RCGA J-Term Speaker Series
The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs J-Term Speaker Series features Middlebury College winter term faculty examining some of the most challenging issues in their areas of expertise.
January 12, 2026 (Monday)
3:30 pm- Robert A. Jones ‘59 Conference Room (RCGA)
“Label First, Evidence Later: Terrorism Designations, Venezuela, and Trump’s War on ‘Antifa’” with Jason Blazakis.
This talk explores how the label “terrorist” is made—and weaponized. Professor Blazakis directed efforts related to the crafting of the “terrorist list” for more than a decade as head of the office that sanctioned terrorists pursuant to various legal authorities of the Secretary of State. He will unpack how terrorist designations are created in law and practice: who makes these decisions, what evidentiary standards are (supposed to be) applied, and how listings are an important tool of economic warfare and now, during the Trump Administration, domestic politics. From there, Professor Blazakis will examine how the Trump administration pushed this tool in controversial new directions, including efforts to label foreign drug cartels as terrorists, moves that intersected with U.S. policy toward Venezuela, and rhetoric about treating “Antifa” as a terrorist organization.
Jason Blazakis is a Professor of the Practice at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and Director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism.
January 22, 2026 (Thursday)
3:30 pm- Robert A. Jones ‘59 Conference Room (RCGA)Stephen Herzog
Discussion about the book Atomic Backfires: When Nuclear Policies Fail where he is the lead editor.
Please join the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs for a talk by Stephen Herzog, Professor of the Practice at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Dr. Herzog is lead editor of Atomic Backfires: When Nuclear Policies Fail (MIT Press, 2025).
The existential risks posed to the world by nuclear weapons are growing. Efforts to halt nuclear proliferation, manage crises, promote arms control, and build alliances are all considered fundamental to reducing the likelihood of nuclear catastrophe. Yet, no tool is guaranteed to succeed and some may even have unanticipated, counterproductive consequences for international security.
In a field fixated on finding solutions, Atomic Backfires, edited by Stephen Herzog, Giles David Arceneaux, and Ariel F. W. Petrovics, provocatively takes the opposite tack. An impressive group of contributors calls for close scrutiny of “standard operating procedures” in nuclear politics. They warn decision makers, scholars, and students not to lose sight of the drivers and often calamitous effects of failed nuclear policies. The volume’s authors aim to provide insights for navigating the difficult nuclear choices pursued in Washington, D.C., and other capitals around the globe.