News + Media
Analysis + OpinionJanuary 19, 2008The murky toll of the Iraq warJohn TirmanBoston GlobeAdd 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. |
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News ReleaseJanuary 18, 2008MIT website puts human face on Iraq WarAs 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. |
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In the NewsJanuary 15, 2008Iraq: the human costConventional 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. |
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News ReleaseJanuary 15, 2008Samuels named finalist for Lionel Gelber PrizeRichard 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. |
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In the NewsJanuary 10, 2008The liberal foreign policy tradition: pluses, problems, and prospectsThe 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. |
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Analysis + OpinionDecember 7, 2007Why believe it this time?Jim WalshBoston GlobeThis 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? |
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Analysis + OpinionDecember 5, 2007The politics of chicken littleismBenjamin FriedmanWashingtonPost.comIt 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. |
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AuditDecember 1, 2007The US and Iran after the NIEFarideh Farhi, University of HawaiiThe 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. |
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AuditDecember 1, 2007Russia: an energy superpower?Carol Saivetz, MITAs 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. |
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Analysis + OpinionNovember 23, 2007Violence in IraqBarry 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. |