News + Media

	In the News February 12, 2021 Indian and Chinese troops start disengagement at Pangong Tso; experts discuss CNBC-TV18 The Chinese PLA have withdrawn over 200 tanks and have started removing troops from south Pangong region. Defence minister Rajnath Singh told parliament on Thursday that Indian and Chinese troops have reached an agreement on disengagement. To discuss this, Parikshit Luthra spoke to Ananth Krishnan, China correspondent at The Hindu, and M Taylor Fravel, director of security studies at MIT.
	In the News February 12, 2021 How India stood its ground and forced China to end Pangong Tso aggression Snehesh Alex Philip and Nayanima BasuThe Print M Taylor Fravel quoted: “Although it remains early days, my view is that China is responding to the significant deterioration of US-China relations in the past year, and the way in which its international image has suffered in many countries, at a time when the party will launch the 14th five-year plan that is critical to its development goals,” Fravel added.
	In the News February 12, 2021 Impeachment video shows Pence had 'nuclear football' as he moved away from Capitol riot Morgan GstalterThe Hill Vipin Narang quoted: “More jarring than seeing the ‘football’ follow Pence as he was being evacuated — it is just a communication device, at no point could it’s compromise have resulted in a launch — is knowing that the man who possessed sole authority to launch American nukes at the time incited this mob,” Narang wrote.
	In the News February 11, 2021 Indian, Chinese armies begin pullback at LAC Rahul Singh and Sutirtho PatranobisHindustan Times Vipin Narang quoted: Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said: “Let’s see what happens. Any movement toward disengagement is good, but it has to be real and sustained, and verified not just in Pangong but eventually elsewhere as well. It can’t be China pretending to disengage and India pretending to believe it.”
	Analysis + Opinion February 5, 2021 India’s farm protests turned violent last week. But why are farmers protesting in the first place? Saksham Khosla and Aidan MilliffThe Washington Post Farmers remain steadfast in their demands — a full repeal of the new laws. Union leaders promise to continue protests late into the year, and the government shows few signs of backing down from the broader agricultural policy agenda. The standoff will be another hard test of India’s ability to resolve political disputes through peaceful consensus-building.
	In the News February 5, 2021 To arms or to flight? Leda ZimmermanMIT Political Science Why do some people fight and others flee when confronting violence? “This question has been bothering me for quite some time,” says Aidan Milliff, a fifth-year doctoral student who entered political science to explore the strategic choices people make in perilous times.
	In the News February 4, 2021 US-Russia treaty restricting nuclear weapons extended for 5 years WBUR Here and Now The Biden administration and Russia agreed to extend a nonproliferation treaty that restricts the two nations' arsenals of some of the deadliest weapons known to humankind. Jim Walsh weighs in.
	In the News February 3, 2021 Maritime disputes in East Asia Columbia-Harvard China and the World ProgramColumbia University A podcast featuring Taylor Fravel on key maritime issues in East Asia related to the South China Sea, the East China Sea, Taiwan, and the US role in the region.
	In the News February 3, 2021 Choucri connects the dots between technology and geopolitics Katherine LeeAAAS Nazli Choucri’s work involves urgent and timely topics such as changes in international relations, conflict and violence, and the international political economy, with a focus on cyberspace and the global environment. She is profiled here by AAAS, where she was elected in 2020 as a fellow.
	In the News February 3, 2021 Iran has done well to resist Trump’s maximum pressure Mohammad MazhariTehran Times The rising tension between Iran and the Trump administration pushed some observers to claim that the JCPOA is dead, especially after the Arab-Israeli normalization and their efforts to form a coalition against Iran. John Tirman discusses with Tehran Times.