Human Security and National Security

Lab leaders: Jay Jang, Paul Kowert

The Human Security and National Security Lab brings together students, faculty, researchers, and practitioners to explore how state-centered security, human-centered security, and global geopolitical dynamics intersect across diverse regional contexts. The Lab examines how national security strategies, alliance politics, and great-power competition interact with human rights, migration, social resilience, and community-level vulnerabilities worldwide. A model project within the Lab is the Korean Peninsula Initiative, which analyzes Northeast Asia’s evolving geopolitical landscape—from nuclear deterrence and U.S.–Korea alliance transformation to the human security challenges facing North Korean defectors and residents—while serving as just one of many global case studies. Through empirical research, reading groups, practitioner dialogues, guest speakers, and an annual research seminar, the Lab fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and generates policy-relevant insights aimed at advancing strategic stability, human dignity, and holistic approaches to peace and security.