Ciorciari is a professor of public policy and director of the Ford School's Weiser Diplomacy Center and International Policy Center. His research focuses on international law and politics in the Global South.
Research, learning, and impact
The Ford School is home to or co-sponsor of a growing number of active, multi-disciplinary research centers and initiatives leveraging the knowledge and expertise across the University of Michigan. They serve as a...
Susan D. Page, History Podblast: Right now you do have the Sudanese military that is de facto in part in charge, and they are fighting the other wing of the military. Paramilitaries have had a long history in Sudan. President Bashir allowed them to...
Susan D. Page, The World: "They believed Berhan and Hemedti would in fact turn over power to the civilians...I could not believe that Molly Phee was getting on a plane to go talk to the generals shortly after they launched the coup. A number of us...
As two rival generals continue their deadly feud for control of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, fears are rising of of another major regional conflagration. Ambassador Susan D. Page, Ford School Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy, has...
By Daniel Rivkin
Akiho Nagano (MPP '23) and Mayu Ueno (MPP '24) were speaking in a corridor at Weill Hall, sharing thoughts about past jobs, future jobs, and their families. Roaming the halls, you can hear similar conversations, in their case in...
"One positive international experience can flip a switch, change a student's academic and professional trajectory. You never know what that experience might be," says Dan Ellis, assistant director of the International Policy Center (IPC). He and...
Here are just a few of the international learning opportunities that Ford School undergraduate and graduate students have undertaken since 2020—travel courses, research projects, internships, externships, and simulations—all preparing students for...
Lessons in restorative justice
By Miriam Wasserman
In spring 2019, Aprisal Malale (MPP '20) found himself at the side of an unmarked grave in Guatemala.
Malale, along with Towsley Policymaker in Residence Hardy Vieux (MPP/JD '97), and...
To address our most pressing global challenges, we need professionals with the knowledge and skills to analyze complex problems, build policy coalitions, and advocate effectively"
John Ciorciari
The Ford School's two internationally-focused...
As foreigners flee the continued fighting in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and the death toll rises, there are fears of full-blown civil war breaking out. At least 400 people have been killed and 3,500 injured since fighting broke out April 15,...
Javed Ali, TRT World: "Part of the challenge that this incident has revealed is that there are thousands if not tens of thousands within this very vast and very broad intelligence enterprise and community that have access to these types of materials...
The Ford School hosted Kim Dong Yeon (MPP ‘91, PhD ‘93), governor of the Gyeonggi province — the largest province in South Korea. His visit to Ann Arbor included signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the University that will send South Korean...
Documents leaked from the Pentagon created a media firestorm, leaving many questions in the minds of Americans. With over 20 years of experience in intelligence, Javed Ali, associate professor of practice, provided analysis on some of the biggest...
Javed Ali, CBS News: "This level of activity is absolutely having an impact on our national security, more from the flow of drugs in the U.S. than the targeting of Americans in Mexico. But it still gives you another tool. Why not use it when the...
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has been sentenced to two years in prison and lost his parliamentary seat after a court found him guilty of defamation over his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname in 2019.
University of...
Javed Ali, ABC News: "There definitely is a lot of skepticism right now on the Hill, despite the claims from the TikTok CEO about these steps or actions the company has taken to minimize the risk. But I have been listening to the voices of my former...
Javed Ali, Federal Newswire: "One of the biggest developments would be bringing material support to terrorism charges against Mexican cartels if so designated by the State Department [and approved by Congress]. These charges have been effective post...
Javed Ali, Newsweek: "[The downing of the drone] serves as a stark reminder of the potential for small-scale incidents like this to further heighten tensions between both sides and possibly trigger unintended escalation in response. The Biden...
Javed Ali, Texas Public Radio: "It's a complicated process for any organization to be designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization. The State Department and our government take the lead for that. If a designation were to...
Republican attorneys general from 21 states are calling on President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to declare Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. They argue that the cartels pose a threat to U.S. national...
As President Santa. J. Ono was inaugurated as the 15th president of the University of Michigan on March 8, he laid out a vision for change and challenge to continue to address the world’s greatest problems. In his address to an audience of students,...
Javed Ali, AFP: "Unless this resolution or any similar one becomes law, there is currently no explicit legal authority that the president has that directly approves military operations against drug cartels in Mexico. (If there was an attack on US...
Javed Ali, Newsweek: "Xi has to make a decision about how to manage that relationship with Russia, and what's most important about that in the fight against Ukraine versus China's biggest strategic ambitions. If the intelligence case was that China...
Melvyn Levitsky, Money Control: "(Biden's visit to Ukraine) shows the US’s and NATO’s support for Ukraine. It is also a warning to Russia and Putin not to escalate. Putin knows that a nuclear exchange would destroy Russia as well as a number of...
University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy experts can discuss Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine and the ensuing war as the one-year anniversary approaches.
Javed Ali, associate professor of practice at the Ford School, is a former...
What explains the emergence of leftist rebel groups during the Cold War? In a new paper in the European Journal of International Relations, associate professor Megan Stewart dives into this question, addressing the rise of leftist rebel groups in...
Javed Ali, ABC Australia: "Over the past week, I would say this is a pretty unusual set of developments from a U.S. national security perspective. And now that I've had a little bit of time to think about it and see how the story is evolving, it's a...
In the last week, the U.S. has shot down four different objects in U.S. and Canadian airspace. One of those has been confirmed as a Chinese surveillance balloon. Javed Ali, associate professor of practice, provided his expertise to NPR Marketplace,...
