News + Media

	In the News March 19, 2021 Officials from the US and China have met for the first time since Biden took office John RuwitchNPR M Taylor Fravel quoted: “On the one hand, I might view it as positive because the US is airing concerns that I, as the ally or partner, share. On the other hand, I might be concerned that this is the sign of a relationship that's going to sort of accelerate in terms of its decline.”
	In the News March 18, 2021 Analysis: Denuclearisation of what? US switch on North Korea wording raises debate Josh SmithReuters Vipin Narang quoted: Implications of unilateral denuclearisation are “a nonstarter for Pyongyang and is unlikely to jumpstart any negotiations,” said Vipin Narang, a nuclear affairs expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. “The formulation ‘denuclearisation of North Korea’ implies unilateral obligations on North Korea - something it has never agreed to, and neither have we,” he said.
	In the News March 18, 2021 Traveling the world for global health solutions After studying and working on three continents, Andrea Orji, an MIT senior and chemical engineering major, now aspires to become a physician in Nigeria.
	News@E40 March 15, 2021 Khashoggi fellowships for MIT students The Jamal Khashoggi Fellowship at CIS is offered in partnership with Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and is open to all MIT students. Nine Khashoggi Fellows will be selected to evaluate industrial countries and their impact on democracy within the Arab world. MIT undergraduates and graduates are invited to apply for this volunteer research opportunity. Submit a cover letter and CV to John Tirman. Visit the web site for more details.
	In the News March 15, 2021 North Korea breaks silence to warn US against 'causing a stink' Jennifer Hansler, Nicole Gaouette and Kylie AtwoodCNN Vipin Narang quoted: “Denuclearization is a non-starter,” said Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at MIT, who added that “every time we use that phrase it's a five-yard penalty, because the North Koreans never agreed to it.” Narang said that the Biden officials' insistence on adopting the same emphasis on North Korean denuclearization “likely isn't helping, when you insist on something they've rejected flat out of hand.”
	In the News March 14, 2021 Manaakitanga’s role in New Zealand's low COVID-19 death rate Geoff JohnsonTimes Colonist Chappell Lawson quoted: While most scholars at the event were “reluctant to ascribe outcomes to culture,” said MIT political scientist Chappell Lawson, “during a time of a global public health crisis, it is at least possible to ask how social practices have fed into the varying responses around the world” adding that “the basic question related to culture response is how the habits and mindsets of a group of people affect what people do in the public sphere.”
	In the News March 10, 2021 Exploring generations of influence between South Asia and MIT Over Independent Activities Period, students were involved in conducting research, looking at historical archives on campus and beyond, and conducting oral history interviews with alumni in India and the United States. The project laid the groundwork for an online archive that traces the personal, professional, and intellectual journeys of alumni, documenting the incredible relationship between South Asia and the Institute.
	In the News March 10, 2021 Latest Microsoft mass hacks highlight challenge for Biden administration AFPThe Straits Times R David Edelman quoted: “The administration has said it wants to impose costs, and it's unclear what costs are commensurate. Just like with SolarWinds, the private sector is going to have to pay for another state's adventurism,” Mr Edelman said. “Indictments? Sanctions? They only have so much effect when we're talking about agents safely ensconced in a foreign security state thousands of miles away.”
	In the News March 10, 2021 3 Questions: Richard Samuels on Japan’s 3.11 triple disaster and its impact 10 years later MIT News Within minutes, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown on March 11, 2011, brought an unprecedented wave of death, displacement, and destruction to Japan. Here, Samuels reflects on whether 3.11 was a force of change, or a return to status quo, in Japan’s politics and public policy.
	In the News March 10, 2021 A conversation about Japanese politics and public policy UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy What do the Tohoku earthquake, Japanese intelligence, technology policy and national security policy, and Japan’s energy and regional policies have in common? Richard Samuels shares insights he has gained from this deep and broad research, and what his findings imply for Japan, Japan’s grand strategy, and US-Japan relations today.