News + Media

	In the News February 28, 2019 The art of no deal: how Trump and Kim misread each other Julian Borger The Guardian Vipin Narang, an expert on nuclear proliferation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said it was “better that Kim Jong-un didn’t commit to shutting down Yongbyon if he was going to slow-roll it, because committing to it in writing and then leaving himself vulnerable to being accused of violating it sets us on a collision course”.
	In the News February 28, 2019 1 big thing: No deal in Hanoi Dave LawlerAxios World Jim Walsh, an international security expert at MIT who has negotiated with North Korea, says the two sides “squandered their time since Singapore,” adding: “It took 2 years of intense, regular negotiation to get the Iran deal. And Iran is easier. … So no, 30 days and winging it isn’t going to get it done.”
	In the News February 27, 2019 The Cybersecurity 202: CyberCom sent a message by taking down a troll farm on Election Day. Was Russia listening? Joseph MarksThe Hour “I think it was worth doing,” said Joel Brenner, a former senior counsel at the National Security Agency. “But it's likely to have a very slight deterrent effect because I don't see any penalty that's being imposed.” Brenner compared the IRA operation to police making criminals stay home and stop committing crimes for a few days rather than actually locking them up in jail. “Is that going to stop them from trying again?” he asked.
	In the News February 27, 2019 Trump and Kim open 2nd nuclear summit Peter O'DowdWBUR Here & Now President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un opened their second nuclear summit Wednesday in Hanoi. The two leaders had a social dinner together with the formal meetings set for Thursday. Host Peter O'Dowd talks with Here & Now security analyst Jim Walsh, senior research associate at MIT's Security Studies Program.
	In the News February 27, 2019 India, Pakistan exchange fire Ben WatsonDefense One Cautions Vipin Narang of MIT: “Modi overshot the upper limit of what Pakistan would take by hitting in KPK and forced Pakistan’s hand. Neither side wants a war but with this spiraling neither side wants to back down. This is getting ugly quickly. Need off-ramps and now.”
	Analysis + Opinion February 25, 2019 After terrorist attack in Kashmir, will India seek vengeance or de-escalation? Christopher ClaryThe Washington Post On February 14, a suicide bomber in Kashmir drove his explosives-filled vehicle into a bus carrying members of India’s paramilitaries, killing over 40 and injuring dozens more. An Islamist terrorist group, Jaish-e-Muhammad—based in Pakistan though nominally banned by the Pakistani government—reportedly took credit for the attack.
	In the News February 25, 2019 Trump heads to Hanoi for second summit with Kim Steve HermanVoice of America “All it takes is Kim pretending to disarm and Trump pretending to believe him,” says Vipin Narang. “So long as Kim doesn't embarrass Trump publicly by testing a nuclear weapon or a ballistic missile, domestically Trump can keep rinsing and repeating. The advantage for Trump is that Kim's continued expansion of his nuclear weapons program is largely silent, and, at best, shows up on page 10.”
	In the News February 25, 2019 Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan face off in renewed escalation Iain Marlow and Kamran Haider Bloomberg “The last time the Indian Air Force crossed the line of control intentionally and publicly to conduct air strikes was 1971,” said Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at MIT, referring to the Indo-Pakistan war over Bangladesh.
	Analysis + Opinion February 23, 2019 Winning the nuclear game against Putin’s Russia Tobin HarshawBloomberg It’s a question of who would strike whom first, and who would enter the fray. Interview with Vipin Narang on nuclear games and strategy, and the upcoming second meeting with President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Vietnam.
	In the News February 23, 2019 Trump's 'great chemistry' with Kim Jong Un put to test at summit AFP/nhChannel News Asia “I think Trump is calculating that he can run out the clock at least until the end of his first term with this strategy,” said Vipin Narang, “a lot may depend on what Hanoi yields. The risk is if Kim decides this unilateral testing moratorium - because it's not in writing - no longer works for him. Then there is no diplomatic exit ramp.”