In the News: Michael J. Williams
Understanding International Security: Theory and Practice
Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, has co-authored a new book, Understanding International Security: Theory and Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2025). The book explores the meanings and debates around international security, with chapters addressing war, terrorism, violence, cyber security, health and more.
See related: Global Governance, Government, International Affairs, NATO
Williams Piece on the Strategic Insights from a China–Taiwan Wargame Published in War on the Rocks
“The invasion scenarios that dominate U.S. military planning—involving massive amphibious assaults on Taiwan and preemptive strikes on American bases—may fundamentally misread Beijing’s calculus,” writes Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs.
See related: China, Conflict, East Asia, Government, International Affairs
Williams Featured in t-online Article on NATO, Russia’s Airspace Violations
“The situation is very serious indeed. We have been observing airspace violations by Russia for years. But what Putin is doing now has a new quality. He is testing how resolutely NATO reacts and whether weaknesses are emerging,” says Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs.
See related: Conflict, Government, International Affairs, NATO, Russia
Williams Quoted in Los Angeles Times Article on the Challenges Trumps Faces in Gaza and Ukraine
Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, says that Trump has advocated for a ceasefire in Ukraine “at the expense of other strategic priorities such as stability in Europe and punishment of Russia through increased aid to Ukraine.”
See related: Conflict, Federal, International Affairs, International Agreements, Middle East & North Africa, Russia, Ukraine
Williams Speaks With New York Times, Newsweek About the NATO Summit
“The Europeans were saying how committed they are to Ukraine, especially the British, which is no surprise. But there was also really an attempt to keep controversial issues off the table. Ukraine wasn’t the front and center discussion it has been,” Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, says of the summit.
See related: Global Governance, Government, NATO, Ukraine, United States
Williams Quoted in Associated Press Article on Chinese Hackers and the Mobile Security Crisis
China and other nations will try to take advantage of such lapses, and national security officials must take steps to prevent them from recurring, says Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. “They all have access to a variety of secure communications platforms. We just can’t share things willy-nilly.”
See related: China, Cybersecurity, Government, International Affairs, U.S. National Security, United States
Williams Talks to Washington Post About Improper Sharing of Sensitive Government Documents
The breach indicates a general need to strengthen safety training measures for government workers who must live and work in a digital age, says Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. “The danger of this kind of mistake is a challenge across all administrations,” he says.
See related: Federal, U.S. National Security, United States
Williams Article on Europe, Multilateral Nuclear Plans Published in Foreign Policy
“For 75 years, America’s NATO allies have relied on the U.S. nuclear arsenal to provide for the defense of Europe. This was never a terribly logical policy. The linchpin of the policy was a firm European belief in the steadfast commitment of Washington to the security of Europe. Today, that no longer holds,” says Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs.
See related: Europe, Government, International Affairs, International Agreements, National Security
William Talks to AP, Military Times and USA Today About Secure Communications and ‘SignalGate’
“There are people whose lives are literally on the line, whether that's service personnel, whether that's intelligence personnel,” says Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. “These guys are supposed to be leaders of the free world, the responsible leaders of the military, the greatest country in the world, and they can't perform basic operational security.”
See related: Federal, International Affairs, U.S. National Security, United States
Williams Quoted in Newsweek Article on Greenland’s Election and What It Means for Trump
Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, says that cooperation in Greenland between the U.S. and founding NATO member Denmark is likely to continue but security in that part of the North Atlantic will remain a concern for Trump.
See related: Elections, Europe, Federal, Government, International Affairs, NATO, United States
Maxwell Students Represent Türkiye and Romania at International Model NATO
They joined students from 23 colleges and five nations for the 40th annual event at Howard University.
See related: Government, International Affairs, NATO, Student Experience
Williams Weighs In on Zelensky’s Victory Plan for Ukraine in New York Times Article
“He has to go cap in hand to push the plan, sort of carve out a position and then say at home, having asked, that this is now what we have to do,” says Michael John Williams, a associate professor of public administration and international affairs, adding, “At least he can say he’s tried. He’s exhausted the possibilities.”
See related: Conflict, Foreign Policy, Government, International Agreements, NATO, Russia, Ukraine
Michael John Williams Named Treasurer of International Studies Association
The association is a hub for networking, programmatic initiatives and the exchange of ideas in international studies teaching and practice.
See related: Promotions & Appointments
If Harris, If Trump: Ukraine War Trajectories after November 5, 2024
Williams Piece on Expanding Nuclear Sharing with NATO Allies Published by New Atlanticist
Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, argues that the way to deter Russian aggression is to strengthen the western approach when it comes to nuclear sharing arrangements and the deployment of land-based US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.
See related: Defense & Security, Europe, Russia
Williams Quoted in National Magazine Article on Conscription in Canada
“The U.S. and Canada will do anything possible to avoid a draft,” says Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. If war breaks out, a coalition force of North American professional military personnel would likely do the fighting, alongside existing European troops, he says.
See related: Canada, International Affairs, National Security, NATO
Williams Weighs In on McConnell’s Diminishing Power in the Senate in McClatchy DC Article
“He [Mitch McConnell] is basically a dead duck. The last of a dying breed,” says Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs.
See related: Congress, Political Parties, United States
Who’s Afraid of the Bomb?: The Euromissiles Crisis and Nuclear Weapons in Europe, Past and Present
"Who’s Afraid of the Bomb?: The Euromissiles Crisis and Nuclear Weapons in Europe, Past and Present," written by Michael John Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, was published in International Studies Review.
See related: Defense & Security, Europe, International Affairs, National Security
New Carnegie-Maxwell Policy Planning Lab Launches Foreign Affairs Training Program
International relations professionals may apply for the first-of-its-kind program supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
See related: Europe, Federal, Global Governance, Grant Awards, Russia, U.S. Foreign Policy, Ukraine
Ukrainian Students Find Refuge in a Community with a History of Supporting Those Impacted by War
Nearly two years after the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukrainian students find refuge in a community of scholars with a long history of supporting those impacted by war.
See related: Conflict, Global Governance, Law, Migration, Refugees, Russia, Student Experience, Ukraine