précis Magazine

Spring 2016
	précis Interview: Paul Heer Paul Heer, this year's CIS Robert E. Wilhelm fellow, is relishing his time away from the beltway. A veteran analyst of China, Heer spent much of the last three decades rising through the ranks of the U.S. intelligence community, most recently serving as the National Intelligence Officer for East Asia at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Read more
	Roots of Russia's war in UkraineBy Elizabeth A. Wood, William E. Pomeranz, E. Wayne Merry, Maxim Trudolyubov The authors in this volume take different perspectives on the crisis in Crimea and Ukraine, addressing both international causes and conditions and domestic factors. Combining expertise in diplomacy, law, history, and journalism, as well as both American and Russian viewpoints, they address a number of core questions. The featured excerpt is written by Elizabeth Wood. Read more
	Japan's dance with the dragon and the bear: Sino-Russian relations and their implications for TokyoBy Mayumi Fukushima With a lame-duck president in office, the modus operandi for U.S. diplomacy toward Asia this year may be simply to avoid any negative outcomes and expend minimum effort. Since the crisis in Ukraine flared up, the Obama administration has been pressuring Japan not to pursue a rapprochement with Russia. Read more
	Briefings MIT political scientist Taylor Fravel has been named to the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program for the 2016-17 academic year; the Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar at MIT is celebrating its 30th anniversary this academic year; this January the Global Seed Funds Program (GSF) awarded $2,006,906 to MIT faculty to cover international travel, meeting, and workshop costs. Read more
	Activities Posen receives lifetime achievement award; The International Policy Lab (IPL) concluded its first institute wide Call for Proposals this past January; The MIT-Imperial College London Seed Fund awarded $60,565 to three MIT faculty pursuing joint projects with peers at Imperial College London; The Center is pleased to announce the 23 recipients of its summer study grants; Griselda Gomez and Joli Divon Saraf each received a SHASS Infinite Mile Award. Read more
	End Notes End Notes features the professional achievements of our scholars, students, and staff. This includes recent awards, speaking engagements, and publications. Read more