From pandemics to misinformation: rethinking security today

From pandemics to misinformation: rethinking security today

Author: The Watson School April 16, 2026 Duration: 39:34

From a once-in-a-century global pandemic, to wars in Europe and the Middle East, to the unchecked rise of AI and social media technologies, we are living in an age of threats against humanity that are profound, fast-moving, and interconnected.

On this episode, produced in collaboration with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dan Richards talks with two experts from very different fields about the interdisciplinary nature of “security studies”, how the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed experts to think about international security in new ways, and where they see some of the biggest threats to humanity today.

Guests on this episode:

  • Rose McDermott is a political scientist and professor of international relations at the Watson School.
  • Jennifer Nuzzo is a professor of epidemiology and director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health.

Learn more about the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Learn more about Brown University School of Public Health’s Pandemic Center


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Trending Globally: Politics and Policy
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