Noah Tan

Noah Tan (he/him) is a senior studying International Relations. His primary specialization is International Security and his secondary specialization is Economic Development and World Economy. He is minoring in Music Composition‬. Noah spoke with us about his interests, favorite IR classes, internships and more!

What are your primary research interests?

My primary research interests are at the intersection of international security and economic statecraft. My research has focused on how states use their respective economies as weapons or tools of leverage, including through international trade behavior, tariffs, sanctions evasion, and use of central bank digital currencies.

What is your favorite IR class so far and why?

I really enjoyed taking INTNLREL 114S: International Security in a Changing World with Scott Sagan and Harold Trinkunas. This was a great way to learn about the different dimensions of “international security”, which by itself sounds like a very ambiguous topic without the important context provided by this class. Not only are there interesting guest lectures and and midterm simulation, but this class also helped me to prepare for my honors thesis at the Center for International Security and Cooperation.

Can you tell us a bit about a recent internship experience?

This past summer, I got the opportunity to intern for the Baltic Security Foundation in Riga, Latvia, where I worked on issues pertaining to the Russo-Ukrainian War, transatlantic security cooperation, and Chinese influence in the Baltic Sea Region. In addition to my reports on these issues, I was very fortunate to help teach a week-long English language seminar to Ukrainian refugees ages nine to fifteen—I undoubtedly learned more from these kids than anything I could teach them. Interning in Latvia also gave me the rare chance to travel to multiple different countries, see my former teammate win bronze in the 2024 Paris Olympics, and make new friends with other Stanford students interning in Estonia.

Any hobbies or outside interests?

I have been a coxswain on the Stanford Men’s Rowing Team for all four years—I love the teamwork, leadership, critical-thinking, and perservereance lessons that it has taught me! In addition, I enjoy music composition, especially writing pieces for orchestra, wind ensemble, and musical theater. In my spare time, I like to rock climb recreationally, though any actual rock climber could put me to shame.