April Julich Perez, associate director of MISTI has been honored for her leadership with a 2014 MIT Excellence Award for Bringing Out the Best; The U.S.–Iran Project has produced a second book, U.S.–Iran Misperceptions: A Dialogue, published in February by Bloombury Press; Two CIS staff members have been awarded Infinite Mile awards for 2014; The Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar hosted two talks.

Why do states choose brutal or minimalist strategies to fight rebellion despite persistent or repeated failure? Understanding the strategic logic of these incumbents in civil war...is essential for policymakers to anticipate states' destabilizing strategies, stem spillovers, and restructure incentives to mitigate violence.

Regina Bateson, assistant professor of political science at MIT, discusses civil war, crime, and Latin American politics. She also explains how she is helping students incorporate qualitative methods in their research and how fieldwork has informed her work.