Spring ∕  Summer 2023

A transformative era ends at the Center for International Studies

After a two-decade tenure at CIS, Richard Samuels plans to step down as the center's director. He will remain an active faculty member in the Department of Political Science and its Security Studies Program. Evan Lieberman, the Total Professor of Political Science and Contemporary Africa and current director of MISTI, will take on the leadership of CIS starting July 1, 2023.

Jeanne Guillemin Prize recipients

Suzanne Freeman, a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science, and Mariel Garcia-Montes, a student in the doctoral program in History, Anthropology, Science, Technology and Society (HASTS), are the recipients of this year’s Jeanne Guillemin Prize at the Center for International Studies (CIS).

précis Interview: Mai Hassan

Mai Hassan is an associate professor of political science at MIT and the faculty director of the MIT-Africa Program. Her research interests include authoritarian regimes, bureaucracy and public administration, and contentious politics. Born in Sudan, she sat down with précis to discuss that nation’s current crisis, her work on authoritarian regimes in Africa, and the importance of international education at MIT.

End Notes

End Notes features the professional achievements of our scholars, students, and staff. This includes recent awards, speaking engagements, and publications.​

Grand delusion: The rise and fall of American ambition in the Middle East

The culmination of almost forty years at the highest levels of policymaking and scholarship, Steven Simon’s recent book "Grand Delusion" is his tour de force, offering a comprehensive and deeply informed account of US engagement in the Middle East. Featured here is an excerpt from the book. Simon is the Robert E Wilhelm Fellow at CIS.

How elite American university networks affect access to venture capital in Africa

In early-stage financing, which is the predominant stage currently in Africa, venture capitalists heavily rely on credentials and social networks. In boardrooms from San Francisco to Cambridge, this often translates into following people with degrees from the best US universities. These graduates command greater trust and are found predominantly in English-speaking countries, explains Milain Fayulu SM '22.

Activities

Starr Forums; SSP Wednesday Seminars; Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar; Myron Weiner Seminar Series on International Migration; CIS awards 15 summer study grants; Third annual edition of MIT x TAU Webinar Series; SSP Wargaming Lab; 2022-2023 Global Seed Fund winners announced; MIT-Japan Program presents inaugural Pat Gercik Award.

Briefings

José Maria Neves, president of Cape Verde, tours MIT; In a time of war, a new effort to help; New MIT-Denmark collaboration to expand opportunities for global impact; Gabriela Sá Pessoa on Brazilian politics, human rights and the Amazon, and AI; Architectural heritage like you haven’t seen it before; How studying Portuguese helps to look at life through a different lens.

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