An agenda for Japanese military reform
Japan’s military planners face a number of major challenges on the near horizon, write Eric Heginbotham and Richard Samuels in their essay in East Asia Forum Quarterly. A potential conflict on the Korean peninsula, skirmishes in the East China Sea, debilitating cyberattacks, and the forced repatriation of Taiwan by Beijing.
South Korean officials and Kim Jong Un; Pompeo in Pakistan
A South Korean presidential delegation met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and conveyed a personal letter from South Korean President Moon Jae-in. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Pakistan at a time when relations have sunk to a new low. Jim Walsh speaks about these and other issues.
Journalist Una Hajdari joins CIS as the 2018 IWMF Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow
The Kosovo journalist will use her time as the Elizabeth Neuffer fellow to highlight the issues that affect the everyday lives of people in the Balkans and in Eastern Europe. “Oftentimes, outlets focus on the ‘big geopolitical narratives’ ... and neglect the stories that don’t necessarily fit into this polarized perspective.”
The Trump administration’s new ‘Iran Action Group’ won’t work
The "Iran Action Group" announcement signaled again that the Trump administration intends to act more aggressively against Iran. So how likely is it that this pressure campaign will change Iranian behavior? MIT SSP affiliate Nicholas Miller says it won’t work.
MIT team digitizes Machu Picchu
A laboratory team from the MIT Department of Architecture, led by Professor Takehiko Nagakura and PhD student Paloma Gonzales, has been working on the MISTI Global Seed Fund Machu Picchu Design Heritage project since 2016. "We believe that…the digitalization of architectural monuments is key to the preservation of the cultural heritage of humanity.”
South Korean family prepares for what might be a last reunion
“These may look like small goodwill gestures, but they are an important part of the trust-building process which North Korea has signalled it values,” said Vipin Narang.
Shaping technology’s future
With data-informed models, Jessika Trancik seeks ways to coax progress toward sustainable energy systems. Trancik is a co-faculty director of the Center’s International Policy Lab.
Selin and Oye win 2018 Martore Teaching Award
The Joseph A Martore Award for Excellence in Teaching in IDSS was awarded to two faculty members for 2018: Noelle Selin and Ken Oye. Oye is director of the Center’s Program on Emerging Technologies.
MIT-Germany partners with Friedrich Alexander University
“As the MIT-Germany program grows, many new opportunities for collaborations will emerge, and create synergies between FAU and MIT, spanning the spectrum from teaching to cutting edge research,” says Markus Buehler, MIT-Germany faculty director and head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
MIT-Japan goes full STEAM ahead
The MIT-Japan Program and Tohoku University's Science Angels recently held their second annual collaborative education program for children, appropriately titled “Let’s STEAM!” The one-day event aims to encourage children — especially girls — to pursue their interest in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).
The origins of America's gun obsession
John Tirman writes in an opinion piece that Sacha Baron Cohen's Who Is America? “kinderguardian” ruse reveals the extent of America’s gun culture. It’s a wellspring from the earliest times of colonial America, nourishing the country’s entire history.
North Korea is dismantling missile facilities, but nuclear expert warns against getting 'drunk on optimism'
It is good news, said Vipin Narang, “but there are a couple of caveats. ...the Sohae test site could be destroyed, and North Korea could continue to improve their missile force and produce nuclear weapons."
What was the strategy behind the president's Iran tweet?
President Trump tweeted a strongly worded message to President Rouhani of Iran. Jim Walsh says that the president’s tweet could come off as a nuclear threat.
Japan’s pivot in Asia
In Tokyo, apprehension regarding how the different trajectories of China and the US might affect Japan—muted somewhat by the Obama administration’s reassurances of a US “pivot” to Asia—is more apparent than ever.
MIT European Club leads in giving back
The MIT European Club has donated $40,000 to fund 10 new MISTI European Fellows this summer. Not only is it of the most substantial gifts given by a student group to the MIT community, it also marks the 10th anniversary of a successful partnership.
The NATO summit and state of the alliance
Barry Posen, a leading national security expert and Cold War historian, offers in-depth scholarship on NATO Summit. He discusses the role of NATO today, and whether the alliance is “stronger than ever,” as President Trump stated in a post-summit press conference.






















