Feb. 25, 2022

Department of Defense Awards $28.7M in Grants for the FY2021 Minerva Research Initiative

DoD announced today awards of $28.7 million in grants to 17 university-based faculty teams through the FY2021 Minerva Research Initiative to support research in social and behavioral science.

Feb. 11, 2022

Minerva-funded researchers recent publication, "Spiritual over physical formidability determines willingness to fight and sacrifice through loyalty in cross-cultural populations"

"Across 11 studies involving six countries from four continents (n=3,285), we extend insights from field investigations in conflict zones to offline and online surveys to show that personal spiritual formidability—the conviction and immaterial resources (values, strengths of beliefs, character) of a person to fight—is positively associated with the will to fight and sacrifice for others."

Feb. 9, 2022

Afghan women face increasing violence and repression under the Taliban after international spotlight fades

In Minerva-funded researcher, Mia Bloom's recent article, she states "violence against women in Afghanistan also appears to again be worsening, according to local Afghan colleagues I know. But these reports are not eliciting international political concern."

Feb. 7, 2022

New Publication from Minerva-funded Researchers, "Leading in Artificial Intelligence through Confidence Building Measures"

New publication from Minerva-funded researchers, "Leading in Artificial Intelligence through Confidence Building Measures". This paper discusses why the United States could lead in promoting some specific artificial intelligence confidence-building measure's and why that will likely enhance, rather than undermine, U.S. military artificial intelligence leadership.

Jan. 19, 2022

Minerva-funded Researchers Release Report on Escalation Management in Gray Zone Conflict and Crisis

A team of Minerva-funded researchers, led by Jonathan Wilkenfeld, Egle Murauskaite and Devin Ellis from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism released a report on a three-year Minerva Research Initiative study of escalation management in gray zone conflict and crisis.

Jan. 11, 2022

Parents at Risk: Minerva-funded researchers reveal hidden social media machinery that has allowed misinformation to thrive among mainstream users such as parents

In the recent study, “How Social Media Machinery Pulled Mainstream Parenting Communities Closer to Extremes and their Misinformation during COVID-19”, Minerva-funded researchers show how mainstream parenting communities on Facebook have been subject to a powerful, two-pronged misinformation machinery during the pandemic, that has pulled them closer to extreme communities and their misinformation.

Jan. 6, 2022

In Memory of Minerva-funded Researcher, Robert Jervis

Robert Jervis, Minerva-funded researcher and the Adlai E. Stevenson professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, died on December 9, 2021.

Nov. 12, 2021

The DoD Announced Awards of $20K each for the 2021-2022 Cohort of the Minerva-USIP Peace and Security Dissertation Fellows

The Department of Defense Minerva Research Initiative is pleased to announce the 2021-2022 cohort of the Minerva-USIP Peace and Security Dissertation Fellows. In partnership with the U.S. Institute of Peace’s Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar Dissertation Fellowship program, over 115 applicants from 88 U.S. universities applied for this prestigious award. Those chosen for the Peace and Security Scholar Fellowship show great potential to advance the peacebuilding and security fields and to positively influence policy and practice.

Nov. 9, 2021

New publication "Transformation of alliances: Mapping Russia’s close relationships in the era of multivectorism"

Russia led a key Cold War alliance and is now at the forefront of debates about major power realignments. Yet Russia’s own conceptualization of alliances in the post-Soviet era has received scant attention. How do Russian policymakers and academics view Russia’s post-Cold War alliances: Are they obsolete, or are they still used for cultivating strategic relationships? We examine the Russian conceptualization of alliances through a systematic study of Russian policy documents and academic debates between 1991 and 2019.

Nov. 4, 2021

Minerva grant awardees were invited to speak to member countries of ReCAAP on Maritime Piracy

Minerva grant awardees were invited to speak to member countries of ReCAAP (The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combatting Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia) on "The Root Causes of Maritime Piracy and What Can Be Done About It?".