News + Media

	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.”
	Analysis + Opinion September 2, 2021 Afghanistan was a Ponzi scheme sold to the American public Alan Richards and Steven SimonForeign Policy As the political fight over who lost Afghanistan gets bloodier, the latest round has shifted from lamentation over the probable return of al Qaeda to the disorderly exit from Kabul. Vivid images of chaotic activity at the airport underscore this concern. But, in fact, the withdrawal could never have been orderly, as critics unthinkingly imply. An orderly, carefully prepared exit was structurally impossible.
	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.
	Analysis + Opinion August 26, 2021 Why America can’t build allied armies Rachel TecottForeign Affairs Too often, the United States’ efforts to train and equip foreign militaries have been motivated by bureaucratic logic rather than sound strategy. Rachel Tecott explains in this opinion piece.
	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.
	News Release August 19, 2021 MIT-Japan Program establishes the Patricia Gercik Memorial Fund The endowed fund will provide supplemental stipends to students seeking internships in Japan.
	Analysis + Opinion August 19, 2021 How can we neutralize the militias? Steven Simon and Jonathan StevensonThe New York Review The threat of violence from domestic far-right extremists calls for a measured and well-coordinated response from law enforcement and intelligence services according to this opinion piece by Robert E Wilhelm Fellow Steven Simon (with Jonathan Stevenson).