Strategic Learning is an online initiative offering free courses and resources on strategic issues in Southern Asia and beyond. By explaining concepts and providing access to a wide range of expert viewpoints, we help students and analysts improve their analytical skills and knowledge on matters of deterrence and strategy.
The core offerings of Strategic Learning are our five open, free online courses: Strategic South Asia, Deterrence in Southern Asia, Restoring Deterrence: Coercion and Crises in Southern Asia, Missile Technologies in Southern Asia, and Naval Competition in the Indian Ocean Region. These courses feature hundreds of expert interviews, interactive features, graphics, textual explainers, case studies, knowledge checks, and more.
In addition to courses, Strategic Learning releases exclusive expert interviews on our YouTube channel and social media platforms, produces multimedia explainer articles on strategic concepts and current developments, and engages directly with universities and other institutions for workshops and discussions.
Complete a course to earn a Stimson Center certificate.
Strategic Learning is a product of the Stimson Center’s South Asia program. The South Asia program produces policy analysis and academic research on regional strategic trends and geopolitical dynamics in order to inform both policy debates and scholarly work. We believe this dispassionate, reasoned approach is vital to generating high-quality strategic thinking that will advance regional and global stability.
The program also focuses its efforts on partnering with the next generation of South Asian analysts and policymakers to build better tools for regional stewardship and enduring relationships for deliberative engagement. We seek to foster space for respectful dialogue and debate for all those who seek it, be they rising scholars, contemporary experts, or even government officials from New Delhi, Islamabad, Washington DC, and Beijing.
The Strategic Learning initiative offers two versions of each course to meet the needs of different learners. While both versions contain the exact same content, the “Complete” editions require students to complete each lesson sequentially, whereas the “Flex” editions allow students to complete the lessons in any order they please.
However, only the “Complete” edition of each course offers students a certificate upon completion of the course.
Strategic Learning courses are a public good, and will always be free for users. To enroll, click “Explore Courses” in the upper right-hand banner. Then, select the course you are interested in enrolling. Choose “Complete Edition” or “Flex Edition” to access the course landing page. Click “Get this course.” Proceed to either login or create an account. You will be asked to verify your account by confirming your email address. Please be sure to check your junk and spam folders for the verification email.
Once you have verified your email address, you will have full access to your account. Click on the “COURSE CATALOG” button on the right-hand of the courses page. Then, save a course to your courses page by clicking the “GET THIS COURSE” button next to your chosen course. (Note: only students enrolled in the “Complete” edition of either course are eligible for certificates of completion).
Click “Explore Courses” in the upper right-hand banner. Then, select any course you are interested in enrolling. Choose “Complete Edition” or “Flex Edition” to access the course landing page. Click “LOGIN” in the upper right-hand banner and enter your email/username and password.
In order to load and access lessons in Strategic Learning courses, please make sure your browser is configured to accept third-party cookies. The Strategic Learning initiative uses an industry standard e-learning file type called SCORM to build and distribute course content. If you receive the “MissingKeyMissing Key-Pair-Id query parameter or cookie value” error when trying to load SCORM content, follow this guide to enabling your browser to accept third-party cookies.
Yes! To receive a certificate, be sure to enroll in the “Complete” editions of Strategic Learning courses. The “Flex” editions do not offer certificates.
Each certificate displays the following information by default:
Each certificate is downloadable as a PDF file. You can also share your certificate on LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.
To earn a digital certificate, students must complete the lessons indicated under “Completion Rules” on the Complete Edition homepages. This requires reading the texts, watching the videos, completing interactive features, answering all knowledge checks, and (for Strategic South Asia) passing the final exam.
If you have completed the course and not received your Strategic Learning certificate within 2 weeks (10 business days), please email stratlearning@stimson.org.
Yes! Students can stay connected to the Strategic Learning community and continue learning about evolving strategic dynamics in Southern Asia and beyond by subscribing to the Strategic Learning newsletter and Strategic Learning YouTube channel and by following Strategic Learning on Facebook and X.
There are three main ways you can promote the initiative:
