News + Media

	précis January 21, 2021 precis Interview: Erik Lin-Greenberg Erik Lin-Greenberg joined MIT in fall of 2020 as assistant professor in the Department of Political Science. He returns to MIT after receiving his PhD from Columbia University, and his MS and BS in political science from MIT. In this interview, he describes what it's like to be back at MIT, his research on emerging military technology, war gaming, and the role of food in international politics.
	précis January 21, 2021 What’s next? Challenges ahead for President Biden We look towards the future of America during a presidential transition that culminated in a constitutional crisis. President Biden will be flooded with advice as he leads our nation during what many argue is among the darkest chapters in our democracy’s history. Here we offer fresh ideas on a range of foreign policy issues, emotions in politics, and our nation’s persistent racism. The advice is offered by our scholars, and draws on their deep knowledge and experience.
	précis January 21, 2021 Activities Experiencing the culture from afar; Starr Forums explore both domestic and global issues; SSP Wednesday Seminars; Myron Weiner Seminar Series on International Migration; Eight students receive Human Rights and Technology Program fellowships; Twenty years of cultivating tech entrepreneurs; IAP activities; Faculty seed projects.
	précis January 20, 2021 Defining success and mapping the road ahead for public-private partnership and critical infrastructure cybersecurity With talk of cyber Pearl Harbors or digital 9/11s, some of the attention paid to critical infrastructure cybersecurity might border on alarmism, but there is real reason for concern, writes Sean Atkins, a PhD candidate in security studies and international relations. He summarizes a recent CIS event aimed at defining "long term success" for government-industry partnership to secure the critical functions that US national and economic security relies on.
	précis January 20, 2021 A World Bank refresh As the Biden-Harris administration re-introduces America to the world stage, it may discover the greatest opportunity for global leadership lies not in rapprochement with jilted bodies like the World Trade Organization or World Health Organization ... but in reinvigorating a different “world” institution: The World Bank. Steven Koltai, research affiliate of CIS and senior non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, explains.
	In the News January 19, 2021 How Trump will hand off the 'nuclear football' to Biden Zachary CohenCNN Vipin Narang quoted: “The easiest way to think about it is there is a seamless cutover as to which ‘biscuit’ is valid at noon Wednesday,” according to Vipin Narang, a nuclear policy expert and professor at MIT. “Biden's biscuit would not be valid at 11:59 am, and Trump's would not be valid at 12:01 pm.”
	précis January 19, 2021 Briefings Seminar XXI finds opportunity in virtual programming; The sound of a global MIT; Democracy in distress?; MISTI pilots conversations in energy; Chappell Lawson on US security policy; Donald Blackmer, professor emeritus and longtime leader at MIT, dies at 91.
	précis January 19, 2021 End Notes End Notes features the professional achievements of our scholars, students, and staff. This includes recent awards, speaking engagements, and publications.
	In the News January 18, 2021 North Korea’s Kim could be planning missile launch to welcome Biden administration Simon Denyer and Joby WarrickThe Washington Post Vipin Narang quoted: Narang would not rule out a provocative test but said it is equally possible that Kim, already struggling to keep the coronavirus at bay, maintain food production and prop up the economy, could bide his time. “Time is on Kim’s side, so why rock the boat, especially given potentially serious domestic problems?” he asked. “Kim doesn’t need to be the new kid screaming for attention, especially if he can quietly improve and expand his force, as he’s doing.”
	In the News January 18, 2021 Taylor Fravel on China Power Project Podcast This special episode of the ChinaPower podcast is the fourth of five featuring the audio from the China Power Project's fifth annual conference, which comprises five live online debates. The fourth debate took place on December 9, 2020 and featured two experts debating the following proposition: Within the next five years, China will use significant military force against a country on its periphery.