News + Media

	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.
	In the News February 1, 2021 Why India is facing possible US sanctions Ronak D DesaiForbes Vipin Narang quoted: Dr Vipin Narang, professor and sanctions expert at MIT, notes that “even though India imports significant quantities of Russian military equipment, there does appear to be a particular and specific concern about S-400, one that caused the US to sanction a NATO ally, albeit one with which it has complicated relations.” The fact that Turkey “did not escape CAATSA sanctions suggests that the US is very concerned about the S-400 system.”
	In the News January 31, 2021 With increasing authority, women are gaining space while preaching Islam on the Internet KSU \| The Sentinel Newspaper Richard Nielsen heavily quoted: “When I found women preaching with authority on these sites, I was very surprised and wanted to know more,” explains political scientist Richard Nielsen, who teaches at MIT. He recently published a study on this topic, as part of his larger project to understand the impact of the Internet on religious authority.
	In the News January 30, 2021 Nuclear proliferation is not fast, but it is frightening The Economist Richard Samuels quoted: Such experiences change perspectives. Japanese conversations about nuclear weapons were once “sotto voce” and confined to a small cluster of “very conservative thinkers”, says Richard Samuels of MIT. Now, he writes in an article with his colleague Eric Heginbotham, “What once had been nearly taboo...has a conspicuous presence in Japan’s security discourse.”
	In the News January 29, 2021 Foreign policy advice: Don’t look back Peter DizikesMIT News The Biden administration faces tasks ranging from reviving relationships with traditional partners, restoring agreements forged in the Obama administration, and tackling our ongoing global crises. The four panelists at the Starr Forum all spent time at MIT in the past, as Robert E Wilhelm Fellows at CIS.
	In the News January 27, 2021 PhD candidates Campbell-Mohn and Freeman among Kissinger’s Nolan Prize winners The Henry A Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) announced, in conjunction with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Texas National Security Review, the 2020 Janne Nolan Prize winners for the best article on national security/international affairs. Congratulations to PhD candidates Emma Campbell-Mohn and Suzanne Freeman, who both received recognition for their work.
	In the News January 27, 2021 India sticking to S-400 deal with Russia despite threat of possible US sanctions Rezaul H Laskar, Rahul SinghHindustan Times Vipin Narang quoted: “The fact that Turkey didn’t escape CAATSA sanctions suggests the US is very concerned about the S-400 system, and it's probably not just junk. India's insistence to take delivery of its first S-400 batteries later this year therefore sets the Biden administration potentially on a collision course on the sanctions question with India,” Narang said.
	Analysis + Opinion January 27, 2021 A Middle East Forum can help Biden succeed President Joe Biden has yet to outline his overarching strategy for the Middle East. While some in the United States and abroad fret that Biden’s America will disengage from the region and create vacuums that adversaries will exploit the greater likelihood is that the new administration will neither be leaving nor leading in the Middle East.
	In the News January 21, 2021 North Korea’s new sub missile is first step toward a new ICBM Morten Soendergaard LarsenForeign Policy Vipin Narang quoted: “It’s just not survivable against the United States. In any crisis or conflict, I can only imagine that the US Navy or the [South Korean navy] would be there just blanketing the entire coast. I can’t imagine anything is going to survive,” said Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
	In the News January 21, 2021 Biden seeks five more years for last Russia nuclear pact but no 'reset' AFP News Vipin Narang quoted: “The only opponents are those who seek an unlimited arms race. Glad to see the Biden administration dispensing with reckless games of chicken with global security on Day One,” tweeted Vipin Narang. He said the Biden administration can still find other ways to pressure Russia over its concerns on so-called tactical nuclear weapons — which Moscow could deploy in hot conflicts close to home, as opposed to strategic weapons that mostly target the United States. “This buys the sundae without precluding future sprinkles,” Narang said.