News + Media

 
Fotini Christia (left), associate professor of political science; and Ali Jadbabaie, the JR East Professor of Engineering.

In the News

October 14, 2016

Collaborating with peers across disciplines

Story prepared by MIT SHASS Communications; Editorial and Design Director: Emily Hiestand; Writer: Leda Zimmerman MIT News

Fotini 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.

A displaced woman carries goods as United Nations Mission in South Sudan peacekeepers patrol outside the premises of the UN Protection of Civilians site in Juba on October 4, 2016.

Analysis + Opinion

October 13, 2016

Impose an arms embargo in South Sudan

Jacey FortinBoston Globe

“For many South Sudanese, peace has been punitive. Millions have been displaced by a civil war that began in 2013, two years after the country achieved independence,” writes Jacey Fortin, the Center’s Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow, in an opinion piece for the Boston Globe.

US fighter planes

In the News

October 13, 2016

The 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.”

Statue Of Liberty

In the News

October 12, 2016

Immigration and terrorism

John Tirman

Negative 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.

Barbed wire is pictured at the entrance of the Tihange nuclear power station, one of the two large-scale nuclear power plants in Belgium, in this March 26, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

News@E40

October 7, 2016

Nuclear Security Fellows Program

With the support of the Stanton Foundation, the Security Studies Program has launched a Nuclear Security Fellows Program for junior faculty as well as pre-doctoral and post-doctoral scholars. The Program seeks to stimulate the development of the next generation of thought leaders in nuclear security. Meet this year’s Fellows

Boren Awards

News@E40

October 7, 2016

Boren scholarships info session

Boren Awards provide a unique funding opportunity for US undergraduate and graduate students to study specific languages in world regions critical to US national security interests. Learn more at the information session on October 18.

The lines that have been crossed

Analysis + Opinion

October 4, 2016

The lines that have been crossed

Vipin NarangThe Hindu

As the dust settles following the so-called September 29 “surgical strike” which witnessed the publicly acknowledged employment of Indian special forces across the Line of Control (LoC) for the first time in over a decade, it is useful to take stock of the larger implications…

Analysis + Opinion

September 18, 2016

How to get China to use its leverage against North Korea

Eric Heginbotham and Richard J. Samuels The National Interest

It is time for a bargain between Washington and Beijing on a new and tougher approach—one that will require China to use its leverage to change North Korean behavior. Barring that, those most directly threatened—South Korea, Japan, and the United States—will rightly adopt new defensive measures that will, ultimately, impinge on Beijing’s security interests.

Henry Luce Foundation Logo

News@E40

September 14, 2016

Luce fellowship deadline Oct. 20

Thursday, October 20, is the deadline for the Luce Scholars Program. Young scholars from a variety of intellectual fields will be placed in internships throughout Asia. Candidates must have no prior experience in the region. More information

 

 

 Standing guard at a monument in Harare, March 2011.

Analysis + Opinion

September 12, 2016

Why Zimbabwe's military sticks with Mugabe

Philip MartinForeign Affairs

Zimbabwe is headed for turbulent waters. Over the last few months, a protest movement has highlighted popular dissatisfaction with what many Zimbabweans see as the economic mismanagement and heavy-handed tactics of the government of President Robert Mugabe. Opposition groups are joining forces in an effort to defeat the ruling party in the 2018 elections.

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