Alexandre Debs

Alexandre Debs is a Professor of Political Science at Yale University, where he serves as Faculty Director of the Nuclear Security Program at the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies and previously as Director of Graduate Studies. His research focuses on the causes of war, nuclear proliferation, and democratization.

• Ph.D. in Economics, MIT (2007)
• M.Phil. in Economic and Social History (with Distinction), Oxford (Rhodes Scholar, 2002)
• B.Sc. in Economics and Mathematics, Université de Montréal (2000)

Debs’s work integrates game theory and empirical analysis to explore nuclear strategy, conflict dynamics, and regime transitions. He has co-authored foundational studies on strategic deterrence and democratization, often publishing in top journals like American Political Science Review and International Security.

His recent publications emphasize nuclear superiority, power shifts, and historical crises such as the July Crisis. Earlier works analyze democratic inequality in Latin America and economic models of dictatorship regimes. Debs collaborates frequently with scholars like Nuno Monteiro and H.E. Goemans.

• Rhodes Scholarship (University of Oxford, 2002)

Debs contributes to programs including the Leitner Program in International and Comparative Political Economy and leads nuclear security initiatives at the MacMillan Center. His courses cover nuclear politics and game theory.