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In the NewsDecember 9, 2016Japan’s pivot from Obama to TrumpJoshua HuntThe New YorkerAbe’s visit to Trump Tower in November went against the wishes of Obama’s White House, according to a Japanese media report, which cited an unnamed diplomatic source. But Richard Samuels, Ford International Professor of Political Science and director of CIS, says that Abe’s team “did what they had to do, quickly and well.” |
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In the NewsDecember 7, 2016How political science helps combat terrorismEmily Hiestand, Kathryn O'NeillSHASS News“As humans, we have all sorts of cognitive biases that come into play when we try to evaluate the risks posed by terrorism as well as the trade-offs of various counterterrorism policies,” says Richard Nielsen, assistant professor of political science. |
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In the NewsNovember 9, 2016Donald Trump’s victory is part of a global white backlashZack BeauchampVoxRoger Petersen has argued, persuasively, that ethnic conflict around the world is often driven by something he calls “resentment”: the feeling of injustice on the part of a privileged portion of society. |
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In the NewsNovember 8, 2016Businessman Trump or bureaucrat Hillary—Whom does Asia prefer?Wesley RahnDeutsche Welle“The longing for closer association with the West is real,” Richard Samuels, director of CIS and Ford International Professor of Political Science, told Deutsche Welle. “However, it is constrained by the economic forces and opportunities that have only expanded since Clinton made that statement five years ago.” |
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In the NewsOctober 15, 2016On the Putinization of politicsElizabeth WoodConcern about the possible role of Russian president Vladimir Putin in the American political process has emerged as an issue in the 2016 presidential election. Elizabeth Wood, professor of history, shares insight into this perspective in an effort to help inform the American voter. |
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In the NewsOctober 14, 2016Collaborating with peers across disciplinesStory prepared by MIT SHASS Communications; Editorial and Design Director: Emily Hiestand; Writer: Leda Zimmerman MIT NewsFotini Christia, associate professor of political science, and Ali Jadbabaie, JR East Professor of Engineering, discuss their research on the dynamics of sociopolitical change. They also share about the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society and how it brought them together. |
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In the NewsOctober 13, 2016The US defense budget: Too big, too small or just right?Michelle NewbyThe National Interest“Everything starts with strategy in this business,” answers Barry Posen, Ford International Professor of Political Science and director of the MIT Security Studies Program, as to whether the US defense budget is the appropriate size. “If you accept the present grand strategy it might be true that the defense budget is actually too small.” |
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In the NewsOctober 12, 2016Immigration and terrorismJohn TirmanNegative attitudes toward immigrants have many roots. But several studies demonstrate that immigrants of all kinds boost the US economy overall and hurt few if any native-born Americans. So, what really mobilizes anti-immigrant attitudes? John Tirman, CIS executive director and principal research scientist, explains. |
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In the NewsAugust 22, 2016NATO has problems, but Trump won’t fix themSimon WaxmanBoston ReviewFor Barry Posen, NATO and other permanent alliances are not just a financial drain; they also arguably make Americans less safe, writes Simon Waxman in the Boston Review. Posen refers to such security subsidies as “welfare for the rich.” |
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In the NewsJuly 18, 2016From Turkey to Nice, looking at safety and stability around the globeHere & NowHere & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti speaks with security analyst Jim Walsh about what instability in that country could mean for the rest of the world, as well as what we’re learning about the recent terrorist attack in Nice, France. |
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In the NewsJune 6, 2016Mass atrocity Monday, 6/6/2016: Tiananmen SquareKate Cronin-FurmanJustice in ConflictSaturday was the anniversary of the suppression by the Chinese military of mass protests at Tiananmen Square in 1989. Twenty-seven years later, the death toll is still unknown. Beijing’s official estimate puts the figure at 241, but credible reports suggest that over 1,000 people may have been killed. |
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In the NewsMay 13, 2016Obama's visit To Hiroshima is 'about memory, more than it's about apology'Meghna ChakrabartiHere & NowHere & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti talks to Richard Samuels, director of the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founding director of the MIT Japan Program, about the significance of Obama's visit, and Japan's evolving attitudes toward militarization. |
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In the NewsMarch 22, 2016Brazil's crisis momentMIT NewsBrazil has been much touted in the 21st century as a fast-rising “BRIC” country (Brazil, Russia, India, China) spurring global growth. But a sprawling political corruption scandal and economic turmoil have cast shadows on this once-sunny landscape. President Dilma Rousseff faces impeachment hearings over potentially misappropriating bank funds for the state, and former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is implicated in a corruption case. Ben Ross Schneider, the Ford International Professor of Political Science and director of the MIT-Brazil Program, has been studying Brazil for decades and is the editor of a new volume on the country: “New Order and Progress: Development and Democracy in Brazil,” published this month by Oxford University Press. (The book stems in part from connections forged through the MIT-Brazil Program.) Schneider talked with MIT News about the progress and setbacks Brazil is experiencing. |
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In the NewsFebruary 23, 2016It's all in our headsMIT NewsPolitical science PhD student Marika Landau-Wells is using psychology and neuroscience to better understand political behavior. A typical political scientist is not likely to develop a research plan that employs data from national archives, survey experiments, public health data, and an fMRI study in a single dissertation. But then, Marika Landau-Wells is not your typical political scientist. |
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In the NewsDecember 2, 2015Geography critical factor in US-China rivalryThe Korea HeraldScholar says China may still face enormous disadvantages in potential South China Sea conflict against US. |
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In the NewsNovember 19, 2015Q&A on International Policy LabMIT NewsIPL faculty lead describes the project's origins and invites proposals for lab-funded policy research projects. |
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In the NewsSeptember 11, 2015Power plays in Asia Pacific 70 years after WWIINHK World "Global Agenda"What should Japan do to enhance stability and prosperity in Asia-Pacific? What shouldn't it do? As the U.S. continues its "pivot" towards Asia, what does the Obama administration expect from Japan? China is increasing its presence across Asia, and challenging U.S. power in the region—what are its hopes for the future? Experts from Japan, China, and the U.S. discuss the best way forward for Asia, and how to bring it about. |
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In the NewsJuly 24, 2015US Iran nuclear dealPeter DizikesMIT NewsMIT has long been a leader in the scholarly study of nuclear security. With the announcement of a major new nuclear agreement between the U.S. and Iran this month — subject to government approval in each country — MIT News asked several of the Institute’s experts on this vital issue to evaluate the pact and its larger implications. |
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In the NewsJune 29, 2015US, Iran, and terrorismNozhan EtezadosaltanehIranian DiplomacyInterview with Alessandro Orsini, Director of the Center for the Study of Terrorism at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata" and Research Affiliate at the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. |
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In the NewsMay 18, 2015'Homemade' opiatesPeter DizikesMIT NewsWriting in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have announced a new method that could make it easier to produce drugs such as morphine. Political scientists Kenneth Oye and Chappell Lawson of MIT, along with Tania Bubela of Concordia University in Montreal, authored an accompanying commentary about the regulatory issues involved. Oye answered questions on the subject for MIT News. |
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