Caitlin Talmadge
· Professor of Political ScienceMassachusetts Institute of Technology · Political Science
Active 2005–2024
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Research topics
- Political Science
- Computer Science
- Geography
- Law
- Computer Security
- Engineering
- Social psychology
- Marine engineering
- Economics
- Psychology
Selected publications
The Predictable Hazards of Unpredictability: Why Madman Behavior Doesn’t Work
The Washington Quarterly · 2020 · 34 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingPresident Trump has routinely touted the foreign policy benefits of unpredictability. As candidate Trump complained about the US administration in 2016, “We are totally predictable. We tell everyth...
Then What? Assessing the Military Implications of Chinese Control of Taiwan
International Security · 2022 · 26 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingAbstract The military implications of Chinese control of Taiwan are understudied. Chinese control of Taiwan would likely improve the military balance in China's favor because of reunification's positive impact on Chinese submarine warfare and ocean surveillance capabilities. Basing Chinese submarine warfare assets on Taiwan would increase the vulnerability of U.S. surface forces to attack during a crisis, reduce the attrition rate of Chinese submarines during a war, and likely increase the numbe…
The weapons acquisition process
Routledge eBooks · 2020 · 11 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingWhen Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Adversary Perceptions of Nuclear No-First-Use Pledges
International Security · 2024-01-01 · 3 citations
articleOpen access1st authorCorrespondingAbstract The United States has repeatedly debated whether to adopt a nuclear no-first-use (NFU) pledge. Advocates for such a pledge emphasize its potential advantages, including strengthening crisis stability, decreasing hostility, and bolstering nonproliferation and arms control. But these benefits depend heavily on nuclear-armed adversaries finding a U.S. NFU pledge credible. A new theory based on the logic of costly signals and tested on evidence from NFU pledges by the Soviet Union, China, a…
2021-09-23 · 3 citations
book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
Frequent coauthors
- 20 shared
Eugene Gholz
- 20 shared
Harvey M. Sapolsky
- 9 shared
Lisa Michelini
University of Oslo
- 5 shared
Vipin Narang
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
- 4 shared
Joshua Rovner
American University
- 3 shared
Neil Narang
- 3 shared
Todd S. Sechser
University of Virginia
- 2 shared
Brendan Rittenhouse Green
University of Arts
Awards & honors
- Nobel Laureates: 11
- Pulitzer Prize winners: 6
- Guggenheim Fellows: 54
- John Bates Clark Medal winners: 15
- MacArthur Fellows: 20
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