The Royce International Symposium, hosted by the Division of Political Science at Cal State Fullerton, is held annually to provide an understanding of relevant and complex global issues and to advance academic research and campus-based community engagement.
The annual symposium is named for Ed Royce, former U.S. congressman and a distinguished Cal State Fullerton alum, who served the Orange County region as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 25 years and was chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee for six of those years.
The 2026 symposium was held March 12 at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda.
Organized by a committee of alumni and faculty, the topic of the 2026 symposium – “American Strategy in International Affairs: Opportunities and Risks” – couldn’t have been timelier.
“In an era defined by unprecedented opportunities, yet daunting risks, America must manage domestic priorities and global responsibilities,” Royce said. “Today, we gather to discuss and debate how the lessons of nation’s past should guide our future choices.”
A highlight of the symposium was a combination discussion/Q&A session between Royce and David Des Roches, a retired U.S. Army colonel and Middle East scholar.
Des Roches was scheduled to attend the symposium, but instead participated live, via satellite from his hotel in Doha, the capital city of Qatar on the Persian Gulf.
The retired colonel was in Doha to provide commentary for multiple Arabic and regional media outlets on the coordinated attacks by the U.S. and Israel on Iran.
The 40-minute discussion between Royce and Des Roches centered around the ongoing conflict.
Royce asked Des Roches to comment on Iran’s expansion of the conflict to intimidate neighboring states that were not involved in the conflict.
“Iran attacked them anyhow,” Des Roches said. “And Iran also attacked the civilian infrastructure, oil refineries and hotels. What they wanted to do was tell the Gulf States that you’re not entirely safe, that you can partner with America, but we have the ability to end this or not.”
Royce also asked Des Roches, an associate professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University, to provide commentary on Iran’s ballistic and cruise missile capabilities.
“This is a very robust capability,” Des Roches said. “I know two former Central Command commanders who have said publicly that the missile inventory is of bigger concern than Iran’s nuclear program.”
The symposium also featured student research award presentations to five CSUF political science students.
Ed Royce, CSUF alum and keynote speaker for the March 12 Royce International
Symposium (Photo courtesy of Cal State Fullerton)
All five were enrolled in the course POSC 451T Problems in International Relations, a 400-level course taught by Simon Tang, political science professor, and Owen Holmes, associate vice president emeritus, government and community relations and political science lecturer.
Among the awardees was Francis Arguien for his project titled “Time to Put the Bombs Away? Explaining U.S.–China Nuclear Competition and Identifying Paths Toward Disarmament.”
“It’s a great opportunity,” Arguien said. “It just goes to show the care and attention that Cal State Fullerton provides for students in hoping to present their research, where they can feel like they’re making a difference when they are able to have input into scholarly discussions such as these events.”
Awardee Simon Wise, a Marine Corp veteran, was recognized for his project titled “Comparing China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the U.S.-Backed Lobito Corridor in Africa.”
“I really like the opportunity to present. There’s not a lot of opportunities to do that, and I think it’s very cool that Cal State Fullerton allows that opportunity,” Wise said.
Other award recipients included:
Anirv Ayyala – “Emerging Theaters in Great Power Competition: A Comparative Analysis on U.S.-Rival Arctic Presence”
Elise Hackenberg – “Strategic Impact of U.S. Support for Taiwan in East Asia”
Ji Hwan Lee – “The Depth of Commitment: Alliance Institutionalization and U.S. Allies’ UNGA Voting Alignment” (UNGA is an acronym for United Nations General Assembly.)
Each student received a $500 scholarship from the Royce International Symposium Distribution Fund.
The symposium also featured two panel discussions:
“Return to the Nineteenth Century? Managing Great Power Rivalry,” moderated by Tang and “Evaluating U.S. Strategic Operations,” moderated by CSUF political science professor Igor Acácio.