The Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) is pleased to announce that CISAC Deputy Director Harold Trinkunas has been awarded the Alfred Stepan Lifetime Achievement Award in Defense, Public Security, and Democracy 2025 by the Latin American Studies Association. The award is named after Professor Alfred Stepan, a scholar who made many distinguished contributions to the study of civil-military relations and of Brazilian politics, first at Columbia University and then at Yale University.

Announced in May, Trinkunas is awarded for his outstanding academic career and contributions to security and defense studies, such as civil-military relations, transnational organized crime, terrorism, and local orders dominated by non-state actors, among other topics of great relevance to our field of study. According to the award citation, his work exemplifies the potential of interdisciplinary inquiry to deepen understanding of complex geopolitical dynamics and to inform more responsive and inclusive policy frameworks. Having published several books, his work remains a foundational study of civil-military relations in a deeply polarized context. Across his edited volumes and collaborations, Trinkunas has consistently brought clarity to the shifting contours of global security in an age of digital disruption and institutional uncertainty.

The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest professional association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America. With over 13,000 members, over 60% of whom reside outside the United States, LASA is the one association that brings together experts on Latin America from all disciplines and diverse occupational endeavors, across the globe.