News + Media

	Analysis + Opinion July 7, 2022 What to expect from Biden’s big Middle East trip Steven Simon and Aaron David MillerForeign Policy With rare exception, the Middle East has become a place where US presidential ideas, especially big ones, go to die. Wisely recognizing this cruel reality, US President Joe Biden’s administration tried to steer clear of the region through much of the past year and a half.
	précis June 29, 2022 précis Interview: Steven Simon Steven Simon joined CIS in 2021 as its Robert E Wilhelm Fellow. He served as the National Security Council senior director for the Middle East and North Africa during the Obama Administration and as the council's senior director for counterterrorism in the Clinton White House. He sat down with précis to discuss his research at MIT, assess our nation’s security challenges, and offer advice to students pursuing careers in national security.
	précis June 29, 2022 Blame games: Malattribution and the Madrid train bombings After an act of political violence, the first question most people ask is who is responsible. Blame can be a powerful political force that spurs anger and mobilizes people. When leaders shape the public narrative about blame, it can allow them to deflect criticism and pursue policy goals, explains Nina Miller, a PhD student in security studies and international relations in the Department of Political Science.
	Analysis + Opinion June 29, 2022 The UN has documented at least 3,924 Ukrainian civilian deaths in the war. Maham JavaidNew York Times After visiting numerous bombing sites and detention centers, conducting hundreds of interviews and scouring piles of documents, the United Nations has put a number to the human cost of Russia’s war in Ukraine: at least 3,924 civilians dead as of May 15, of whom 193 were children, and 4,444 injured.
	précis June 27, 2022 Briefings What Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means for the world; 3 Questions: The future of international education; Traveling the world to make a global impact; Mobilizing across borders to address global challenges; Congressional seminar introduces MIT faculty to 30 Washington staffers; Eleanor Freund receives Jeanne Guillemin Prize
	précis June 27, 2022 National narratives and the US-Iran conflict *In memory of John Tirman, the author of this feature story, who passed away suddenly on Friday, August 19, 2022. Read the obituary and tributes.* Iran and the US have differing interests and grievances about each other, but their often-deadly confrontation derives from the very different national narratives that shape their politics, actions, and vision of their own destiny in the world. In Republics of Myth, a new book published by the Johns Hopkins University Press, Hussein Banai, Malcolm Byrne, and John Tirman argue that a major contributing factor to this tenacious enmity is how each nation views itself. Featured here is an excerpt written by John Tirman. He served as executive director of and was a principal research scientist at CIS.
	précis June 27, 2022 CIS honors Robert Wilhelm The Robert E Wilhelm Fellows Program brings real-world experience and new scholarship to CIS and is a vital part of its research community. Since its inception in 2004, the Center has hosted 18 Wilhelm Fellows from around the globe, including Egypt, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, United Kingdom, and the United States.
	précis June 27, 2022 From South Africa, a success story for democracy In a new book, MIT political scientist Evan Lieberman examines a quarter-century of post-Apartheid government and finds meaningful progress. He hopes readers will both absorb the substantive case for regarding South African democracy as a success, while also considering that speaking up about the value of democracy is a part of sustaining it.
	In the News June 21, 2022 As war drags on in Ukraine, is it time to talk compromise? WBUR On Point "What is the US interest commensurate with the possibility of nuclear escalation?" Steven Simon, a Robert E Wilhelm Fellow at CIS, asks. "There really isn't one." As war drags on, is it time to talk compromise? Tune in to this edition of On Point featuring Simon, Anne Applebaum (The Atlantic), and Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze (Ukrainian Parliament from the opposition European Solidarity Party).
	In the News June 13, 2022 Could Trump’s hostility toward NATO allies be a winning strategy at home? Jim BraudeWGBH Greater Boston Even as it seems Trump's claims are untrue, could they be a winning strategy here at home? And what lies ahead for his London trip and meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin? Jim Braude was joined by Carol Saivetz, senior adviser at MIT's Security Studies Program and Gautam Mukunda, a Harvard Kennedy School fellow, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and author of “Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter.”