Three central themes of the International Initiative provide a focus for collaborative research and teaching:

Pursuing Peace and Security

In the area of security, the work begins with these overriding concerns: How does society reduce the possibilities of terrorism, ensure that weapons of mass destruction are secured, and decrease the probability of war? Promoting security now means not only understanding nuclear physics and political science, but also incorporating religion, sociology, psychology, and other fields. The International Initiative will focus research and coursework in international security on catastrophic terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, ethnic conflicts and civil wars, and interstate rivalries.

Improving Governance at All Levels of Society

Improving governance at all levels will require a complicated blend of economic, political, and legal strategies. Stanford research and teaching on governance addresses such questions as: Are there optimal paths that successful countries have followed, and can they be applied elsewhere? Is some level of corruption inevitable during economic development? How can it be minimized? Is the rule of law the most effective way to guarantee property rights and resolve disputes? Are there some sectors where external assistance can play an effective role and others that are more difficult to change?

Advancing Human Well-being

International problem solving must address health, economic development, and education simultaneously and at the local, regional, and international level. Stanford research and teaching in this area addresses such questions as: How can we detect and respond to epidemics more rapidly and effectively? How can developing countries afford lifesaving drugs while respecting the intellectual property of those who create them? How does the use of natural resources in one region impact the health and economy of another? What are the international consequences of the growing demographic imbalance between the older, richer populations of the developed world and the younger, poorer— and growing—populations of developing regions? How can countries use access to higher education both to improve individual lives and to compete in the global economy?