MIT announced the first call for proposals from the International Policy Lab (IPL); Mayumi Fukushima has published a very useful guide to using Japanese government archives on the widely used H-Diplo; The Carnegie Corporation of New York has awarded SSP a 36 month, $1 million, grant to support its research on the global "Diffusion of Power"; CIS has nurtured an innovative outreach program open to MIT undergraduate and graduate students called Generation Global; The Center hosted multiple Starr Forums this fall.

Where did this methodology of modern war games originate? In large part at MIT, where a host of legendary faculty affiliated with the Center for International Studies were crucial early adopters and innovators of the games. Beginning in the late 1950s, Lincoln "Linc" Bloomfield and others transformed rudimentary war game exercises into immersive experiences for policymakers.

Earlier this year, CIS established the MIT International Policy Lab, whose mission is "to enhance the impact of MIT research on public policy." Professor Chappell Lawson, who serves as the faculty lead, sat down with précis to discuss the program.