Jason M. Blazakis

  • Professor of the Practice and Director of Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism, Middlebury College
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei appeared by video during a U.N. Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence during the General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23, 2026. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Trump wants an AI Force like Space Force, but that could make AI’s risks harder to manage

An AI Force would likely push China to create its own. That arms race could turn a technology already slipping out of human control into a weapon.
Could removing Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism alleviate the plight of the impoverished nation? Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images

Biden’s move to remove Cuba from terror list continues ‘yo‑yo’ policy likely to be reversed by Trump

Incoming Trump administration is set to adopt a more hawkish stance on Cuba-US relations – but a more targeted sanctions approach may pressure Havana without hurting the island’s impoverished people.
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia members stand in southwestern Colombia on January 17, 2017. These FARC soldiers were among the 5,700 fighters who demobilized after the 2016 peace agreement. Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images

US has taken FARC off its terrorist list, giving insight into Biden’s foreign policy

The U.S. State Department rarely removes terrorist groups from its Foreign Terrorist Organizations list. Most terrorist groups, unlike the Colombian FARC, don’t want to put down their weapons.

Contact Jason for

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  • Speaking request
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  • Research supervision