In the News | 2021

	In the News October 10, 2021 Thief, traitor, smuggler, scammer: How the west remembers AQ Khan Chidanand RajghattaThe Times of India Quoted: "I would submit his greatest accomplishment was in fact convincing everyone that he was actually a nuclear scientist when in fact he was just the world's most dangerous and brazen smuggler," Vipin Narang, Professor of Nuclear Security at MIT observed...
	In the News October 8, 2021 Here's what we can gather about the US nuclear attack submarine collision in the South China Sea Hannah JoseABC News Quoted: Vipin Narang, a professor of nuclear security and political science at MIT, says we shouldn't hold our breath when it comes to the USS Connecticut. "It's totally unclear what hit it," he said. When asked about the possibility of it hitting an enemy submarine, he said he doubts we will ever know. "We likely won't know for sure for a while, if ever, on this one," Dr Narang said. "Not sure why we heard about this one — sometimes the damage is extensive enough that it's hard to hide," Dr Narang said.
	In the News October 6, 2021 How close did Chinese warplanes really get to Taiwan? Fred KaplanSlate Quoted: M Taylor Fravel, an expert on China’s military and the director of MIT’s Security Studies Program, said in a phone conversation Tuesday, “These planes are never on a vector to intrude into Taiwan’s airspace.” MIT’s Fravel estimates that, since that trip, Chinese planes have flown over Taiwan’s zone around 20 days each month. They have also flown over Japan’s ADIZ with some regularity. In this sense, as in many others, Beijing is an equal-opportunity exploiter of rivals’ openings. However, Fravel emphasizes, these planes have never flown over Taiwan’s actual airspace. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his generals may be haughty, but they don’t appear to be reckless.
	In the News October 5, 2021 Taiwan and China: line that Biden must tread is finer than ever Julian BorgerThe Guardian Quoted: “It’s absolutely unprecedented in the modern history of these flights that China has run into Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone,” said Taylor Fravel, the director of the security studies programme at MIT. “Each day breaks the preceding record for the total number of flights on a single day.”...“If we were back where we were with Taiwan 10 or 15 years ago with a very sort of active independence-oriented president and that precipitated a conflict across the strait, I’m not sure the United States would necessarily come to Taiwan’s aid in the first instance,” Fravel said. “It would depend on how it played out. But the fundamental US goal is to maintain stability across the strait and to prevent a conflict from occurring.”
	In the News September 29, 2021 North Korea tested a hypersonic missile. Here’s why it matters William GalloVOA Quoted: That feature may allow it to be attached to much bigger missiles than the KN-23, says Vipin Narang, a nuclear and defense specialist at MIT. “This atop a mobile solid fuel (intercontinental ballistic missile) would pose a big problem for the US — it could be hard to find, and the warhead difficult to intercept by homeland defenses,” Narang told VOA. The development means North Korea would be able to fuel missiles in a factory, seal them hermetically in canisters, and store them so that they can be moved out quickly and launched promptly, Narang says. “They have so many liquid fuel missiles. Now they may not take hours to fuel in the open where they are vulnerable. Big leap in survivability and promptness,” he added.
	In the News September 29, 2021 Mariya Grinberg seeks clarity in jargon Christopher BurnsSecurity Studies Program Mariya Grinberg aims to create clear definitions within IR theory, and to ensure definition is understood within different contexts. In her most recent project, she’s focused on the field’s shared understanding of “decline” in the context of nation-states.
	In the News September 28, 2021 North Korea fires short-range missile eastward into sea, South Korean military says Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Andrew JeongThe Washington Post Quoted: The September tests “are consistent with what we would expect for a maturing nuclear power seeking survivability and penetrability,” said Vipin Narang, a nuclear security expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
	In the News September 28, 2021 Why the governing party election is the main event in Japan Motoko RichThe New York Times Quoted: Independents don’t see much point in voting. “They’re not going to be mobilized if the opposition doesn’t have something to offer them,” said Richard Samuels, a Japan specialist who directs the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
	In the News September 22, 2021 France, striving for global power, still struggles to get it Max FisherThe New York Times Quoted: “That independent streak, the Gaullist streak that has led to nuclear weapons independence, is true in the commercial realm, also,” said Vipin Narang, an MIT political scientist. “Their fingerprints were all over every country of concern during the Cold War,” he added, referring to new nuclear states like Israel and India. “The French have been ruthless in their arms dealings in the past,” Mr Narang said. While he understood Paris’s rage, he added, “When somebody else plays this same game, the French get upset.”
	In the News September 21, 2021 A nuclear threat from the Taliban? Thirteen Vipin Narang discusses the global buildup of nuclear weapons and legacy of mutual assured destruction.
	In the News September 17, 2021 Gen Mark Milley faces criticism, support over call to Chinese counterpart WBUR Here and Now There's support from the White House and criticism from Congress for Genernal Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, over his phone call to his Chinese counterpart to avoid a possible conflict last year. Here & Now's security analyst Jim Walsh explains what these newly released details could mean for US national security. Walsh is a senior research associate at the MIT Security Studies Program.
	In the News September 17, 2021 Data flow’s decisive role on the global stage New research by political science doctoral candidate Meicen Sun illuminates the broad economic and political impacts of internet restrictions
	In the News September 16, 2021 What’s the next chapter in Afghanistan? Peter DizikesMIT News After nearly 20 years, the US has withdrawn its troops from Afghanistan, and the Taliban has regained control over the country. In light of those developments, a panel of foreign-policy experts on Tuesday addressed two separate but related questions: Why did the US military action in Afghanistan fall short, and what comes next for the strife-ridden country?
	In the News September 15, 2021 Kim Jong Un’s North Korea nuclear weapons development puts Biden to the test Edward White and Kana Inagaki The Financial Times Quoted: Vipin Narang, a nuclear policy expert at MIT, said as North Korea “matures as a nuclear weapons power it is likely seeking to develop capabilities that all ‘normal’ nuclear powers seek to augment”. That includes boosting their “survivability” against the US by improving their diversity and quantity of weapons, and adding more mobility, including sea-based capabilities, he said.
	In the News September 15, 2021 Biden announces defense deal With Australia in a bid to counter China David E Sanger and Zolan Kanno-YoungsThe New York Times Quoted: “Attack submarines are big deal, and they send a big message,” said Vipin Narang. “This would be hard to imagine five years ago, and it would have been impossible 10 years ago. And that says a lot about China’s behavior in the region.” “There will be many who say we are giving the Australians a gateway drug for a nuclear capability,’’ Mr Narang said. “It is not something we would let other major allies get away with, much less help make it possible.”
	In the News September 15, 2021 Australia will get nuclear-powered subs in new partnership with US, UK Jacqueline FeldscherDefense One Quoted: Vipin Narang, a professor of nuclear security and political science at MIT, argued that, because Australia is so far south with so much ocean to patrol, the benefits of the increased range offered by a nuclear-powered submarine outweigh the potential risks, “If there’s any country I trust, it’s really Australia,” Narang said. “I know there are proliferation risks, but to me they’re offset by the warm fuzzy feeling I get from Australia having SSNs to help us out.”
	In the News September 13, 2021 North Korea tests new long-range cruise missiles that puts Japan in striking distance Jesse JohnsonThe Japan Times Quoted: Vipin Narang, an MIT professor who specializes in nuclear strategy, said the development of the long-range cruise missile was “definitely a problem for Japan.” “They can fly low and maneuver and can be very difficult to intercept by air and missile defenses,” Narang said.
	In the News September 9, 2021 Talk of a nuclear deterrent in South Korea Morten Soendergaard LarsenForeign Policy Quoted: South Korea “is the only country to develop SLBMs without first developing nuclear weapons, so it makes one wonder,” said Vipin Narang, a professor of nuclear security and political science at MIT. “Even with a heavy conventional warhead or multiple warheads on each SLBM, does six tubes on a submarine really provide a credible conventional retaliatory capability if all of South Korea’s land-based missiles were wiped out?” Narang asked.
	In the News September 9, 2021 Reflecting on September 11, 20 years later MIT News Robert E Wilhelm Fellow Steven Simon, an expert on US strategy and the war on terror, weighs in on 9/11 and where we can go from here.
	In the News September 7, 2021 The dangerous confusion over Mazar-i-Sharif Alexander Ward and Quint ForgeyPolitico Quoted: The reason Seoul wants such a capability is to deter potential attacks from Pyongyang, or at least to have the ability to strike North Korea from a hard-to-track submarine, experts say. “A conventional SLBM is crazy expensive but may have a logic (survivable large conventional second strike etc). This is just about the uniqueness of that possibility,” tweeted Vipin Narang, a nuclear expert at MIT.
	In the News September 3, 2021 North Korea has entered the chat Jonathan Custodio and Alexander WardPolitico Quoted: “In the short term, there are meaningful gains to be had by sort of slowing down the growth of the program. And Yongbyon gives you an opportunity to do that,” said Vipin Narang, a nuclear expert at MIT, noting the nuclear reactor site is North Korea’s only known plutonium and tritium production path. “I think the question for the Biden administration or any administration going forward … is whether we can get Yongbyon, the whole complex, back on the table.”
	In the News September 2, 2021 9/11, 20 years later: did the tragedy give US-China relations a respite? Mark MagnierSouth China Morning Post Quoted: “9/11 was a strategic gift,” said M Taylor Fravel, strategic studies director at MIT...“In this country, there is great debate going forward that’s still unsettled on what the future relationship should look like,” said Fravel, even as the two nations’ size and global importance suggests they’ll need to find common ground. “Breaking up is hard to do.”
	In the News August 31, 2021 America's longest war is over. What did the US gain from 20 years in Afghanistan? WBUR Here & Now Here & Now security analyst Jim Walsh joins host Scott Tong to discuss what 20 years of war in Afghanistan accomplished as the last US troops leave Kabul airport.
	In the News August 29, 2021 The impact of Covid-19 on China’s military: A conversation with Taylor Fravel Bonny LinCenter for Strategic and International Studies In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Taylor Fravel discusses whether China has become more militarily assertive toward its neighbors during the pandemic. He argues that, although some expected the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to halt or reduce its activity during the Covid-19 pandemic, the level of Chinese assertiveness seen prior to the pandemic has continued during the pandemic.
	In the News August 23, 2021 Twenty years after 9/11, are we any smarter? Jordan Michael SmithNew Republic Quoted: “It’s an important moment when one significant power is passing or catching up in overall capabilities with another significant power,” said MIT’s Barry Posen, a leading advocate of a foreign policy forefronting restraint... “This requires a kind of subtle foreign and defense policy, and that’s not our strong suit,” he said... “Foreign policy should be about interests, not vacuums,” “If your interests don’t lie in a place, why do you care?”
	In the News August 22, 2021 Could cyberwar make the world safer? Cybèle C GreenbergThe New York Times Quoted: Cyberattacks have helped nations achieve nuclear nonproliferation in a way that, in the past, would have required physical force and increased risk to personnel, said Vipin Narang, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who specializes in nuclear strategy.
	In the News August 19, 2021 MIT-Japan Program establishes the Patricia Gercik Memorial Fund MIT News The endowed fund will provide supplemental stipends to students seeking internships in Japan. Gercik served as managing director of the MIT-Japan Program for almost three decades and introduced hundreds of MIT students to Japanese culture, history, and in-country internship experiences.
	In the News August 17, 2021 The end of America's post-9/11 delusion David FarisThe Week Barry Posen referenced and quoted: From the wreckage of this embarrassing and enormously consequential 20-year-long failure must emerge a new foreign policy doctrine based on American interests and not American mythology. This doctrine, what the grand strategy theorist Barry Posen calls "restraint" is based, as he argues, on the idea that "the United States is quite secure, due to its great power, its weak and agreeable neighbors, and its vast distance from most of the world's trouble, distances patrolled by the U.S. Navy."
	In the News August 10, 2021 North Korea threatens to boost nuclear program ahead of drills between US and ‘perfidious’ South Min Joo Kim and Simon DenyerThe Washington Post Quoted: “I would likely interpret it — in the broader context — to be the overall nuclear deterrent and posture,” said Vipin Narang, an MIT professor who specializes in nuclear strategy. Pyongyang last carried out a nuclear test in 2017, but it has tested ballistic missiles as recently as March.
	In the News August 3, 2021 Kim Jong-un health fears: Mystery spot and bandage appear on back of NK leader's head Steven BrownExpress Quoted: Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at MIT, added that "if [the sudden weight loss] is due to a health condition though, the jockeying for his succession may already be happening behind the scenes, and that volatility could be trouble for the outside world" if he were to pass away.
	In the News July 30, 2021 Apekshya Prasai receives 2021 Jeanne Guillemin Prize Michelle EnglishMIT News The award, supporting women pursuing doctorates in security studies, will help the PhD candidate investigate the dynamics of women’s participation in conflict.
	In the News July 28, 2021 A 2nd new nuclear missile base for China, and many questions about strategy The New York Times Quoted: “Just because you build the silos doesn’t mean you have to fill them all with missiles," said Vipin Narang. "They can move them around.”
	In the News July 12, 2021 China is building over 100 missile silos in the desert—Is it playing a nuclear “shell game”? Sebastien RoblinNational Interest Quoted: Vipin Narang's comments on Twitter were referenced in this article, including: “China seeking survivability to try to escape the pressure of America's first strike advantage is unsurprising and unalarming… We pursue counterforce and Ballistic Missile Defense precisely to put pressure on our adversaries, but some then somehow act surprised when Moscow, Beijing, and Pyongyang take the bait. Using their reaction to justify even more buildup is just a recipe for the spiral model, on your dime."
	In the News July 8, 2021 Global collaboration surges post-pandemic MIT News MIT is a focal point for the type of collaborative problem-solving that makes an impact around the world ... This “MIT mindset,” however, is not just limited to campus, as evidenced by the plethora of faculty collaboration with institutions across the globe, and MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) continues to make many of these research partnerships possible.
	In the News June 22, 2021 Alas and a LAC - The Sino-Indian border a year on Sify Quoted: Taylor Fravel commented on the PLA's eventual pullback: "China appears to have calculated that the political costs of a long-term military standoff with India had now become too high. As I show in recent testimony, China's assessment of its international environment now emphasizes what Xi Jinping describes as 'profound changes unseen in a century' that are associated with power shifts, rapid technological change, decaying global governance and populism. Although this assessment sees a favorable 'rising East, declining West,' it also highlights greater uncertainty and sources of instability that China must navigate to achieve its ambitious economic goals. Stabilized relations with India will help China achieve these goals, whereas continued militarized confrontation would not."
	In the News June 20, 2021 N Korea’s Kim says to prepare for ‘both dialogue and confrontation’ with US Reuters Quoted: Kim’s comments continue a “wait and see” policy, while refraining from provoking the Biden administration, said Vipin Narang, a nuclear affairs expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. "It seems to suggest that Pyongyang thinks the ball is in the U.S. court at the moment, and it is waiting to see how the Biden administration outreach goes,” he said. “Given reports of North Korea’s food and COVID-19 situation, one presumes that Kim is also happy to avoid a near-term confrontation.”
	In the News June 18, 2021 What's next after the Biden-Putin summit? NECN Sue O’Connell sat down with Carol Saivetz, senior advisor for the Security Studies Program at MIT, to discuss the biggest takeaways from the Biden-Putin summit and what we can expect going forward.
	In the News June 17, 2021 Melissa Nobles named MIT’s next chancellor MIT has announced that its next chancellor will be Melissa Nobles, an accomplished scholar who has led the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences since 2015. “Human societies face very serious challenges, and the world’s issues seem quite immediate and pressing, sitting here at our doorstep,” says Nobles, who is the Kenin Sahin Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) and a professor of political science. “Our responsibility to educate our students in order to face these challenges is more important than ever..."
	In the News June 17, 2021 One year after Galwan: The road ahead for Sino India Relations Centre for Policy Research On Thursday, June 17, the Centre for Policy Research featured an event with Taylor Fravel as a panelist to discuss the future of Sino-India relations. The event is archived and available on FaceBook.
	In the News June 15, 2021 For the first time, NATO is focusing on China The World Both the Trump and the Biden administrations have described China as an adversary, a rival, even a threat. China has been front and center when it comes to Biden's foreign policy agenda. Now, the NATO alliance is also zeroing in on China with laserlike focus. In a statement coming out of the NATO summit, allies stated that China's behavior presents: "systemic challenges to the rules-based international order." Host Marco Werman speaks with Taylor Fravel.
	In the News June 14, 2021 Lin-Greenberg among six SHASS educators to receive 2021 Levitan Teaching Award Six individuals have received the James a and Ruth Levitan Teaching Award for 2021. The award, given annually by the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS), honors superlative teachers across the school, who have been nominated by MIT students themselves.
	In the News June 13, 2021 Biden’s Europe trip is an end, not a new beginning Max HastingsBloomberg Quoted: Posen argued in a recent paper that even if the US withdrew militarily from Europe, the European NATO allies are capable of defending themselves against Russian aggression.
	In the News June 11, 2021 Q&A: The missing piece of the puzzle in manufacturing The US Innovation and Competition Act, which sailed through the Senate on Tuesday [June 8, 2021], seeks to strengthen cutting-edge American technologies, manufacturing, and—the reason for this rare bipartisan enthusiasm—competitiveness against China.
	In the News June 10, 2021 Kim Jong Un’s apparent weight loss sparks speculation over health New York Post Quoted: “If he lost the weight intentionally for health reasons, that "likely improves his position at home," said Vipin Narang … “If [the sudden weight loss] is due to a health condition though, the jockeying for his succession may already be happening behind the scenes, and that volatility could be trouble for the outside world" if he were to die suddenly, Narang said.
	In the News May 27, 2021 Kim Jong Un tries to fortify power In North Korea NPR North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed an “uncompromising struggle” against anti-socialist elements at home, according to state media reports. It’s seen as a move to fortify his power amid pandemic-related difficulties and US-led economic sanctions.Host Tonya Mosley talks with Here & Now’s security analyst Jim Walsh.
	In the News May 24, 2021 As Israel’s dependence on US shrinks, so does US leverage Vipin Narang quoted: “We’re seeing much more Israeli independence,” said Vipin Narang, who has studied Israeli strategy. “If you had told me five years ago that the Israelis would have a layered missile defense system against short-range rockets and short-range ballistic missiles, and it was going to be 90 percent effective, I would have said, ‘I would love what you’re smoking.’”
	In the News May 22, 2021 The Heat: US-ROK relations and global health summit CGTN President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea met with US President Joe Biden on Friday, May 21. The two leaders discussed a wide array of issues, including vaccine cooperation, climate change and security of the Korean Peninsula. Jim Walsh provides commentary.
	In the News May 17, 2021 Ice melts on US-Sudan relations, providing new opportunities MIT News An MIT-led workshop connecting young leaders in the US and Sudan received hundreds of applications from high school and college students eager to take part. Members of the ZAHARA for Education group selected their first cohort of 50 students.
	In the News May 17, 2021 Global Languages announces new HASS concentration in Korean MIT News Students at MIT will now be able to take their Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences concentration in Korean. The new concentration extends the options for Asian languages at MIT, which also include Japanese and Mandarin.
	In the News May 10, 2021 Study reveals mixed reactions about Covid-19 health disparities Peter DizikesMIT News The Covid-19 pandemic, like many other health crises, has had unequal effects on the US population, with communities of color often hit the hardest. A new study co-authored by Evan Lieberman identifies a related challenge: Different social groups have different reactions to the fact that Covid-19 has generated those health inequities.
	In the News May 4, 2021 India-China border row: India continues to upgrade border infrastructure as Chinese PLA looks to pre-empt India Eurasian Press DeskThe Eurasian Times Taylor Fravel cited and quoted: Taylor Fravel, professor of International Relations at MIT and author of two major books on China’s territorial disputes and its military strategy, “The simplest explanation perhaps is that China is responding to India’s efforts to bolster border-area infrastructure in Ladakh after the completion of the Darbuk-Shyok-DBO (DSDBO) road.
	In the News May 2, 2021 Four pivots Joe Biden should make with Russia Bonnie KristianNational Interest Quoted: Vital interests affect the safety, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and power position of the United States, as MIT’s Barry Posen has explained. If, in a worst-case scenario, all of Ukraine were to “fall” to Russia, then it would have little impact on the security of the United States.
	In the News May 1, 2021 Is the US-Japan alliance still the ‘cornerstone’ of stability in Asia? Quoted: Richard Samuels and Eric Heginbotham observe that “[t]he overwhelming bulk of Japan’s defense budget remains committed to capabilities consistent with a forward defense strategy.” These are maneuver forces with inherently offensive characteristics.
	In the News April 30, 2021 Remembering Yukio Okamoto A tribute to Yukio Okamoto, a Japanese diplomat who also served as both a Robert E Wilhelm Fellow and a research fellow at CIS. This month marks the first anniversary of his death. JICAChannel02 & Okamoto Associates, Inc. (OAI) sponsored the symposium.
	In the News April 30, 2021 Biden’s new North Korea policy is an extended hand to Kim Jong Un Alex WardVox Quoted: “It’s the right formulation to use because both sides agreed to it,” said Vipin Narang, an expert on North Korea’s nuclear program at MIT.
	In the News April 28, 2021 Sparking studies and conversations in Spain Brigid McMahanMIT News “Meeting with the students [virtually] to discuss the challenges I had prepared was so inspiring because I saw the interest in science sparking during our conversations,” reflects Erick Eguia, a junior studying brain and cognitive sciences. Eguia had the unique experience of taking part in a longstanding MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) program in a new way—over Google Classroom to a group of eager students in Spain.
	In the News April 22, 2021 A unique partnership continues to thrive MISTIMIT News This year’s 25th anniversary of the European Career Fair took place online Feb. 25, and MISTI was virtually present to help celebrate. Breaking last year's record with more than 3,900 candidates signed up, ECF 2021 was also the largest single career fair event at MIT during this academic year in terms of attendance.
	In the News April 21, 2021 Can the United States work with India to counter China? Emily TamkinNewStatesman Vipin Narang quoted: And on a practical level, “You can’t unwind trillions of dollars of front-line equipment that come from Russia,” said Vipin Narang. “You need spare parts for that, you need maintenance for that.”...“For Biden, it’s not a winning hand, especially for Democrats in Congress, to paint it as an alliance of democracies,” Narang said. “If this is about China, let’s just say it’s about China.”
	In the News April 21, 2021 Justin Steil wins Edgerton Faculty Award MIT News Justin Steil, associate professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, has been named a recipient of the 2020-21 Harold E Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award. Steil, a research affiliate at CIS, examines the intersection of urban policy with property, land use, and civil rights law.
	In the News April 20, 2021 Covid-19: All-adult vaccine ploy on day of ingratitude GS Mudur, JP Yadav The Telegraph Vipin Narang quoted: “India doesn’t have nearly enough supply to vaccinate everyone over 18 starting 5/1, especially since those approved are double dose. GoI knows this. So it buckpasses to states, rich ones will hoard, poor ones will die. And Modi will wash his hands of a colossal federal failure,” MIT associate professor Vipin Narang tweeted.
	In the News April 18, 2021 Covid-19 disparities and policy preferences NPR NPR's Michel Martin speaks with professor Evan Lieberman about the study he co-authored looking at how sharing information about the pandemic's racial disparities affect peoples' policy opinions.
	In the News April 15, 2021 Miliband receives the Robert A Muh Alumni Award SHASS Rt Hon David W Miliband SM ’90, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), has been recognized with the 2021 Robert A Muh Alumni Award. The biennial award recognizes the tremendous achievements of MIT degree holders who are leaders in one of the Institute’s humanities, arts, and social science fields. Miliband is being recognized for his long and distinguished political career in the United Kingdom and his leadership in addressing the global refugee crisis. He earned an SM in political science at MIT as a Kennedy Scholar and more recently served as a Robert E Wilheim Fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies.
	In the News April 14, 2021 Sought-after ambassador posts unfilled under Biden. Will they go to political allies or veteran diplomats? Deirdre Shesgreen and Courtney SubramanianUSA Today M Taylor Fravel quoted: M Taylor Fravel, an expert on China with MIT's security studies program, said the Biden administration may have good reason to hold off on its ambassadorial nominations, noting the wide range of legislative priorities the White House is juggling. “It's America's most consequential diplomatic relationship at the moment, without a doubt,” Fravel said. “If you get China wrong, you get many other things wrong. If you get China right, you solve a lot of other problems.”
	In the News April 14, 2021 Russian influence in the Middle East: A new era? The Program on US-Russia Relations at Columbia’s Harriman Institute explored the role of Russia in the Middle East with Peter Clement (Saltzman Institute), Robert O Freedman (Baltimore Hebrew University; Johns Hopkins University), and Carol R Saivetz (MIT; Harvard). The event was moderated by Elise Giuliano (Harriman Institute).
	In the News April 12, 2021 Natanz sidelined by another Israeli attack James JoynerOutside the Beltway Vipin Narang quoted: MIT’s Vipin Narang thinks otherwise, tweeting “Setting back part of Iran’s nuclear program by nine months but hardening its resolve to potentially reconstitute its nuclear weapons program seems like a bad trade unless you’re supremely confident you can keep sabotaging it indefinitely before a nuke gets out of the barn.” But, honestly, it’s not as if the regime lacked “resolve” previously.
	In the News April 5, 2021 China miscalculated in provoking a standoff with India Happymon JacobThe Wire Happymon Jacob interviews Taylor Fravel about China’s military strategy. Fravel unpacks China’s concept of a world class military and provides a rich understanding of its strategy of fighting local informalized wars and situates it within the Chinese grand strategy.
	In the News March 29, 2021 The mysterious user editing a global open-source map in China’s favor Vittoria Elliott and Nilesh ChristopherRest of World M Taylor Fravel quoted: Altering OpenStreetMap to advance national interests could be considered an extension of what experts call “cartographic warfare” when countries enforce territorial claims via maps. “In the ’50s and ’60s, China and India were engaged in this and would publish competing maps to bolster the strength of their claims to territory,” said M Taylor Fravel, director of the Security Studies Program at MIT, who has studied China’s borders and territorial disputes. “What we are seeing now in open source I would characterize as the latest manifestation of the ways in which states have sought to advance their claims through maps and mapmaking.”
	In the News March 28, 2021 Loaded language: US denuclearization phrasing puts progress on North Korea in jeopardy Jesse JohnsonThe Japan Times Vipin Narang quoted: “The inconsistency is frustrating,” Vipin Narang, a North Korea expert and professor of international relations at MIT, said of the apparent shift in language. “These phrases are not interchangeable, at least as far as Pyongyang is concerned...” “It seems unnecessary to insist on the ‘denuclearization of North Korea’ if it will simply torpedo attempts to jump-start talks,” MIT’s Narang said. “Of course, it’s possible Pyongyang is just using this as an excuse, but it’s an easy excuse for them to use.”
	In the News March 26, 2021 North Korea claims 'new tactical guided' missiles launched Laura BickerBBC News Vipin Narang quoted: Such a new missile would allow North Korea to put heavier nuclear warheads on its rockets, Vipin Narang, a security studies professor at MIT said on Twitter. “I think the story with this KN23 variant is this massive payload upgrade. This gives North Korea the flexibility to use a not-so-compact nuclear warhead on this missile. On @ArmsControlWonk 0 (fart) to 10 (ICBM) scale, I put this test at a solid (fuel) 6. Others may disagree.”
	In the News March 25, 2021 Barry Posen on risking escalation and scrutinizing plan CIMSEC discussed the 1980s Maritime Strategy with Professor Barry Posen of MIT, who at the time emerged as a challenger of some of the strategy’s precepts. In this discussion, Posen discusses the possibly escalatory nature of the strategy, the nuclear risks involved, and how operational war plans deserve to be scrutinized by civilian policymakers. This article was first published here.
	In the News March 25, 2021 North Korea claims it tested a new guided missile Guardian staff and agenciesThe Guardian Vipin Narang quoted: Vipin Narang of MIT said it appeared to be a weapon that the North displayed at a military parade in January. “A 2.5 ton warhead likely settles the question whether this KN23 variant is nuclear capable. It is,” he tweeted.
	In the News March 24, 2021 North Korea missile test casts shadow over Biden administration, Japan Olympics Josh Smith, Antoni SlodkowskiReuters Vipin Narang quoted: Even short-range ballistic missile tests would be a “step up” from the weekend test, and allow North Korea to improve its technology and send a proportionate response to recent US-South Korea military drills, said Vipin Narang, a nuclear affairs expert at MIT. The test launches should not torpedo diplomatic efforts, but they are a reminder of the cost of the failure to secure a deal with Pyongyang, he said. “Every day that passes without a deal that tries to reduce the risks posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile arsenal is a day that it gets bigger and badder,” Narang said.
	In the News March 23, 2021 3 Questions: Artificial intelligence for health care equity MIT Schwarzman College of ComputingMIT News Regina Barzilay, Fotini Christia, and Collin Stultz describe how artificial intelligence and machine learning can support fairness, personalization, and inclusiveness in health care.
	In the News March 23, 2021 Biden administration's focus on Russia NECN Sue O’Connell speaks with Carol Saivetz, senior advisor for the Security Studies Program at MIT, about Biden’s focus on Russia.
	In the News March 19, 2021 Officials from the US and China have met for the first time since Biden took office John RuwitchNPR M Taylor Fravel quoted: “On the one hand, I might view it as positive because the US is airing concerns that I, as the ally or partner, share. On the other hand, I might be concerned that this is the sign of a relationship that's going to sort of accelerate in terms of its decline.”
	In the News March 18, 2021 Traveling the world for global health solutions After studying and working on three continents, Andrea Orji, an MIT senior and chemical engineering major, now aspires to become a physician in Nigeria.
	In the News March 18, 2021 Analysis: Denuclearisation of what? US switch on North Korea wording raises debate Josh SmithReuters Vipin Narang quoted: Implications of unilateral denuclearisation are “a nonstarter for Pyongyang and is unlikely to jumpstart any negotiations,” said Vipin Narang, a nuclear affairs expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. “The formulation ‘denuclearisation of North Korea’ implies unilateral obligations on North Korea - something it has never agreed to, and neither have we,” he said.
	In the News March 15, 2021 North Korea breaks silence to warn US against 'causing a stink' Jennifer Hansler, Nicole Gaouette and Kylie AtwoodCNN Vipin Narang quoted: “Denuclearization is a non-starter,” said Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at MIT, who added that “every time we use that phrase it's a five-yard penalty, because the North Koreans never agreed to it.” Narang said that the Biden officials' insistence on adopting the same emphasis on North Korean denuclearization “likely isn't helping, when you insist on something they've rejected flat out of hand.”
	In the News March 14, 2021 Manaakitanga’s role in New Zealand's low COVID-19 death rate Geoff JohnsonTimes Colonist Chappell Lawson quoted: While most scholars at the event were “reluctant to ascribe outcomes to culture,” said MIT political scientist Chappell Lawson, “during a time of a global public health crisis, it is at least possible to ask how social practices have fed into the varying responses around the world” adding that “the basic question related to culture response is how the habits and mindsets of a group of people affect what people do in the public sphere.”
	In the News March 10, 2021 Latest Microsoft mass hacks highlight challenge for Biden administration AFPThe Straits Times R David Edelman quoted: “The administration has said it wants to impose costs, and it's unclear what costs are commensurate. Just like with SolarWinds, the private sector is going to have to pay for another state's adventurism,” Mr Edelman said. “Indictments? Sanctions? They only have so much effect when we're talking about agents safely ensconced in a foreign security state thousands of miles away.”
	In the News March 10, 2021 3 Questions: Richard Samuels on Japan’s 3.11 triple disaster and its impact 10 years later MIT News Within minutes, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown on March 11, 2011, brought an unprecedented wave of death, displacement, and destruction to Japan. Here, Samuels reflects on whether 3.11 was a force of change, or a return to status quo, in Japan’s politics and public policy.
	In the News March 10, 2021 A conversation about Japanese politics and public policy UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy What do the Tohoku earthquake, Japanese intelligence, technology policy and national security policy, and Japan’s energy and regional policies have in common? Richard Samuels shares insights he has gained from this deep and broad research, and what his findings imply for Japan, Japan’s grand strategy, and US-Japan relations today.
	In the News March 10, 2021 Exploring generations of influence between South Asia and MIT Over Independent Activities Period, students were involved in conducting research, looking at historical archives on campus and beyond, and conducting oral history interviews with alumni in India and the United States. The project laid the groundwork for an online archive that traces the personal, professional, and intellectual journeys of alumni, documenting the incredible relationship between South Asia and the Institute.
	In the News March 8, 2021 What's really driving China's strategic objectives? Michael GreenReal Vision Taylor Fravel sits down with his long-time friend Mike Green of Logica Capital Advisors to discuss a multitude of factors affecting China’s strategic objectives. They The focus of the interview is on geography and how China’s large number of land borders and their perception of being blocked off from the Pacific Ocean by USmilitary presence in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines makes the “first island chain” a potential flashpoint for conflict.
	In the News March 6, 2021 The Fukushima disaster was not the turning point many had hoped The Economist Richard Samuels quoted: “There’s been some change, but nothing at the pace commensurate with the promise,” argues Richard Samuels, author of “3.11: Disaster and Change in Japan”.
	In the News March 3, 2021 MIT and Danish university students unite to envision a more sustainable future MISTI Climate action is among the top priorities for the Institute and one that demands global solutions. With Denmark’s reputation as a leader in sustainable thinking, finding a way to bring the two together presented a natural synergy for the MIT-Denmark program...The Green Campus Challenge was launched with these goals in mind, tasking student teams to develop proposals to make a more sustainable campus and also broaden their cross-cultural competencies and learn about how sustainability is perceived in another culture.
	In the News February 26, 2021 US launches airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias in Syria Peter O'DowdWBUR Here & Now The Pentagon says the strikes in Syria targeted Iranian-backed militia groups in response to a rocket attack at a US base in Iraq last week. Host Peter O'Dowd gets the latest on the strikes, which mark the first military offensive of Biden's presidency, from security analyst Jim Walsh.
	In the News February 19, 2021 Biden moves to restart Iran nuclear talks Peter O'DowdWBUR Here & Now The Biden administration says the US would be willing to attend a meeting with European partners and Iran to “discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran's nuclear program.” Jim Walsh explains and weighs in on this first real sign of rejoining the Iran nuclear deal.
	In the News February 17, 2021 China removes tanks and dismantles helipad, easing border tension with India Will GlasgowThe Australian M Taylor Fravel quoted: “In the near term, the disengagement greatly reduces the chance of military escalation between two nuclear-armed powers by creating buffer zones between their frontline forces,” said M Taylor Fravel, an expert on China’s territorial disputes at MIT. “In the longer term, it could serve as the basis for talks to reduce incidents along the LAC, especially in areas where the two countries view the location of the LAC differently,” Mr Fravel told The Australian.
	In the News February 12, 2021 How India stood its ground and forced China to end Pangong Tso aggression Snehesh Alex Philip and Nayanima BasuThe Print M Taylor Fravel quoted: “Although it remains early days, my view is that China is responding to the significant deterioration of US-China relations in the past year, and the way in which its international image has suffered in many countries, at a time when the party will launch the 14th five-year plan that is critical to its development goals,” Fravel added.
	In the News February 12, 2021 Impeachment video shows Pence had 'nuclear football' as he moved away from Capitol riot Morgan GstalterThe Hill Vipin Narang quoted: “More jarring than seeing the ‘football’ follow Pence as he was being evacuated — it is just a communication device, at no point could it’s compromise have resulted in a launch — is knowing that the man who possessed sole authority to launch American nukes at the time incited this mob,” Narang wrote.
	In the News February 12, 2021 Indian and Chinese troops start disengagement at Pangong Tso; experts discuss CNBC-TV18 The Chinese PLA have withdrawn over 200 tanks and have started removing troops from south Pangong region. Defence minister Rajnath Singh told parliament on Thursday that Indian and Chinese troops have reached an agreement on disengagement. To discuss this, Parikshit Luthra spoke to Ananth Krishnan, China correspondent at The Hindu, and M Taylor Fravel, director of security studies at MIT.
	In the News February 11, 2021 Indian, Chinese armies begin pullback at LAC Rahul Singh and Sutirtho PatranobisHindustan Times Vipin Narang quoted: Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said: “Let’s see what happens. Any movement toward disengagement is good, but it has to be real and sustained, and verified not just in Pangong but eventually elsewhere as well. It can’t be China pretending to disengage and India pretending to believe it.”
	In the News February 5, 2021 To arms or to flight? Leda ZimmermanMIT Political Science Why do some people fight and others flee when confronting violence? “This question has been bothering me for quite some time,” says Aidan Milliff, a fifth-year doctoral student who entered political science to explore the strategic choices people make in perilous times.
	In the News February 4, 2021 US-Russia treaty restricting nuclear weapons extended for 5 years WBUR Here and Now The Biden administration and Russia agreed to extend a nonproliferation treaty that restricts the two nations' arsenals of some of the deadliest weapons known to humankind. Jim Walsh weighs in.
	In the News February 3, 2021 Choucri connects the dots between technology and geopolitics Katherine LeeAAAS Nazli Choucri’s work involves urgent and timely topics such as changes in international relations, conflict and violence, and the international political economy, with a focus on cyberspace and the global environment. She is profiled here by AAAS, where she was elected in 2020 as a fellow.
	In the News February 3, 2021 Iran has done well to resist Trump’s maximum pressure Mohammad MazhariTehran Times The rising tension between Iran and the Trump administration pushed some observers to claim that the JCPOA is dead, especially after the Arab-Israeli normalization and their efforts to form a coalition against Iran. John Tirman discusses with Tehran Times.
	In the News February 3, 2021 China on the brink of "major crisis" Jamie SeidelThe Morning Bulletin M Taylor Fravel quoted: “China's emphasis on operating in the grey zone recognizes the clear dangers of crossing the threshold for the use of force and have been employed precisely for this reason - to achieve national objectives without using force,” he says. “A leading Indonesian political figure once said to me that the PRC had no real soft power in Southeast Asia, but plenty of ‘money power’,” he says.
	In the News February 3, 2021 Maritime disputes in East Asia Columbia-Harvard China and the World ProgramColumbia University A podcast featuring Taylor Fravel on key maritime issues in East Asia related to the South China Sea, the East China Sea, Taiwan, and the US role in the region.
	In the News February 1, 2021 Why India is facing possible US sanctions Ronak D DesaiForbes Vipin Narang quoted: Dr Vipin Narang, professor and sanctions expert at MIT, notes that “even though India imports significant quantities of Russian military equipment, there does appear to be a particular and specific concern about S-400, one that caused the US to sanction a NATO ally, albeit one with which it has complicated relations.” The fact that Turkey “did not escape CAATSA sanctions suggests that the US is very concerned about the S-400 system.”
	In the News January 31, 2021 With increasing authority, women are gaining space while preaching Islam on the Internet KSU \| The Sentinel Newspaper Richard Nielsen heavily quoted: “When I found women preaching with authority on these sites, I was very surprised and wanted to know more,” explains political scientist Richard Nielsen, who teaches at MIT. He recently published a study on this topic, as part of his larger project to understand the impact of the Internet on religious authority.
	In the News January 30, 2021 Nuclear proliferation is not fast, but it is frightening The Economist Richard Samuels quoted: Such experiences change perspectives. Japanese conversations about nuclear weapons were once “sotto voce” and confined to a small cluster of “very conservative thinkers”, says Richard Samuels of MIT. Now, he writes in an article with his colleague Eric Heginbotham, “What once had been nearly taboo...has a conspicuous presence in Japan’s security discourse.”
	In the News January 29, 2021 Foreign policy advice: Don’t look back Peter DizikesMIT News The Biden administration faces tasks ranging from reviving relationships with traditional partners, restoring agreements forged in the Obama administration, and tackling our ongoing global crises. The four panelists at the Starr Forum all spent time at MIT in the past, as Robert E Wilhelm Fellows at CIS.
	In the News January 27, 2021 PhD candidates Campbell-Mohn and Freeman among Kissinger’s Nolan Prize winners The Henry A Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) announced, in conjunction with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Texas National Security Review, the 2020 Janne Nolan Prize winners for the best article on national security/international affairs. Congratulations to PhD candidates Emma Campbell-Mohn and Suzanne Freeman, who both received recognition for their work.
	In the News January 27, 2021 India sticking to S-400 deal with Russia despite threat of possible US sanctions Rezaul H Laskar, Rahul SinghHindustan Times Vipin Narang quoted: “The fact that Turkey didn’t escape CAATSA sanctions suggests the US is very concerned about the S-400 system, and it's probably not just junk. India's insistence to take delivery of its first S-400 batteries later this year therefore sets the Biden administration potentially on a collision course on the sanctions question with India,” Narang said.
	In the News January 21, 2021 North Korea’s new sub missile is first step toward a new ICBM Morten Soendergaard LarsenForeign Policy Vipin Narang quoted: “It’s just not survivable against the United States. In any crisis or conflict, I can only imagine that the US Navy or the [South Korean navy] would be there just blanketing the entire coast. I can’t imagine anything is going to survive,” said Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
	In the News January 21, 2021 Biden seeks five more years for last Russia nuclear pact but no 'reset' AFP News Vipin Narang quoted: “The only opponents are those who seek an unlimited arms race. Glad to see the Biden administration dispensing with reckless games of chicken with global security on Day One,” tweeted Vipin Narang. He said the Biden administration can still find other ways to pressure Russia over its concerns on so-called tactical nuclear weapons — which Moscow could deploy in hot conflicts close to home, as opposed to strategic weapons that mostly target the United States. “This buys the sundae without precluding future sprinkles,” Narang said.
	In the News January 19, 2021 How Trump will hand off the 'nuclear football' to Biden Zachary CohenCNN Vipin Narang quoted: “The easiest way to think about it is there is a seamless cutover as to which ‘biscuit’ is valid at noon Wednesday,” according to Vipin Narang, a nuclear policy expert and professor at MIT. “Biden's biscuit would not be valid at 11:59 am, and Trump's would not be valid at 12:01 pm.”
	In the News January 18, 2021 North Korea’s Kim could be planning missile launch to welcome Biden administration Simon Denyer and Joby WarrickThe Washington Post Vipin Narang quoted: Narang would not rule out a provocative test but said it is equally possible that Kim, already struggling to keep the coronavirus at bay, maintain food production and prop up the economy, could bide his time. “Time is on Kim’s side, so why rock the boat, especially given potentially serious domestic problems?” he asked. “Kim doesn’t need to be the new kid screaming for attention, especially if he can quietly improve and expand his force, as he’s doing.”
	In the News January 18, 2021 Taylor Fravel on China Power Project Podcast This special episode of the ChinaPower podcast is the fourth of five featuring the audio from the China Power Project's fifth annual conference, which comprises five live online debates. The fourth debate took place on December 9, 2020 and featured two experts debating the following proposition: Within the next five years, China will use significant military force against a country on its periphery.
	In the News January 15, 2021 North Korea shows off new submarine-launched missile at military parade William GalloVOA Vipin Narang quoted: “The only thing that makes sense to me is that these developments are setting the stage for a solid fuel ICBM. To me that has to be the end game here,” tweeted Vipin Narang, a nuclear specialist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
	In the News January 15, 2021 North Korea unveils new submarine-launched missile at parade Jesse JohnsonThe Japan Times Vipin Narang quoted: “I’m struggling to understand the logic of this rapid SLBM development and evolution with no real survivable submarine and the only thing that makes sense to me is that these developments are setting the stage for a solid fuel ICBM,” Vipin Narang, a North Korea expert and professor of international relations at MIT, wrote on Twitter. “To me that has to be the end game here.”
	In the News January 14, 2021 ‘A more general anxiety’: Gun sales soared nationwide in 2020 Anissa GardizyThe Boston Globe John Tirman quoted: John Tirman, executive director of MIT’s Center for International Studies, said he believes US gun sales were up in 2020 due to a “general instability of society.” “It does relate to the election, and Trump, and the possibility that Biden could try to enact gun control, but I think it is a more general anxiety,” he said.
	In the News January 12, 2021 Questions of national security arise amid uncertainty in DC WBUR Here and Now There are questions about national security in the aftermath of what happened at the US Capitol last Wednesday when President Trump's supporters stormed the building. Jim Walsh weighs in.
	In the News January 8, 2021 Trump has the authority to launch nuclear weapons — whether Pelosi likes it or not Jennifer Williams and Alex WardVox Vipin Narang quoted: “So long as Trump remains in office, he retains the legal authority to solely launch some or all of America’s nuclear weapons until 12:01 pm on January 20, or until he is removed from office,” Vipin Narang, a nuclear security expert at MIT, told Vox. “Any ‘safeguards’ that could effectively prevent POTUS from exercising sole authority to launch nuclear weapons are either illegal or illusory.”
	In the News January 5, 2021 Chinese President Xi Jinping wrests greater control over China's military; revises National Defense Law ANIThe Free Press Journal M Taylor Fravel heavily quoted: “This marks only the fifth time that the PLA has changed its operational doctrine since 1949.”... Fravel added: “The promulgation of a high-level doctrinal document suggests that the PLA is consolidating the changes to improve joint operations that were part of the unprecedented reforms that began in late 2015. In fact, it likely signals confidence that the reforms have been successful.”
	In the News January 4, 2021 Iran eyes Biden but could conflict still erupt with Trump? Shaun TandonAFP News Vipin Narang quoted: “We have a new form of deterrence now -- schizophrenic deterrence. We don't know what we're doing,” said Vipin Narang. Instead of looking tough by reversing the Nimitz's return, “it may send the wrong signal – which is that it's total chaos in Washington right now and if you're going to take a shot, maybe this is the time you want to do it.”

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