News + Media

	précis November 1, 2010 Democratic insecurities: violence, trauma, and intervention in Haiti By Erica Caple James On January 12, 2010, as this book entered the final stages of production, Haiti was struck with a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions, the latest in a long series of catastrophes that have afflicted the nation and its people. The epicenter of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake was mere kilometers southwest of the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, where the ethnographic research discussed in this book was conducted. Between 1995 and 2000 I worked with survivors of human rights abuses from the 1991-94 coup years and studied the interveners that attempted to rehabilitate them as part of my project analyzing the role of humanitarian and development assistance in postconflict reconstruction. Current estimates are that 80 percent of the capital has been destroyed.
	précis November 1, 2010 Much ado about decline By Joshua Itzkowitz Shifrinson For at least the third time in the post-war era, the decline of American power is at the forefront of American foreign policy discourse. In perhaps the clearest manifestation of the decline hypothesis to date, President Obama argued in his 2010 State of the Union address: "China is not waiting to revamp its economy. Germany is not waiting. India is not waiting. These nations—they're not standing still. These nations aren't playing for second place [. . .] Well, I do not accept second place for the United States of America [emphasis added]."
	précis November 1, 2010 Briefings David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary for the United Kingdom from 2007 to 2010, will join CIS as a Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow in residence; Rabia Mehmood, a journalist in the Lahore bureau of Express 24/7 Television in Pakistan, has received the 2010-11 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship; A year-long study in six countries has found that the goals of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325, enacted 10 years ago, have not been fulfilled and that implementation is generally poor; CIS, along with The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and MIT's Center for Biomedical Innovation (CBI), is launching a collaborative research project with a focus on enhancing regulatory science in pharmaceuticals.
	précis November 1, 2010 Activities Seminar XXI celebrates 25th anniversary; The Center's series Audit of the Conventional Wisdom continues with a look at the security implications of the crisis in Krygyzstan; MIT experts Barry Posen, Henry Jacoby, and Simon Johnson assessed President Obama's work on Afghanistan, climate, and the economy; PEGS is initiating a new fellows program for graduate students at MIT; John Dower spoke about his new book Cultures of War: Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, 9-11, and Iraq; The Center is hosting a range of IAP courses for January 2011.
	précis November 1, 2010 End Notes End Notes features the professional achievements of our scholars, students, and staff. This includes recent awards, speaking engagements, and publications.
	News@E40 November 1, 2010 MIT-Germany Seed Fund launched MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) has launched the MIT Germany Seed Fund, made possible through generous support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The new fund will offer research-initiation grants to MIT faculty and their counterparts in Germany, and will encourage students to be actively involved in the collaborations. A specific focus will be on topics related to complex global issues—including health, the environment, energy and technological innovation.
	In the News October 26, 2010 UN women's resolution: an unhappy birthday Tracy Clark-FlorySalon The anniversary of a pledge to include females in peacekeeping brings reports of failure, more Congo rapes.
	News@E40 October 25, 2010 CIS/ICAN women's study released to UN A year-long study in six countries has found that the goals of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325, enacted 10 years ago, have not been fulfilled and that implementation is generally poor. The U.N. itself, major industrial powers, other international organizations, and conflict states have all failed to include women in peace processes and peacebuilding, two key goals of the resolution. The study, “What the Women Say: Participation and UNSCR 1325,” was organized by the MIT Center for International Studies and the International Civil Society Action Network, a NGO based in Washington DC. The 50-page study and recommendations were released on Oct. 28, 2010, at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. Press Release \| Related Media: AP, New York Times, and Salon
	News Release October 25, 2010 Six-nation study finds promises on women’s security unmet A yearlong study in six countries has found that the goals of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325, enacted 10 years ago, have not been fulfilled and that implementation is generally poor. The U.N. itself, major industrial powers, other international organizations, and conflict states have all failed to include women in peace processes and peacebuilding, two key goals of the resolution.
	Analysis + Opinion October 25, 2010 Wikileaks docs underestimate Iraqi dead John TirmanAlterNet Online For all their value, the newly leaked documents will, unfortunately, reinforce the inaccurate lower estimates of Iraqi mortality.