Mr Alejandro Pliego

Mr. Alejandro Pliego is a Young Leader in Foreign and Security Policy at the GCSP and a rising junior at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. His primary research analyzes the parallels between United States and China’s foreign policy, with a distinct focus on how emerging technologies are deployed within modern geopolitical strategies.

He regularly engages with domestic and foreign diplomats through the Center for International Security Studies (CISS) and the Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) to identify solutions to international security challenges. Notably, his work in the South Caucasus region has included dialogues with the U.S. embassies of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey to examine the strategic frameworks of the TRIPP agreement.

His focus on technology and strategy extends to his academic research, where he is actively involved in shaping contemporary AI governance. He worked alongside Dr. Tufekci, supporting a publication detailing how Large Language Model (LLM) sycophancy impacts the societal and security implications of AI.

Beyond his security and technology background, he holds a strong foundation in global development and environmental policy. He co-directed academic curricula for orphaned students with the Ashinaga Foundation in Uganda, and managed community-led economic and conservation initiatives with Costa Rica’s Tropical Science Center, expanding equitable access to education. To further his environmental work, he has evaluated the vulnerabilities of Iceland’s leading data centers in relation to shifting climate patterns. He has also conducted ecological field research with the Smithsonian Mpala Research Center, presenting his findings to the UNRC in Kenya.