On Thursday, November 13th, 2025, the SMU Tower Center hosted its annual National Security Symposium, bringing together leading scholars to assess the state of U.S. military alliances and the strategic choices facing Washington in a period defined by geopolitical competition. The theme this year was “U.S. Military Alliances: Where Do We Stand? (And Where Do […]
The war in Ukraine has upended Europe’s security landscape, forcing policymakers to confront difficult questions about military preparedness, strategic autonomy, and the future of transatlantic relations. At a recent Annette Strauss Event hosted by the Tower Center at SMU, Professor Marina Henke, a leading international relations expert from the Hertie School in Berlin, provided a […]
On March 6, 2024, SMU’s John G. Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs held its Annette Strauss Internationalizing Dallas event, entitled Whither German Democracy: Crisis and Change, in the Jones Great Hall of the picturesque Meadow’s Museum. The Annette Strauss Internationalizing Dallas lecture series is hosted by the Tower Center and was created […]
On February 29, the Tower Center collaborated with SMU’s Political Science Department on an event called “The March 5 Texas Primaries: The Most Consequential 2024 Election Day in the Lone Star State.” During his lecture, Dr. Mark P. Jones, professor of political science at Rice University, discussed the importance of the primaries in Texas and […]
The U.S.-Japan Bilateral Relationship: Times of Uncertainty Demand Good Friends By: Diana H. Newton, Tower Center Senior Fellow and Collin Powell Teaching Fellow In Tokyo this past summer, SMU’s John G. Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs hosted one of its renowned Sun & Star Symposia focused on Japan and East Asia. Even […]
Oil and natural resources have always been a large part of our lives and have helped the development of many nations. Regardless, with oil prices skyrocketing, the topic of oil and gas production is on the very surface of people’s minds all over the world. Even before a gallon of gas cost four dollars in […]
With the revolutionary technological advancements of information technology, we now live in a world where we are a few clicks away from gaining access to any information we desire. In such an era, does the general public have collective thoughts on global issues? Would public opinion affect the elites in their policymaking? Older scholarships would […]
Compared to just twenty years ago, Japan has made a remarkable shift regarding its foreign relations strategy to become one of the leading nations championing increased integrations, more comprehensive free trade agreements, and updating rules and regulations of trade. Mireya Solís has spent the last few years examining this shift in foreign policy, including the […]
The Great Game refers to the political and diplomatic tensions between the British Empire and Czarist Russia over territories in Central Asia and India over 100 years ago. This concept, popularized by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated the distrust and underlying fear of war between two powers vying to protect and gain physical territories, especially in the […]
Food is often something Americans take for granted; our grocery stores are fully stocked (pandemic aside) and we have a diverse array of ecosystems across the continent perfect for agriculture. However, for the island nation of Japan, agriculture is slowly becoming one of the most pressing issues in Tokyo. Patricia Maclachlan came and spoke on […]