News + Media

In the News

August 19, 2011

Japan after Kan

Chris AchesonNBR

Although Kan’s resignation may assist the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in rebuilding public trust in its ability to lead, questions remain about the future of the DPJ and the political structure of Japan as it stands today. Japanese domestic politics expert, Richard J. Samuels, provides insight into the DPJ, its political strategy, and the challenges the next administration will face.

In the News

August 11, 2011

In profile: Kenneth Oye

Peter DizikesMIT News

A political scientist aims to help governments assess the potential risks of new technologies.

News@E40

August 5, 2011

CIS remembers Jonathan Tucker

Jonathan B. Tucker, 56, died on July 31, 2011. Jim Walsh, MIT Research Associate, who was a student with Tucker in the Center's Security Studies Program, says "Jonathan was a quiet, kind, and thoughtful person. He was a first-rate scholar, a person who cared deeply about the world, and a wonderful friend and colleague. His passing leaves a terrible void in our community and for me personally." Harvey Sapolsky, MIT Professor Emeritus, wrote a tribute to Tucker.

Analysis + Opinion

August 5, 2011

After war: reconstruct

John TirmanBoston Globe

The US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is now winding down. Both were considered to be vital to US security, and both exacted high tolls in human and financial costs. But neither has brought a satisfying result, and the mixture of high costs and dashed hopes may result in the neglect of both countries once our troops are withdrawn.

View of Minami-Sanriku after the tsunami

News Release

July 20, 2011

MIT Japan 3/11 Initiative

A group of MIT faculty from a cross-section of disciplines is mobilizing its own response to the March 11 disaster in Japan with the launch of the MIT Japan 3/11 Initiative. Pat Gercik, associate director of the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) program at CIS is the 3/11 Initiative's program coordinator and overseer of fundraising efforts.

News@E40

July 19, 2011

Gercik coordinates MIT Japan 3/11 Initiative

A group of MIT faculty from a cross-section of disciplines is mobilizing its own response to the March 11 disaster in Japan with the launch of the MIT Japan 3/11 Initiative. Pat Gercik, associate director of the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) program at CIS is the 3/11 Initiative's program coordinator and overseer of fundraising efforts. Read more

Analysis + Opinion

July 17, 2011

The sacred and the humane

Anat BiletzkiNew York Times

Human Rights are all the rage. They have become, currently, a very popular arena for both political activism and rampant discourse. Human rights, as we all know, are the rights humans are due simply by virtue of being human. But there is nothing simple here, since both “human” and “rights” are concepts in need of investigation. 

News@E40

July 11, 2011

Harris named Fulbright Scholar

Tobias Harris, a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science and a member of the Security Studies Program, will study in Japan as a Fulbright Scholar during the 2011-12 academic year. Harris will conduct interviews and archival research for his project titled "The Politics of Reform in Japan, 1955-2009." He is studying decisions made by Japanese government entities regarding whether and how to undertake reforms, and the factors affecting their success, throughout the country's recent history.

News@E40

July 6, 2011

'Deaths of Others' in America's wars

Americans are greatly concerned about the number of our troops killed in battle—100,000 dead in World War I; 300,000 in World War II; 33,000 in the Korean War; 58,000 in Vietnam; 4,500 in Iraq; more than 1,000 in Afghanistan—and rightly so. But why are we so indifferent, often oblivious, to the far greater number of casualties suffered by those we fight and those we fight for? This is the compelling, largely unasked question that John Tirman, a principal research scientist and executive director at CIS, answers in The Deaths of Others.

News@E40

July 5, 2011

MIT-France helps advance energy research

MIT President Susan Hockfield and other Institute representatives traveled to Paris for the France-MIT Forum on Energy, an event to advance collaboration between Institute researchers and their French counterparts. The event also marks the 10th anniversary of the MIT-France program. Read more.

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