News + Media

Analysis + Opinion

January 19, 2008

The murky toll of the Iraq war

John TirmanBoston Globe

Add to that other numbers that fill in our understanding even more - such as the scale of the flow of refugees or the women widowed by the war - and we have useful information.

News Release

January 18, 2008

MIT website puts human face on Iraq War

As the war in Iraq approaches its fifth anniversary, a new website from MIT's Center for International Studies aims to provide an accurate account of living conditions, as well as civilian injuries and deaths due to political violence, throughout the Middle Eastern state.

In the News

January 15, 2008

Iraq: the human cost

Conventional wisdom in American politics focuses only on American costs in the war in Iraq: the casualties to U.S. soldiers, the financial costs, and sometimes the strategic costs. But the human cost to the Iraqis themselves are nearly ignored in political discourse, the news media, and intellectual circles. This site is a corrective to those oversights. We present empirical reports, studies, and other accounts that convey and assess the consequences of war for the people of Iraq.  

News Release

January 15, 2008

Samuels named finalist for Lionel Gelber Prize

Richard J. Samuels is among five finalists for the Lionel Gelber Prize, one of the world's leading awards for books on international affairs. Samuels, director of CIS and Ford International Professor of Political Science, is nominated for Securing Japan: Tokyo's Grand Strategy and the Future of East Asia, published last September by Cornell University Press.

In the News

January 10, 2008

The liberal foreign policy tradition: pluses, problems, and prospects

The MIT Center for International Studies, in cooperation with the History and Democracy Project and the U.S. Section of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, convened a one-day meeting on January 10, 2008, at the Wilson Center to explore the liberal tradition in U.S. foreign policy. Seven scholars and three interlocutors, and an invited audience of forty, provided insights on Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and others, and how they informed and shaped this tradition with respect to democratization and rights, global economic equity, war and peace, and other topics. This exceptionally rich conversation is captured on this video (best viewed in Internet Explorer). Click here to see the agenda. 

Analysis + Opinion

December 7, 2007

Why believe it this time?

Jim WalshBoston Globe

This week's release of the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran has renewed debate about American policy toward the Islamic Republic, but it also raises important questions about the state of US intelligence. Having been so wrong about weapons of mass destruction in the past, is it credible now?

Analysis + Opinion

December 5, 2007

The politics of chicken littleism

Benjamin FriedmanWashingtonPost.com

It is prudent to prepare for dangers. But it is also prudent to consider the costs of excessive prudence. This holds true for both the environment and national security.

Audit

December 1, 2007

The US and Iran after the NIE

Farideh Farhi, University of Hawaii

The release of the National Intelligence Estimate regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities, intentions, and policies created shock waves as well as sighs of relief in Washington and elsewhere. The assessment that Iran stopped its weapons program in 2003, and that its declared enrichment program cannot be converted as easily or as quickly as assumed for use in a military program, immediately brought into question the notion that Iran’s nuclear program needs to be dealt with immediately and only through coercive mechanisms. 

Audit

December 1, 2007

Russia: an energy superpower?

Carol Saivetz, MIT

As Vladimir Putin nears the end of his second term as Russian president, it is clear that energy exports have become a major component of a resurgent Russia’s foreign policy. According to the conventional wisdom, Russia’s vast resources make it a superpower to be reckoned with. 

Analysis + Opinion

November 23, 2007

Violence in Iraq

Barry PosenNew York Times

“U.S. Says Attacks in Iraq Fell to the Level of Early Last Year” (front page, Nov. 19) reports that according to the United States military, violence is down significantly in Iraq and lists some reasons. Two reasons are conspicuous by their absence.

Pages