News + Media

	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.
	In the News March 25, 2020 America’s allies are becoming a nuclear-proliferation threat Pete McKenzieDefense One Vipin Narang quoted: “The concern is that it’s not a genuine negotiating position, that it’s demanded as an excuse to eventually pull out of South Korea,” Narang said. “There’s a deep enough thread in Trump’s thinking and rhetoric to suggest that he genuinely believes that American [nuclear] assurance and conventional deployments to these allies are a waste of money.”
	Analysis + Opinion March 20, 2020 How coronavirus will affect the US military Rachel Tecott, Erik SandWashington Post The coronavirus pandemic will continue to negatively affect US military readiness, leaving the Pentagon to think carefully about how to mitigate the impact on training and overall troop readiness, says Rachel Tecott and Erik Sand in a recent opinion piece originally published in The Washington Post (online).
	News@E40 March 19, 2020 MISTI Covid-19 updates MISTI In response to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, MISTI will provide the most up-to-date information to our students abroad and those who intend to participate in programs abroad over the summer.
	Analysis + Opinion March 19, 2020 Coronavirus halts street protests, but climate activists have a plan Shola LawalThe New York Times The coronavirus outbreak has prompted climate activists to abandon public demonstrations, one of their most powerful tools for raising public awareness, and shift to online protests.
	Analysis + Opinion March 18, 2020 We lead three universities. It’s time for drastic action. New York Times “Is all this disruption really necessary? We believe the answer is yes,” MIT President L Rafael Reif and counterparts Lawrence Bacow ’72 of Harvard University and Marc Tessier-Lavigne of Stanford University write in The New York Times, on the “painful steps” needed to address Covid-19. “The time to act is right now.”