CPOST seeks to produce policy-relevant basic research, with a focus on “black hole” topics on security issues, broadly defined, where credible new knowledge has the potential to improve policy decisions that can strengthen the security of the United States and peoples around the world.

Keep up with the latest happenings at CPOST:

CPOST News

CPOST Director on Chicago’s transformation from isolationist to globally engaged: Chicago Tribune

Sun., Mar. 03, 2024

In a recent Chicago Tribune op-ed by Storer H. RowleyProf. Robert Pape says, “In a modern age of empathy and social media, it is so common for people to identify with the plight of people overseas...I think what you are seeing basically is support for positions that have a lot to do with empathizing with other people."

Read full Op-ed here.

Indictments Fueled Extremists’ Support for Trump, CPOST Survey Finds: The Guardian

Fri., Jan. 26, 2024

New CPOST survey results shows increased violent support for Trump aligns with the indictments, as did the erosion of support for democratic norms. In addition, the survey found court cases using the 14th amendment to try to keep Trump off the ballot could further erode confidence in the political system, regardless of how the supreme court rules on the issue.

In an article published in The Guardian on January 26, CPOST Director Robert Pape says support for democratic norms has gone from “bad to worse”, and the more a person believes the system is corrupt or rigged, the more likely they are to support using violence instead of the political system. 

Read the article here.

CPOST Director Says America a ‘Tinderbox’ in 2024: WTTW-Chicago PBS

Tue., Jan. 09, 2024

As the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack passed, WTTW News spoke with CPOST Director Robert Pape, to get his thoughts on the threat of domestic political violence. 

Listen to the interview here.

Expert Statements to Jan 6 Committee Now Available: Just Security

Sat., Jan. 06, 2024

During the course of its 18-month investigation, the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol solicited expert statements to help it better understand “the facts, circumstances, and causes” of the attack. Expert statements to the Committee based on extensive CPOST research are now available online. See item 15 of the Just Security publication here.

CPOST Director on the Unseen Faces of Jan. 6 and Why Trump Poses a “Uniquely Dangerous Threat”: Amanpour and Company

Fri., Jan. 05, 2024

Almost three years after insurgents stormed the U.S. Capitol, the shadow of January 6 continues to hang over the fate of American democracy. CPOST Director Robert Pape joins Walter Isaacson to discuss how political violence moved from the margins to the mainstream.

Watch the interview here.