News@E40

MISTI alumni reunion highlights student experiences

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Grand delusion: The rise and fall of American ambition in the Middle East

The culmination of almost forty years at the highest levels of policymaking and scholarship, Steven Simon’s recent book "Grand Delusion" is his tour de force, offering a comprehensive and deeply informed account of US engagement in the Middle East. Featured here is an excerpt from the book. Simon is the Robert E Wilhelm Fellow at CIS.

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How elite American university networks affect access to venture capital in Africa

In early-stage financing, which is the predominant stage currently in Africa, venture capitalists heavily rely on credentials and social networks. In boardrooms from San Francisco to Cambridge, this often translates into following people with degrees from the best US universities. These graduates command greater trust and are found predominantly in English-speaking countries, explains Milain Fayulu SM '22.

News@E40

CIS congratulates 2023 graduates

Among those who graduated from the Department of Political Science this year were three graduate students focused on international relations and security studies.

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Activities

Starr Forums; SSP Wednesday Seminars; Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar; Myron Weiner Seminar Series on International Migration; CIS awards 15 summer study grants; Third annual edition of MIT x TAU Webinar Series; SSP Wargaming Lab; 2022-2023 Global Seed Fund winners announced; MIT-Japan Program presents inaugural Pat Gercik Award.

In the News

Q&A: How studying Portuguese helps to look at life through a different lens

Aeronautics and astronautics major Theo St. Francis describes his studies of Portuguese and travels to Brazil with the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives' Global Teaching Labs.

Analysis + Opinion

Did the unipolar moment ever end?

Is the global distribution of power today is closer to being unipolar than it is to being bipolar or multipolar? Experts weigh in. 

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Briefings

José Maria Neves, president of Cape Verde, tours MIT; In a time of war, a new effort to help; New MIT-Denmark collaboration to expand opportunities for global impact; Gabriela Sá Pessoa on Brazilian politics, human rights and the Amazon, and AI; Architectural heritage like you haven’t seen it before; How studying Portuguese helps to look at life through a different lens.

In the News

Architectural heritage like you haven’t seen it before

MIT’s “Ways of Seeing” project, directed by Fotini Christia, a professor, is a historic preservation effort recording architecture through digital imaging, Extended Reality techniques, and hand-drawn architectural renderings.

News Release

Freeman and Garcia-Montes receive Jeanne Guillemin Prize

Suzanne Freeman and Mariel Garcia-Montes are the recipients of this year’s Jeanne Guillemin Prize at the Center for International Studies (CIS). The prize provides financial support to women studying international affairs, a field that has long been dominated by men.