Spencer PengMy time at IWP has been a memorable experience, especially delivering my weekly briefs and participating in wargames. I particularly enjoyed Dr. Tim McCranor’s seminars, which pushed me to think more critically about Machiavelli’s The Prince, a text I had read many times.
The weekly intelligence and policy briefs were probably the most valuable part of the fellowship for me. They forced me to move beyond just summarizing events and instead focus on why they matter and what should be done about them. I had to think more carefully about implications, uncertainty, and how to structure an argument so that it was both analytical and actionable. That process really helped me tailor my analysis to a specific audience rather than just explaining everything I knew.
Overall, the IWP fellowship has had a strong impact on how I think and what I want to pursue going forward. It helped me build both my analytical skills and my ability to communicate clearly under pressure, all essentials in national security and foreign policy work.
Spencer Peng
Georgetown University, Class of 2028
Civic Thought & Statecraft Fellow