News + Media

	Analysis + Opinion January 8, 2021 There is no legal way to stop Trump from ordering a nuclear strike if he wants to, expert says Elizabeth N SaundersThe Washington Post Vipin Narang comments on Speaker Pelosi's conversation with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and discusses the protocol for launching a nuclear strike. “The United States is one of the only countries to have sole launch authority — even Russia does not. It is striking that the Russian system requires an additional vote to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s, but America’s does not.”
	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.”
	In the News December 20, 2020 A new approach to studying religion and politics Peter DizikesMIT News Associate professor Richard Nielsen is an MIT political scientist with an innovative research program: He studies clerics in the Islamic world, combining textual analysis, ethnographic insights, on-the-ground research in the Middle East, and a big-data approach to charting online tracts.
	In the News December 20, 2020 Taiwan's planned submarine fleet could forestall a potential Chinese invasion for decades CNN Owen Cote quoted: Owen Cote, associate director of the Security Studies Program at MIT and an expert on submarine warfare, stated that “Chinese ASW capabilities are weak and the acoustic conditions in these very shallow, noisy waters are very difficult even for advanced ASW capabilities like those deployed by Japan and the US.”
	In the News December 16, 2020 US sanctions Turkey over Russian air defense system, raising questions and concerns Abhijnan RejThe Diplomat Vipin Narang quoted: “The CAATSA sanctions on Turkey put the United States in the awkward position of having to sanction government entities in a nation that hosts American theater nuclear weapons. It may not be unprecedented — the US has embargoed Turkey before — but it is rare and disconcerting.”
	In the News December 14, 2020 Q&A: Holly Jackson on building a cosmic family tree Jane HalpernMIT News As a MISTI intern, Jackson traveled to Santiago in 2019, well before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down in-person international exchanges worldwide. Since then, she has been working remotely from her Cambridge, Massachusetts, apartment with the Chilean astronomy team and biologists in the United Kingdom to build “family trees” of stars in the Milky Way. Here, Jackson discusses her recent work.
	In the News December 14, 2020 For cultural and political conflicts, a humanizing imperative Although the violence of the Second Intifada was a world away from Nasir Almasri’s suburban community and American childhood, the shock waves of that prolonged event helped shape him.
	In the News December 8, 2020 MISTI pilots conversations in energy Christine Davies, MISTIMIT News While fall typically sees MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) programs gearing up to facilitate international summer internship and research experiences for MIT students, this year’s changing global circumstances presented challenges to making in-country internships happen—but they also offered new opportunities for students to engage with organizations and leaders overseas.