News + Media

	In the News February 6, 2020 China's 'grand gestures,' propaganda aim to calm fears about coronavirus Elizabeth ShimUnited Press International (UPI) Grad student Kacie Miura quoted: In building the new hospitals, the Chinese government could have had other objectives aside from treating sick patients. Authorities allow the construction to be viewed live online, creating a spectacle and an image of a government "in control of the situation and capable of accomplishing monumental tasks," Miura said.
	In the News February 4, 2020 US military deploys new type of nuclear weapon seen as key to countering Russia Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr and Zachary CohenCNN Vipin Narang quoted: The real difference is the ability to threaten "and penetrate targets deep in adversary territory that current aircraft deliverable low yield nuclear weapons cannot reach," according to Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at MIT.
	In the News February 3, 2020 Beyond Harvard prof's arrest, increased scrutiny over research conflicts sparks 'a whole lot of anxiety' Carrie JungWBUR Joel Brenner quoted: "The FBI and other counterintelligence officials have been warning of these problems for at least 20 years now," he said. "The academic community has been very skeptical."
	Analysis + Opinion February 3, 2020 Fireflies have a mating problem: The lights are always on Shola LawalThe New York Times These are tough times for fireflies. Like a lot of other insects, they face increasing threats from habitat loss, pesticides and pollution. But they also have a problem that’s unique to luminous bugs: It’s getting harder for them to reproduce because light pollution is outshining their mating signals.
	In the News January 29, 2020 Experts debunk fringe theory linking China’s coronavirus to weapons research Adam Taylor The Washington Post Vipin Narang quoted: Vipin Narang, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote in a message on Twitter that a good bioweapon “in theory has high lethality but low, not [high], communicability” and that spreading such ideas would be “incredibly irresponsible.”
	Analysis + Opinion January 29, 2020 Temperatures at a Florida-size glacier in Antarctica alarm scientists Shola LawalNew York Times Scientists in Antarctica have recorded, for the first time, unusually warm water beneath a glacier the size of Florida that is already melting and contributing to a rise in sea levels.
	Analysis + Opinion January 28, 2020 Trump’s peace plan is a paradigm shift Peter KrausePolitical Violence At A Glance What’s significant about the deal is that it represents a paradigm shift in US policy, at least under Trump, from one model of conflict resolution to another. This shift is evident in other areas of foreign policy, too, including Trump’s pulloute from the Iran nuclear deal...
	Analysis + Opinion January 26, 2020 Samuels summarizes "Special Duty" in Ambassador Brief Richard SamuelsAmbassador's Brief Since Japan‘s intelligence community (IC) had never been the subject of serious study, and since Japanese strategists have begun to focus their attention on intelligence reform, Richard Samuels took the opportunity to produce his new book, Special Duty. He summarizes the key findings in a recent Ambassador's Brief.
	In the News January 24, 2020 Saudi Arabia 'planned to spy on Khashoggi's fiancee in UK' Stephanie Kirchgaessner The Guardian Hala Aldosari quoted: “Saudi Arabia is trying to put a lid on the whole [Khashoggi] thing, so it is understandable that they would try to make sure that Hatice’s voice and advocacy is limited,” said Hala Aldosari, a Saudi activist and fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “All sorts of unlawful behaviour continues, nothing has changed.”
	In the News January 22, 2020 Who is Mohammad bin Salman? NowThis Hala Aldosari is featured on the first international podcast of Who Is. This epidsode explores the 34-year-old trillionaire in charge of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman, and the story of a monarchy that is using its wealth to secure its global legitimacy and expand its influence.