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  1. Mideast Oil Exports Rebound Even as Prices Remain Elevated

    September 29, 2026

    On rising oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, said, “They are getting a substantial amount of oil out, and it is increasing over time as shippers’ confidence goes up.”

  2. Russia‑Ukraine war is accelerating the dangerous race toward fully autonomous drones

    September 22, 2026

    Distinguished Professor of the Practice at the University of Notre Dame and ONDISC Fellow, Amy McAuliffe, examines how autonomous weapons systems have evolved during the Ukraine War.

  3. Peace Corps Volunteers Honored for 60 Years of Korea-U.S. Service

    September 21, 2026

     ONDISC Assistant Director, Jenna Gibson, Accepts Korea Foundation Award for Cultural Education Nonprofit. 

  4. U.S. energy agency raises oil price forecast as war drags on

    September 11, 2026

    Shippers might be able to adjust to a new normal in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. On the risk of oil tankers being attacked in the Strait, Gholz said, “The cargo is so valuable that I expect more and more people to suck up the cost.”

  5. Iran's Attacks Keep the Strait of Hormuz in a Lethal Stalemate

    September 06, 2026

    "The strait is neither fully closed nor fully opened, said Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame and an expert on conflict in the waterway. "Iran can't close it completely, and the U.S. can't open it completely."

  6. Foreign Affairs - The War China Might Choose

    August 04, 2026

    by Eugene Gholz and Kerby Davis

     

    Analysts generally organize the options for a Chinese military move against Taiwan into three categories: an invasion to seize direct control of the island; a “joint firepower strike” that would bomb Taiwan’s cities and political institutions, terrorizing Taiwanese civilians into surrender; and a maritime blockade to starve Taiwan into submission. All these missions are complex, high-cost gambles for China that would consume large quantities of military assets and result in immense casualties and property damage. 

  7. Pain or gain? US moves to decouple its defence industry from China’s rare earths

    August 01, 2026

    The latest directive tells defence contractors that the era of relatively easily available waivers and the Trump administration’s repeated retreats from enforcing policies in this area is over, according to Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame.

     

    “The executive order is about finally enforcing laws that have been on the books for a while,” said Gholz, who formerly served as senior adviser to the US deputy assistant secretary of defence for manufacturing and industrial base policy.

  8. US‑Saudi nuclear deal invites proliferation risks … unless safeguards are written in

    July 27, 2026

    by Amy McAuliffe

    A key question remains over the landmark U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal announced with much fanfare on July 22, 2026: Will it allow a nation long suspected of having nuclear weapons ambitions to enrich uranium?

    U.S. President Donald Trump has already shifted the sands of the agreement, adding a major caveat requiring Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel first. He also posted that there would be “no enrichment.”

    But it is unclear whether either condition is included in the signed deal, something that has nonproliferation experts like me worried.

  9. Journal of Democracy - Defending Democracy Must Begin in the Classroom

    July 20, 2026

    By Victoria Tin-bor Hui

    Public-opinion surveys tell us that global support for democracy is as widespread as ever. Yet if democracy is so popular, why have democratic institutions around the world become so fragile?

  10. Israel’s ‘campaign between the wars’: How strategy to contain Iran and its allies risks further straining ties with US

    June 26, 2026

    by Amy McAuliffe

    A lot hangs on whether the United States can compel Israel to cease operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. After all, an end to the Israeli military offensive was a key provision of the broad U.S.-Iran agreement setting out a road map to end the Iran war.

    And even though Israel did not sign the deal, policymakers in Washington will continue to press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abide by the truce.

  11. The Christian Science Monitor - The Strait of Hormuz is still blocked. What’s the US military doing about it?

    May 05, 2026

    This is not the first U.S. military operation aimed at protecting international shipping. The current effort differs from previous interventions, however, because it originates from Mr. Trump’s decision to go to war.

    “The U.S. is trying to get back to the situation that existed before we launched this escapade,” says Eugene Gholz, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. “We’re not trying to gain. We’re trying to undo a loss.”

  12. The Christian Science Monitor - What Trump’s handling of the Iran war has done to perceptions of US power

    April 17, 2026

    “The Iran war underscores how some of the elements of modern military power have changed very dramatically, revealing a landscape where new technologies – just think of drones here – are favoring the defensive and weaker power in a major way,” says Michael Desch, director of the O’Brien Notre Dame International Security Center.

  13. Iran could struggle to enforce all of its latest shipping threats, experts say.

    April 15, 2026

    “Iran has limited capability to execute its threats in the Persian Gulf, and really limited capability in the Red Sea,” said Eugene Gholz, a professor at the University of Notre Dame.

  14. What to Know About the Bab El-Mandeb Strait as Iran Threatens to Restrict Other Key Trade Passage

    April 09, 2026

    Iran’s direct ability to act in the region is limited, notes Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame.

    “The reason Iran can threaten to disrupt ships in the Strait of Hormuz is that Iran has military forces directly located on the coast of the Strait. Iran has no military forces near the Bab el-Mandeb,” Gholz tells TIME, adding that Iran would instead have to assert its influence via regional proxies.

  15. Local experts weigh in on Iran war, safety and potential attacks on Iranian infrastructure

    April 06, 2026

    ABC57’s Jordan Tolbert spoke with two Professors from the University of Notre Dame about the Iran war. Professor Asher Kaufman, PhD, is the Director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Kaufman is an expert in the modern Middle East. Eugene Gholz, PhD, is an associate professor of Political Science and an expert on National Security.

  16. Why It’s So Hard to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz

    March 24, 2026

    Sending in warships to fend off drone and missile attacks brings its own risks.

    “The destroyer’s defensive systems are really designed for something different than the close-in knife fight of the strait,” said Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. “Every part of the destroyer is sensitive to being attacked.”

  17. Why oil tankers remain hesitant to travel the Strait of Hormuz, according to experts

    March 17, 2026

    Eugene Gholz, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame who studies national security and economic policy, described the halt of tanker traffic as a "pause" meant to offer shipping firms an opportunity to assess the risk of navigating the strait.

    "Whenever the security situation changes in shipping lanes, shippers adapt to it. They think about it and make appropriate choices. That often involves pausing operations," Gholz said.

  18. Going nuclear? Why a growing number of Washington’s allies are eyeing an alternative to US umbrella

    March 17, 2026

    By Amy McAuliffe

     

    Canadians are openly discussing the merits and risks of pursuing a nuclear weapon. Europeans are similarly considering a nuclear deterrent for the bloc. In South Korea, public support for a nuclear weapon is at its highest level on record, and even in Japan some politicians are talking about the once-taboo subject.

    Until just a few years ago, few experts would have predicted that these nations – all allies of Washington – might one day join the nuclear club.

  19. Security Dilemma Podcast | Special: Iran War Update with Michael Desh

    March 06, 2026

    In a special, quick hit edition of Security Dilemma, John Gay and A.J. Manuzzi spoke with Michael Desch, Professor of International Relations at the University of Notre Dame and the Director of the O'Brien Notre Dame International Security Center, about the early course of the American war with Iran.

     

  20. The Missing Piece Podcast | Ukraine Must Give Up Now for Peace

    March 06, 2026

    More Than four years, war in Ukraine continues to be the attention of the international community. In addition to the reactions and the political shifts in the US, leaders in Europe are also demanding the active participation of the US. According to the recent political expert, it is time for Ukraine to give up and ask for further dialogues from Russia. Will Ukraine do as it is needed? How about the voices of the European allies?

     

    Guest info: Professor Michael C. Desch is the Packey J. Dee Professor of International Relations at the University of Notre Dame and founding Brian and Jeannelle Brady Family Director of the O'Brien Notre Dame International Security Center.