
From pandemics to misinformation: rethinking security today
From Trending Globally: Politics and Policy by The Watson School
April 16, 2026 · 40 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the interdisciplinary nature of security studies in the context of global threats, including pandemics and misinformation.
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
People in this episode
Host: Dan Richards
Guests: Rose McDermott, Jennifer Nuzzo
Topics covered
- security studies
- COVID-19
- international security
- pandemics
- AI technologies
- misinformation
- global threats
Keywords
- security
- pandemic
- misinformation
- AI
- international relations
- threats
- epidemiology
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Brown University’s School of Public Health
Places: Europe, Middle East
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