News + Media

	Analysis + Opinion April 21, 2020 The Middle East in an era of great power competition Barry Posen and Stephen WaltMiddle East Institute How does or should the Middle East fit in America’s new grand strategy? Does the great power competition require a new approach toward the Middle East? Which approach best serves Washington’s new global plans? To answer these questions and more, the Middle East Institute (MEI) hosted a conversation with Barry Posen (MIT) and Stephen Walt (Harvard). Find the video and transcript here.
	Analysis + Opinion April 15, 2020 Insights from the After iGEM biosecurity policy conference Ronit Langer The parallels between the findings of the IGEM biosecurity policy conference last November and the actions of scientists and policy makers across the world in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic today are striking: Scope, containment, and communication.
	Analysis + Opinion April 15, 2020 How digital contact tracing slowed Covid-19 in East Asia Yasheng Huang, Meicen Sun, Yuze SuiHarvard Business Review For Western democracies the time has come to either rethink our values around the tradeoff between personal privacy and public safety in a pandemic or to accelerate technology innovation and policy development that can preserve both.
	Analysis + Opinion April 8, 2020 The inspector general’s badge of honor Joel Brenner The president’s power to remove Senate confirmed officials is not stated in the constitution. That power is grounded in the president’s constitutional duty to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” In this case, ironically, Trump removed Atkinson for having faithfully executed the law, explains Joel Brenner in a recent opinion piece.
	In the News April 6, 2020 A forum for female voices in international security Leda ZimmermanDepartment of Political Science The Future Strategy Forum emerged from the efforts of Sara Plana and Rachel Tecott as co-chairs of a Boston-based organization of graduate students, Women in International Politics and Security. This group was funded by the MIT Center for International Studies and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
	Analysis + Opinion April 3, 2020 It’s high time we fought this virus the American way James E BakerNew York Times The administration has all the authority it needs to produce medical supplies and prepare for a potential vaccine, argues James E Baker in a recent New York Times opinion piece. Judge Baker was a former CIS Robert E Wilhelm fellow.
	In the News April 2, 2020 3 Questions: Fotini Christia on new deal-making in Afghanistan Michelle EnglishMIT News It is unclear what a negotiated settlement could look like between the Afghan government and the Taliban given the latter’s clear desire to head the state. Whether the Taliban can commit to power sharing is a highly doubtful proposition as many expect it to get militarily emboldened as soon as the US withdraws and to become the de facto ruling power.
	Analysis + Opinion March 29, 2020 Deal-making during the coronavirus pandemic Fotini Christia It is unclear what a negotiated settlement could look like between the Afghan government and the Taliban given the latter’s clear desire to head the state. Whether the Taliban can commit to power sharing is a highly doubtful proposition as many expect it to get militarily emboldened as soon as the US withdraws and to become the de facto ruling power.
	In the News March 27, 2020 North Korea seen expanding rocket launch facility it once promised to dismantle Geoff BrumfielNPR Vipin Narang quoted: "It's hard to know what it is, but they're clearly reactivating it and preparing for personnel to be there, which suggests that they may want to start using it again," Narang says. "Maybe they want to test a satellite launch vehicle; maybe they want to test an ICBM; maybe they want to test an engine."
	Analysis + Opinion March 26, 2020 Yemen's proxy wars explained Peter Krause, Tyler B ParkerPolitical Violence at a Glance Five years of war have accentuated the futility of pure military resolutions to the fighting in Yemen. However, its proxy wars are likely to persist, much for the same reason they have persisted in Syria and Libya; namely, because the potential benefits to intervening states still outweigh the costs that they pay to gain control, maintain the status quo, or simply feed the chaos.