Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All 91Ě˝»¨faculty, staff, and students have access to .Ěý

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Strange Coupling 2020 Exhibition Launch

“Literature, Language, Culture” Dialogue Series 

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Artic and International Relations Podcast Series

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The International Policy Institute, Canadian Studies Center, and Center for Global Studies in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies are dedicated to translating scholarship into policy options to enhance international cooperation in the Arctic and the inclusion of Arctic Indigenous peoples in decision making for the region. The Arctic and International Relations Series includes publications, video interviews, and podcasts, educating and framing issues in understandable ways.

Looking for more?

Check out UWAA’s Stronger Together web page for more digital engagement opportunities.

The blog series began publication July 5 and will continue through Sept. 7 at the World Policy Institute’s website. The first of the student pieces, by Brandon Ray, has been .

Kicking off the series was a piece by , managing director of the 91Ě˝»¨Canadian Studies Center and lead for the Arctic Fellows Initiative in the Jackson School, with Jackson School lecturer and independent scholar Eric Finke, on “.”

Essays by fellows in the International Policy Institute and their topics and dates are as follows.

July 6: “Is the Arctic Council Still a Visionary Leader?” by

July 10: “Is the U.S. Ready for an Arctic Oil Spill?” by

July 17: “Bonanza Denied – the Double-Edged Sword of Arctic Development,”
by

July 24: “Protecting the Polar Seaways,” by

July 26: “The Ripple Effect — Downstream of the 66^th Parallel,” by
Aug. 2: “Breaking the Ice for Indigenous Voices on the World Stage,” by

Aug. 7: “No No Gain for Indigenous Groups,” by
Aug. 9: “Ships and Ice Don’t Mix,” by

Aug. 16: “Stronger Together: Weaving Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science,” by
Aug. 21: “An Emerging Voice: The Arctic Council Could Lead in Right to Water,” by

Aug. 30: “#SomethingHasToBeSaid: Angry Inuk’s Direct Yet Gentle Crusade,” by

Sept. 6: “Who Needs the Arctic Council Anyhow? Quebec’s Arctic Leadership,” by

Sept. 7: “Asian Tiger Meets the Polar Bear,” by

The Jackson School’s International Policy Institute is funded by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, with the of better connecting higher education research and expertise with the policy world in the area of global affairs.

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To learn more about the Arctic Fellows Initiative, contact Nadine Fabbi at 206-543-6269 or nfabbi@uw.edu.

What are the policies of global rising powers regarding the use of orbital and outer space, and what are the implications of those policies for international cooperation?

Doctoral students at the briefed a gathering of space industry, media and government representatives on such topics in a capstone event at the 91Ě˝»¨ held June 8.

The students are fellows of the Jackson School’s , led by , professor and associate director of the Jackson School, who convened the space industry stakeholders to hear short reports on their work. Fellows reported on the space-related activities of China, India, Russia, South Korea, Israel and the European Union.

The student presentation were as follows:

Seonhee Kim reported on structural reforms and hoped-for modernizations in the Russian space industry and its new state space corporation, , organized in 2015.
Deep Pal spoke about a comprehensive space policy that India is drafting with input from commercial entities.
Clint Work discussed the rapid, state-led development of South Korea’s space program over the past 25 years.
Indra Ekmanis briefed the group on how European space policymakers have concentrated on data collection and how the European Space Agency’s space policy decisions are motivated in large part by socio-ecological concerns.
Oded Oron reported on Israel, saying that country views space as an avenue for financial growth and sees investment in its civil space industry as part of its national branding as a “start-up” nation.
Muyang Chen, who assisted in organizing the event, spoke about China’s burgeoning state-owned space industry and how reforms will partially privatize such activities and transform military-use technologies to civilian use. She said these changes may provide opportunities for private entities to enter the Chinese aerospace market, though the Chinese government will maintain strong control over the industry.

Pekkanen, speaking on behalf of Joshua Williams, who could not attend, discussed Japan’s space activities, saying its government regulatory policies need to begin allowing commercial development. Japan, she said, has potential in the creation of small satellites and work with big data and machine learning and has ambitions to be more than a “junior partner” in world space endeavors.

All the student presenters are doctoral students in international studies. Also participating were about two dozen representatives of the space industry, media, government and academia. These included Vulcan Inc., Aerojet Rocketdyne, the Museum of Flight, the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, Washington State University, the state of Washington, the Northwest Science Writers Association and GeekWire.

On hand also, bringing her NASA experience to the discussion, was Earth and space sciences doctoral student , a former astronaut who flew on the space shuttle’s STS-131 mission, April 5 to 20, 2010, a resupply mission to the International Space Station.

After the presentations, Pekkanen led a lively discussion of the challenges the various countries  face as they reach out to space, which touched on history, economics, infrastructure and the Pacific Northwest as a growing hub for space-related industry.

91Ě˝»¨faculty participating were Pekkanen as well as , research associate professor of Earth and space sciences and associate director of the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium; , Jackson School affiliate professor and principal senior fellow with the Space Security Initiative; and , professor of aeronautics and astronautics.

The Space Security Initiative, called SSI for short, is part of the Jackson School’s , which is funded by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The initiative works to bridge the gap between academics and practitioners in space and related industries. Starting in April, junior SSI fellows have researched and posted at the Jackson School website.

“Seattle is a new hub for space,” Pekkanen said after the meeting. “And we need to start bringing together all kinds of public and private stakeholders to better understand what is happening here in a global context, and to take the Pacific Northwest forward as space realities change worldwide. So we are taking those initial formative steps with SSI, and we will go from there.”

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For more information about the Space Security Initiative, contact Pekkanen at 206-543-6148 or smp1@uw.edu.

is associate director and the Job and Gertrud Tamaki Professor in the . The founding director of the school’s doctoral program, she also holds adjunct appointments in both political science and law. She has master’s degrees from Yale Law School and Columbia University and a doctorate from Harvard University, and joined the 91Ě˝»¨ in 2004.

Have you always been interested in space?

I have! Although I have to say, funnily enough, when I arrived at Harvard and said that’s what I am interested in doing, I remember some faculty said, “You know, seems like too much of a niche thing for one dissertation — what’s the big picture?” Though they didn’t really advise against it.

So did you put the interest aside for a while?

I did not. I did a chapter from my dissertation and then sort of went from there. And I’ve been following civil, commercial and military space affairs ever since.

And little did I imagine, coming here 10 years ago, that the Pacific Northwest was going to become the amazing regional space player that it is becoming. There are people here very committed not just to space travel but also to advancing the technology, and it’s unique to have them all concentrated in this area. It is becoming a sort of “space valley” — the Silicon Valley for space — and I feel utterly lucky!

You co-chair the , which recently met in Washington, D.C. What is that group and its mission?

This is a standing group with stakeholders from the United States and Japan, which brings different angles to the space policy table in both countries. As you know, Japan is a security ally of the United States. In 2013 the two counties launched a government-to-government dialogue with the idea of figuring out how as the geopolitics of the region changed, they could cooperate better in terms of space technology, which would also of course affect their security.

But space has become very democratized, in the sense that it’s beyond governments. It’s not just a question of private companies — it’s also now down to the billionaires who are helping us change some of the technologies and trajectories. The other important change is that it’s not just Western countries — the United States and Europe — that are dominant.

It used to be just us and the Russians.

Exactly — but that world is gone. I’d say the world’s most important, rising and ambitious space players are now in Asia — China and Japan, of course, and also India. And all of them have civilian, commercial and military ambitions in space.

It’s not just about the space technology anymore, it’s about the geopolitical context in which these newer powers are developing them. The Forum reflects these realities.

You have written of the dangers of a “counterspace race.” What is that?

This is the race we are in, very different from your grandfather’s space race. Counterspace means that you have the ability to protect your friends and deter your rivals in operations out there. Because of the way space assets are linked to civilian, commercial and military life on the planet, that can also mean enabling or crippling systems down here. All this affects the balance of power among countries at a fundamental level.

The U.S. is the world’s most “dependent” space power in the sense that our civilian, commercial and military life rely on those assets more heavily than other countries — GPS, for example, and communications, navigation or weather satellites. And for the military, of course, reconnaissance is important, too, as well as aiding fighters carrying out operations on the ground. So this dependency is a vulnerability, the Achilles heel of the U.S., and everyone knows it.

If you look at the National Defense Authorization Act, it has become very strident about the fact that this counterspace threat is very serious, very deadly. So, institutionally the Pentagon is responding to this. And the U.S. is moving forward with like-minded allies to devise ways to safeguard freedom of space navigation, which is critical.

You write in about topics including the dangers of human-caused debris in Earth orbit. It needs cleaning up, but that process also has a darker side. Would you explain?

The dark side is that the technologies that might be used to get rid of orbital debris — to, say, sort of drag it down, zap it and bump it out of orbit — are the same technologies that can knock out your functioning assets.

So of course for a dependent space power like the United States, that’s a huge concern. The U.S. is responding by elevating the institutional focus on debris threats within the Department of Defense.

I think they’ve been thinking about it for some time, but now it’s politically clear they have a mandate to go after this, to ensure that the heavens are safe and sustainable — those are the watchwords for the global community, too.

The threat is very real, you write.

I want to be very clear when I make this statement: I do see considerable threats in space. And these will have consequences for humanity’s ventures in outer space. This is where the counterspace race comes in, with fairly irresponsible behavior by the world’s leading space players.

For example, certain countries have used direct ascent missiles and have created orbital debris. Everybody cites the example of test in 2007 (said to be the largest recorded creation of space debris in history) — but China is not the only one doing things.

Russia has demonstrated what we call co-orbital satellite operations, going around other satellites with the potential to take them down. India is also interested in going after military space. Japan pioneered the technology back in the late 1990s. And the United States has both offensive and defensive counterspace abilities.

What is — or could be — the UW’s Jackson School of International Studies’ role in such discussions?

One of the most exciting things happening here at the Jackson School is the , which was formed through a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The idea is to bridge the gap between what academics know and what policymakers might want to know. It’s hard for academics to convert what they do into “policyspeak,” and one of the goals of the institute is to give our faculty the chance to communicate some of their ideas to the real world.

What comes first, as you begin this work?

Right now, for the first year we are focusing on space, cyberspace and also the Arctic — each a sort of new frontier in terms of U.S. foreign policy, but also the global community. We just had a where we connected with policymakers in the D.C. area, and we will return east to communicate the messages to more policymakers later in the year.

You have said we are at “a very pivotal crossroads” as far as space affairs are concerned. Would you say more?

I seriously believe that we can put Seattle and the Pacific Northwest on the map with respect to elevating peaceful solutions to issues in outer space, particularly with respect to getting rid of debris. And one of my missions is to make that possible.

So I am spending some time not just with the private sector stakeholders here in the community, but also working very closely with the Museum of Flight people, to expand the educational mission.

We have to raise public awareness about the issue, because I think that most people say of orbital debris, “What is that?”

We also have to realize that the technology and the policy go together. And what we are going to create here is a community of stakeholders who meet on a regular basis to discuss these issues and to figure out how we can connect to these larger global security issues.

Certainly, I feel the U.S. does need to protect its interests because it has the most to lose out there. But you cannot leave diplomacy out of the question, because in the end you have to bring every stakeholder to the table. We can’t do that with just one space power acting alone.

This gathering of stakeholders sounds a bit like the recent climate talks in Paris.

I’m glad you brought that up, because how long did that take? It took over 50 years to come to fruition and a lot begins with raising consciousness about a global problem.

So I feel we’re at the beginning. We are just starting the conversation, and the way to position what we are doing in Seattle and the Jackson School is to help advance that conversation for the future.

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For more information, contact Pekkanen at 206-543-6148 or smp1@uw.edu. To learn more about the Jackson School and its work, contact Monique Thormann, director of communications, at 206-685-0578 or thormm@uw.edu.

The daylong conference is titled “.”

Jackson School Director will welcome the participants. , vice chairman of the Cohen Group, will deliver the conference’s keynote address. He is also former U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs, ambassador to Turkey and assistant secretary of state for European Affairs. , longtime professor of international studies, will give concluding remarks.

The conference will feature three panels moderated by members of the 91Ě˝»¨community.

• , managing director of the Canadian Studies Center, will moderate on “Changing Political and Economic Dynamics in the Arctic: Nation-States and Indigenous Permanent Participants.”
• , professor and associate director of the Jackson School, will moderate a panel on “New Regions, New Frontiers: Pacific Northwest and Asia in Outer Space.”
• , associate professor in the Jackson School and Evans School of Public Policy & Governance and director of the , will moderate a panel on “Public-Private Collaborations in Establishing International Cybersecurity Norms.”

“This New Frontiers conference launches the 91Ě˝»¨’s new ,” said Kasaba. “This institute intends to generate original thinking on emerging topics in international affairs and bring a new and uniquely Pacific Northwest voice to the policy conversation.”

Kasaba said the event “continues and expands upon” the school’s ongoing work to connect academic and research insights with international affairs practitioners, business leaders and policymakers and international development experts as well as media representatives and security professionals from Seattle to Washington, D.C.

The event is a collaborative effort between the Jackson School and the American Academy of Diplomacy, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “support and strengthen U.S. diplomacy and enhance public appreciation of its critical role in advancing the national interest.” It is made possible through support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.

Also attending the conference will be representatives of the RAND Corp., the Brookings Institution, the U.S. Department of State, Microsoft Corp., The Seattle Times and Aerojet Rocketdyne, among others.

The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, in Room 334 of the Husky Union Building on the 91Ě˝»¨campus. The event is free but organizers request that those planning to attend .

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For more information, contact Kristina Bowman, Jackson School communications specialist, at 206-221-1323 or kriscb@uw.edu; Monique Thormann, director of communications, at thormm@uw.edu; or Jennifer Butte-Dahl, organizer and Jackson School lecturer, at 206-221-8577 or jenbd@uw.edu.

Q: What will be the main mission of the new International Policy Institute?

A: We are the only West Coast school and the only public institution among the five grantees announced by the Carnegie Corp. We are very pleased and proud. Sixteen centers and programs that are housed in the Jackson School have all been involved in international policy but in a somewhat unconventional way.

We work with the members of our highly globalized region and address issues of tremendous importance such as environmental problems, global health, cyber-security and human rights.

We have demonstrated that in today’s world, foreign policy is no longer made exclusively by the government or foreign policy establishment. Nongovernmental agencies, foundations, and even wealthy individuals shape our agenda and influence the priorities of our government in significant ways. With the Carnegie grant we aim to bring our local resources in conversation with the governmental agencies and serve as a medium for an interaction that will benefit both parties.

Q: You’ve noted elsewhere the goal of helping Jackson School faculty better communicate their knowledge to nonacademic audiences. How do you hope to accomplish this?

A: We will form working groups where visiting practitioner experts, our faculty, and students will work on one of four areas we have identified.

1. Asian governance in the regional and global order.
2. Religion and human security.
3. The Arctic and international affairs.
4. International relations, outer space and cyberspace.

These groups will generate papers and memos, hold webinars and seminars, and participate in conferences designed for audiences of policy makers.

Q: The Jackson School has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Carnegie Corp. of New York for this project. How will the money be spent?

A: Our main goal is to lay the foundations of a policy institute that will be home to research groups and will generate papers that address important issues of our time.

We plan to host one senior and two junior fellows a year who will devote all or part of their time to planning and participating in these groups. We will host two major conferences; one in Seattle and one in Washington, D.C., and series of webinars to share the results of our work. We will also support graduate students who will participate in the working groups.

Q: How will students of the Jackson School be involved with and benefit from this work?

A: We plan to include graduate and undergraduate students who are majoring in international studies in the working groups. This will give them very important practical experience and introduce them to a network of scholars and experts. We will also arrange for the visiting scholars and experts to teach seminars that will be open to 91Ě˝»¨students. We will incorporate the papers and other material that is generated by the working groups in our classes.

Q: The Jackson School has a history of working with Pacific Northwest organizations to address international challenges. What are some examples of this work?

A: In the past years our students participated in a Task Force that explored the labor conditions in the garment factories in Guatemala where the Husky apparel was being produced. The results of this work helped change the 91Ě˝»¨relations with these production sites.

Our students also participate in applied research projects that are supported by Microsoft, Starbucks and local nongovernmental organizations addressing topics such as implementing diversity globally, cyber-security, and empowering local communities around the world. These projects generate papers that address topics with specific proposals for the company or the nongovernmental organization we partner with.

We’re also pleased that the grant coincides with the launch of our new accelerated one-year Master of Arts in Applied International Studies, a program designed for professionals that emphasizes connecting the resources of the Jackson School to the world of policy and decision making. It’s offered in collaboration with a council of multidisciplinary international affairs players based in Seattle, including Microsoft, Starbucks and the Gates Foundation.

Q: Finally, what would you like to see the new International Policy Institute doing by then?

A: We hope to develop and strengthen the new institute so that in five years it will be a permanent part of the Jackson School.