News + Media

	Analysis + Opinion February 5, 2021 India’s farm protests turned violent last week. But why are farmers protesting in the first place? Saksham Khosla and Aidan MilliffThe Washington Post Farmers remain steadfast in their demands — a full repeal of the new laws. Union leaders promise to continue protests late into the year, and the government shows few signs of backing down from the broader agricultural policy agenda. The standoff will be another hard test of India’s ability to resolve political disputes through peaceful consensus-building.
	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 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 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 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.”