤 Svetla Ben-Itzhak in South China Morning Post
🔗 https://scmp.com/news/china/article/3272100/elon-musk-all-donald-trump-what-might-mean-us-space-policy?module=latest&pgtype=homepage

5️⃣ A new world of autocratic alliances: Russia, China, Syria, Zimbabwe and Venezuela don’t have much in common when it comes to ideology or politics. But their rulers are bound by one shared interest: Personal power.
👤 Anne Applebaum on WBUR
🔗 https://wbur.org/onpoint/2024/07/29/autocrat-promo

6️⃣ NATO at 75: Ukraine, Russia, and the Future of European Security
👤 Mary Elise Sarotte on Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Politika podcast
🔗 https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/carnegie-politika-podcast/nato-future-ukraine-war?lang=en¢er=russia-eurasia

7️⃣ The world’s most powerful passports for 2024 so far
👤 Mehari Taddele Maru on CNN Travel
🔗 https://cnn.com/travel/powerful-passports-july-2024-henley/index.html

In The News - Newsletter ‘In the News’ is a roundup of recent media coverage featuring the Johns Hopkins SAIS community and is produced and distributed by the Office of Marketing and Communications.

As summer comes to a close, we're spotlighting 18 students who spent their summer interning in Taiwan, Brazil, Italy, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, Vietnam, India, and the U.S., gaining experience at The World Bank, U.S. Department of State, Intelligence and National Security Alliance, Eurac Research, United States Air Force, and more.

👤 Nourane Awadallah: Graduate Summer Intern at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

👤 Dexter Maryland: Pickering Fellow at the U.S. Department of State Office of Sudan and South Sudan in Washington, D.C.

👤 Juliette Verlaque: Policy Intern at the Intelligence and National Security Alliance in Washington, D.C.

👤 Connor Hall: Woodward Pentagon Intern at Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

👤 Fau Liggans-Hubbard: Public Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

👤 Amy Sinnenberg: Rosenthal Fellow at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in the Office of International Affairs, Office of South and Southeast Asia in Washington, D.C.

👤 Wenbo Chen: Macroeconomics and Public Finance Intern at the World Bank in Brasília, Brazil

👤 Sydney King: Research Trainee at Eurac Research in Bolzano, Italy

👤 Simar Singh: Director of International Affairs at the Sikh Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.

In SAIS' latest Student Story, Public Service Fellow Aisha Kimbrough describes why she chose SAIS: "I came to SAIS to see my dream through — to gain the necessary tools, network, and knowledge to make an impact and bring the voices of marginalized communities to the forefront of decision-making."

Read more about Aisha's journey from Minnesota, her favorite SAIS tradition (hint: 🌍🍽️), and what she has learned from fellow students: https://sais.jhu.edu/news-press/student-stories/bringing-voices-marginalized-communities-forefront

Bringing the Voices of Marginalized Communities to the Forefront I came to SAIS to see my dream through — to gain the necessary tools, network, and knowledge to make an impact and bring the voices of marginalized communities to the forefront of decision-making.

What was the best book off your summer reading list? 📚 Let us know in the comments and take a look at SAIS' list below, featuring the most recent faculty publications.

1️⃣ Development in Africa’s Informal Settlements; Below the Proletariat by Angela R. Pashayan

2️⃣ Migrants and Machine Politics: How India’s Urban Poor Seek Representation and Responsiveness co-authored by Adam Auerbach

3️⃣ A Free Press, If You Can Keep It: What Natural Language Processing Reveals About Freedom of the Press in Hong Kong co-authored by Giovanna Maria Dora Dore

4️⃣ Good Rebel Governance: Revolutionary Politics and Western Intervention in Syria co-authored by Dipali Mukhopadhyay

5️⃣ War in Ukraine: Conflict, Strategy, and the Return of a Fractured World by Hal Brands

6️⃣ The Political Economy of Social Media co-edited by Filipe Campante

7️⃣ Peacebuilding and its Discontents: Exogenous and Endogenous Trends in Post‐Agreement Colombia, Global Policy Journal Special Issue edited by Siniša Vuković, Giovanna Maria Dora Dore, and Guadalupe Paz

8️⃣ The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World by Hal Brands (coming soon)

9️⃣ The Transatlantic Community and China in the Age of Disruption: Partners, Competitors, Rivals co-authored by Joe Renouard

🔟 Italy Reborn: From Fascism to Democracy by Mark Gilbert (coming soon)

1️⃣1️⃣ Canada and the United States: Differences That Count (Fifth Edition) co-edited by Christopher Sands

1️⃣2️⃣ Strengthening International Regimes: The Case of Radiation Protection by Daniel Serwer

BREAKING: Foreign Policy asked more than 1,500 experts to name the best international relations master's programs in the world. Spoiler: Johns Hopkins SAIS was at the top of their lists.

SAIS is proud to be ranked no. 2 in international relations master's programs in the world. 🌎 See the full list: https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/07/30/international-relations-school-rankings-university-undergraduate-masters-phd-programs/

This time last year, SAIS’ D.C. campus was gearing up to move into the state-of-the-art Hopkins Bloomberg Center. Take a look at before and after photos of SAIS’ new home. ✨

In the latest Student Story, SAIS student Enrique Reyes Dominguez tells those choosing a graduate program to go where they feel most at home.

"As a person of color, it was important for me to attend a graduate school where different perspectives and backgrounds were present," said Enrique.

SAIS Came Top of the List I’ve learned a lot from my professors and my classmates. I’ve learned to think critically and to explore areas that are not exactly in my scope of knowledge.

This spring, a group of SAIS students in the UN Human Rights System capstone course traveled to Geneva — the seat of the universal human rights system — to deepen their understanding of the intersection between technology, human rights, and policymaking. Students engaged with high-ranking diplomats, representatives from UN institutions, experts, and five Geneva-based alumni.

“The recognition and codification of human rights stand as one of the most significant legacies of the 20th century,” said Professor Elayne Whyte, the faculty lead for this course. “How this framework evolves to effectively address the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies should be at the forefront of mainstream conversation today. This course provides a framework to engage in such a vital conversation."

Read more here: https://sais.jhu.edu/news-press/beyond-the-classroom/human-rights-issues-are-front-and-center-study-trip-geneva

In SAIS' latest In the News 📩 newsletter, SAIS faculty and experts weigh in on the Australia-UK arms deal, AT&T data breach, IDF probe into Oct. 7, U.S. elections, NATO’s warning to China, Israeli-Saudi normalization, Iran’s new president, and more.

1️⃣ Biden's Australia-UK Arms Deal Facing Pressure Over Delay Fears: Three years after it was announced, Aukus pact on submarines and technology cooperation faces questions.
👤 Dr. Mara Karlin
🔗 https://lnkd.in/e_F7CMr6

2️⃣ AT&T says hackers stole records of nearly all cellular customers' calls and texts: The data contains records of calls and texts between approximately May 1 and Oct. 31, 2022, and on Jan. 2, 2023.
👤 Thomas Rid
🔗 https://lnkd.in/etAnv9CU

3️⃣ IDF Probe Into Catastrophic October 7 Failure
👤 Laura Blumenfeld
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eMj53KrE

4️⃣ What NATO’s Warning to China About Russia Means: NATO’s rare rebuke of China could lead to actions pressuring the country to curb exports to Russia. Beijing denounced it as “prejudice, smears and provocation.”
👤 Sergey Radchenko
🔗 https://lnkd.in/exg3MSTV

5️⃣ The Dangerous Push for Israeli-Saudi Normalization: Without a Real Path to a Palestinian State, a Deal Will Destabilize the Middle East
👤 Maria Fantappiè and SAIS' Vali Nasr
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eFkuYj89

6️⃣ Iran’s new president can only change the country so much: Elite clerics still hold ultimate power.
👤 Sanam Vakil
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eJDwnuJB

Read the full newsletter here: https://sais.jhu.edu/news-press/in-the-news-newsletter/news-press/news-july-18-2024

In The News - Newsletter ‘In the News’ is a roundup of recent media coverage featuring the Johns Hopkins SAIS community and is produced and distributed by the Office of Marketing and Communications.

What is Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC) student Junjie Chen's favorite HNC tradition?

"I like the festival traditions. The HNC community is like family during those times," answered Junjie. "At Halloween and Christmas, we combined both Chinese and American traditions, which was another way for me to experience cultural differences and get to know other cultures in a deeper way."

Read more from Junjie's Student Story here: https://sais.jhu.edu/news-press/student-stories/hnc-community-family

The HNC Community is Like Family The Hopkins-Nanjing Center provides a great learning environment to be exposed to different cultures and have an opportunity to study with students and teachers from all over the world.

This year, SAIS' decades-long, student-run tradition of the International Staff Ride took place in Dunkirk, Dover, and London, where 40 students and 10 faculty immersed themselves in the Battle of Britain and explored each side's strategy, mindset, and goals.

“There is nothing quite like learning about the people and events that shaped a military operation than doing so in the places where it unfolded, putting yourself in the position of stakeholders faced with often life-or-death decisions," said SAIS student Allie Bohan.

SAIS Students Explore the Battle of Britain in International Staff Ride From March 16 to 22, 2024, 40 Johns Hopkins SAIS students, along with 10 faculty members and experts, participated in the International Staff Ride, an immersive educational experience in which a group travels to the site of a particular historical conflict to examine the strategic decisions of the e...

Congratulations to the 15 SAIS faculty named in Johns Hopkins’ 2024 Nexus Awards! The Nexus Awards fund important convening, research, and teaching projects based at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center and cover a range of topics spanning AI and science diplomacy to the global economy and the health-peace nexus. SAIS' awardees include:

1️⃣ Can Economic Sanctions Be Reformed?
SAIS Awardees: Narges Bajoghli and Vali Nasr

2️⃣ Centering Equity in Global Partnerships: A Convening of Partners, Donors, Governance Leaders, and Policymakers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center
SAIS Awardees: Juan José Gómez Camacho

3️⃣ A Forum on the Science Supporting Arms Control Policy and the MSEE-URA Annual Technical Review
SAIS Awardees: Jane Vaynman

4️⃣ The Fragmenting Global Economy
SAIS Awardees: Jonathan Hoddenbagh, Gordon Bodnar, Ryan Kim, Annie Lee, and Carlos Vegh

5️⃣ Thriving through Crisis and Conflict? Interdisciplinary Insights for an Uncertain Future
SAIS Awardees: Adria Lawrence, Sergey Radchenko, Siniša Vuković, and Elayne Whyte-Gomez

6️⃣ Estimating Unequal Perceptions of Place to Address Housing Inequality in the Baltimore-Washington Region
SAIS Awardees: Filipe Campante

7️⃣ Health-Centered Community Consensus Building Course: A Course on the Health-Peace Nexus
SAIS Awardees: Daniel Serwer

Read more about the Nexus Awards and see the full list of contributors for each project:

Johns Hopkins announces funding for 40 Washington, D.C.-based events, projects Nexus Awards Program supports diverse range of programming, research, and teaching at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center at 555 Pennsylvania Ave.

In SAIS' latest In the News 📩 newsletter, SAIS faculty and experts weigh in on Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions, the Labor Party and populism in the U.K., challenges to U.S. technology policy, Iran's run-off elections, the Kremlin's mindset, the Biden-Trump debate, and more.

In The News - Newsletter ‘In the News’ is a roundup of recent media coverage featuring the Johns Hopkins SAIS community and is produced and distributed by the Office of Marketing and Communications.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, photojournalist and SAIS alum Hailey Sadler was taking a class at SAIS on U.S. strategy and the future of war. She felt that this was such a pivotal moment in history that she needed to document it and, with support from SAIS faculty, Sadler made it to Ukraine and back in time for midterms.

Using her Master of International Public Policy degree and Capitol Hill experience, Sadler is exploring the concepts of home and displacement around the world. "I think forced removal from home is so powerful and traumatic because it's a forced disconnection from that place and space that's so much of a part of who we are," said Sadler.

Read more about Sadler's projects in the latest Johns Hopkins Magazine: https://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2024/summer/hailey-sadler-home-collective/ .

Imaging the meaning of home Photojournalist Hailey Sadler, SAIS '22 (MIPP), draws from her experiences on Capitol Hill to explore the concepts of home and displacement around the world.

This summer, six SAIS Europe students traveled to the Netherlands for a conference at Leiden University. The conference brought together faculty, students, and alumni to explore international relations beyond the discipline’s conventional boundaries by incorporating multidisciplinary perspectives.

Students presented their research on environmental peacebuilding, Chinese perceptions of hegemony, nuclear diplomacy, development and migration policy between the EU and Africa, de-democratization lessons from Weimar, and the complexity of national identity in the Chinese context.

Ahead of the 2024 NATO Summit, SAIS hosted Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski for an open conversation with SAIS’ Edward P. Joseph in what was Mickoski’s first public appearance in the United States as prime minister.

“This is truly a special event for us here at Johns Hopkins SAIS,” said Joseph. “I was quite impressed with Prime Minister Mickoski's unequivocal Western orientation, wholesale alignment with the Alliance on Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and skepticism towards China. The prime minister also made clear his determination to advance North Macedonia's EU aspirations in a dignified and equitable manner."

At the conclusion of the event, Greek Deputy Chief of Mission Nikolaos Sapountzis expressed appreciation to Prime Minister Mickoski for his remarks, a boost to Greek-Macedonian relations.

"Gaining admission to a school the caliber of Johns Hopkins SAIS was a moonshot ... but they say the only way to truly fail is not to try," said SAIS student Stavros Piperidis while reflecting on his journey from Greece to Washington, D.C.

In SAIS' most recent Student Story, Stavros discusses the unique opportunity he was afforded through the Public Service Fellows and Scholars program to attend the 2024 NATO Public Forum, his favorite SAIS tradition (the annual Philip Merrill Center Dining-In event), and more.

A Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity Gaining admission to a school the caliber of Johns Hopkins SAIS was a moonshot … but they say the only way to truly fail is not to try, so I tried my hardest.