Scott/Schapiro Center for International Affairs

Scott/Schapiro Center for International Affairs
Name	Scott/Schapiro Center for International Affairs
Established	2004
Type	Research center
Location	New Haven, Connecticut
Affiliation	Yale University
Director	Sheila Jasanoff

Scott/Schapiro Center for International Affairs The Scott/Schapiro Center for International Affairs is a Yale University research center focused on global relations, diplomacy, and transnational policy studies. The center operates within Yale College and Yale Law School frameworks, engaging with scholars from Harvard University, Princeton University, Columbia University, and Oxford University. It convenes policymakers from the United Nations, NATO, the European Union, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund to bridge academia and practice.

History

Founded in 2004 during a period of post-9/11 reassessment, the center was launched amid debates involving the United States Department of State, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Defense. Early activities included symposia with the Council on Foreign Relations, the Brookings Institution, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and collaborations with the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. The center hosted dialogues responding to events such as the Iraq War, the Afghanistan conflict, the Arab Spring, and the Ukraine crisis, bringing together voices from the White House, the National Security Council, the Pentagon, and the Kremlin.

Mission and Programs

The center's mission emphasizes applied research on diplomacy, conflict resolution, and international law, aligning with initiatives at the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the Hague Conference. Programmatic themes have included cybersecurity with speakers from Microsoft, Google, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, climate diplomacy in partnership with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and nonproliferation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. It runs fellowship programs modeled on the Fulbright Program, the Rhodes Scholarship, and the Marshall Scholarship, and hosts visiting scholars from the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the Organization of American States.

Research and Publications

Research outputs address topics such as sanctions policy studied alongside the Treasury Department, peace negotiations examined with advisors to the Oslo Accords and the Camp David Summit, and trade policy in dialogue with the World Trade Organization and the Office of the United States Trade Representative. The center publishes working papers, policy briefs, and edited volumes in collaboration with university presses including Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Yale University Press, and journals such as Foreign Affairs, International Security, World Politics, and the Journal of Conflict Resolution. Major reports have analyzed cases like the Kosovo precedent, the Iran nuclear deal framework, the South China Sea arbitration, and the Brexit negotiations, drawing on archival materials from the British Library, the National Archives, and the Library of Congress.

Academic and Student Engagement

Academic programming includes seminars cross-listed with Yale Law School and Yale School of Management, and courses taught by faculty affiliated with the center who hold appointments in departments influenced by figures from the Brookings Institution, the Hoover Institution, and the Belfer Center. Student engagement features internships with the State Department, externships at the International Rescue Committee, and practicum placements with Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The center supports student organizations such as Model United Nations, the Yale Political Union, and the Yale International Relations Association, and coordinates speaker series that have hosted alumni from the Peace Corps, Teach For America, and the Clinton Foundation.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The center maintains formal partnerships with institutions including the Council on Foreign Relations, the Atlantic Council, the Trilateral Commission, and the German Marshall Fund. Collaborative research projects have involved the RAND Corporation, SIPRI, the Stockholm Environment Institute, and Chatham House, and fieldwork collaborations have extended to partners such as Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Asian Development Bank. Regional engagement networks include ties to the African Development Bank, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the Pacific Islands Forum.

Leadership and Organization

Governance combines academic leadership drawn from Yale faculty, advisers from former officials of the State Department and Department of Defense, and an advisory board featuring diplomats from embassies in Washington, foreign ministers, and former ambassadors to the United Nations. Directors have previously worked with think tanks like the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and the Stimson Center, and have received honors such as the MacArthur Fellowship, the Woodrow Wilson Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. Operational units include a research division, a policy engagement office, and a grants administration team that coordinates funding from foundations such as the Mellon Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, and the MacArthur Foundation.

Category:Yale University