News + Media

	In the News October 8, 2024 Wars are not accidents: Managing risk in the face of escalation Erik Lin-GreenbergForeign Affairs Israel’s assassination of a top Hamas leader in Tehran in July, Ukraine’s incursion over the summer into Russia, and a recent series of increasingly assertive Chinese air and maritime interceptions in the South China Sea have fanned fears that long-simmering conflicts could escalate into broader wars. In the wake of these provocations, analysts fret about the heightened risk of military accidents and strategic misperceptions.
	In the News September 27, 2024 Q&A: David Singer on strengthening democracy MIT News CIS research affiliate and head of the political science department David A. Singer discusses a new Strengthening Democracy initiative focused on the rigorous study of elections, public opinion, and political participation.
	In the News September 16, 2024 Three SSP PhD students selected to receive fellowships from USIP Three PhD students of the Security Studies Program (SSP) received the 2024-2025 Peace Scholar Dissertation Fellowships from the U.S. Institute of Peace for demonstrating the greatest potential to advance the peacebuilding field and the strongest likelihood to inform policy and practice.
	In the News September 9, 2024 Do record gold prices open the door for BRICS+ dedollarisation? Quoted: The demand of BRICS+ central banks for gold is "undeniably a significant factor" contributing to higher prices, says Mihaela Papa, director of research and a principal research scientist at CIS. That demand is coming together with other factors that make gold more attractive as a safe-haven asset, including rising geopolitical risk, fluchuations in US interest rates, and concerns about inflation, she says.
	In the News September 5, 2024 Malaysian PM meets Putin in Russia to expand collaboration despite US sanctions Quoted: For Mihaela Papa, director of research and principal research scientist at CIS, Malaysia’s move towards BRICS “… reveals a more Moscow-friendly and Beijing-friendly stance.”
	In the News September 4, 2024 Enabled by a significant gift, MIT’s Security Studies Program launches the Center for Nuclear Security Policy With $45 million in support from the Stanton Foundation, the program will expand its longstanding leadership in a critical area of global security.
	In the News September 3, 2024 Nurturing success Jody Mou Mariya Grinberg, assistant professor of political science and a faculty member of SSP, was one of the professors honored as "Commited to Caring" for their support of graduate students.
	In the News September 2, 2024 China’s defense spending: the $700 billion distraction Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and director of the Security Studies Program M Taylor Fravel, CIS research affiliate George J Gilboy, and CIS principal research scientist and co-director of the Wargaming Lab at SSP Eric Heginbotham discuss the flawed estimates of China's annual defense spending and its widespread use in Congress, the media, and defense circles.
	News Release August 30, 2024 John Githongo joins CIS as the 2024-25 Robert E Wilhelm fellow Center for International Studies The Center is honored to announce that John Githongo has joined CIS as its prestigious Robert E Wilhelm fellow for the 2024-2025 academic year. Githongo is among the world's leading voices on the relationship between corrupt democracies, development, and poverty in the modern world. His many honors and awards include being selected by Foreign Policy Magazine as one of the world’s 100 top global thinkers. He is regarded as a leading light in the Transparency movement--a global initiative focused on freeing the world of corruption.
	In the News August 8, 2024 Pathways to Political Science Summer Research Program hosts second cohort of interns In June and July, the Global Diversity Lab hosted its second cohort of Pathways to Political Science Summer Research interns. Pathways@GDL is sponsored in partnership with the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) and funded by the Department of Political Science, the Center for International Studies and MIT-Africa.