News + Media

Jim Walsh Head Shot

In the News

December 2, 2020

Biden cabinet picks signal a big shift from the Trump era

Fox News Radio

Jim Walsh discusses who could have taken part in the assassination and what impact this will have on the region and on the Biden administration.

The 'Zwaardvis'-class submarine ROCS 'Hai Lung' surfaces near a Republic of China Navy frigate. REPUBLIC OF CHINA NAVY

In the News

December 2, 2020

Taiwan is building eight new submarines—they alone could destroy a Chinese invasion fleet

David AxeForbes

Owen Cote quoted: “Outside of the US and the UK, submarines are not considered primary ASW platforms, and outside of NATO and Japan most navies are pretty bad at surface- and air-based ASW, so in the rest of the world it doesn’t make sense to compare numbers of submarines on each side the way you would, for example, numbers of air-to-air fighters,” Cote explained.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un walks to a meeting with President Donald Trump in the Demilitarized Zone on June 30, 2019, in Panmunjom, South Korea. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

In the News

December 1, 2020

4 looming foreign policy crises that could derail Biden’s agenda early on

Alex WardVox

Vipin Narang quoted: “North Korea is one of those challenges that no one really wants to deal with right now, since there are no easy solutions or pathways to slowing down the growth of the program. But Kim has a way of putting himself back on the high-priority list,” said Vipin Narang, an expert on North Korea’s nuclear program at MIT.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, right, was a key figure in Iran’s nuclear weapons program. (West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

In the News

November 27, 2020

Who is Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the Iranian nuclear scientist killed in attack outside Tehran?

Adam TaylorThe Washington Post

Vipin Narang quoted: “Plenty of people in the program can design a warhead now if needed,” said Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “So Iran may now have more motivation to weaponize, without attenuating its ability to do so.”

An Indian Army convoy near the Chinese border in September. A Chinese military buildup in the area led to bloodshed this year, and now China is pushing claims nearby on strategically valuable land claimed by Bhutan.Credit...Dar Yasin/Associated Press

In the News

November 27, 2020

Beijing takes its South China Sea strategy to the Himalayas

Steven Lee MyersThe New York Times

M Taylor Fravel quoted: “In the end, it reflects the consolidation of China’s control over the area it claims,” said M Taylor Fravel.  “Previous compromise ideas from the 1990s may no longer be on the table,” he said, “as China may be unwilling or unlikely to withdraw from territory where it has erected such infrastructure.”

Biden speaking with American Flag backdrop

In the News

November 26, 2020

Biden says US is back at the head of the table

WBUR Here & Now

The Trump administration has been about "America first" and downplaying alliances with organizations such as the World Health Organization. Jim Walsh assesses the impact that has had and the challenges the president-elect will face.

Nazli Choucri head shot

In the News

November 24, 2020

Six MIT faculty elected 2020 AAAS Fellows

MIT News

Nazli Choucri was among the six faculty members elected as fellows of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Choucri is a professor of political science, a senior faculty member at the Center of International Studies (CIS), and a faculty affiliate at the Institute for Data, Science, and Society (IDSS).

In the News

November 23, 2020

Faculty seed projects grow into pandemic research opportunities

MIT News

Global partnerships are a fundamental component of research at MIT — even during this time of suspended travel. MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) supports those connections via MISTI Global Seed Funds (GSF).

Trump holding a plate of food surrounded by US Troops - OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

In the News

November 19, 2020

Ending the forever wars, by any means necessary

Jacob SilvermanThe New Republic

Barry Posen quoted: “The president expressed his desire to end these wars when he came into office four years ago,” said Barry Posen. “Where was he in the last four years?” “There’s no real hope that there’s a happy ending that’s possible here,” Posen said. “In my view, there was no hope three or four years ago.”

Deadline Ahead Road Sign

News@E40

November 13, 2020

Student deadlines for Boren and Carnegie fellowships

The Center has several upcoming student fellowship deadlines, including: The 2021 Boren Awards which include applications for fellowships due on January 27, 2021 at 5:00 PM EST, and applications for scholarships due February 3, 2021 at 5:00 pm EST. Nominations for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace are due to the James C Gaither Junior Fellows Program by January 15th. CIS must receive the applications by December 15, 2020. For more details, click on the respective sponsors or visit our Fellowships and Grants page. 

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