In the News | 2021
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In the NewsApril 15, 2021Miliband receives the Robert A Muh Alumni AwardSHASSRt Hon David W Miliband SM ’90, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), has been recognized with the 2021 Robert A Muh Alumni Award. The biennial award recognizes the tremendous achievements of MIT degree holders who are leaders in one of the Institute’s humanities, arts, and social science fields. Miliband is being recognized for his long and distinguished political career in the United Kingdom and his leadership in addressing the global refugee crisis. He earned an SM in political science at MIT as a Kennedy Scholar and more recently served as a Robert E Wilheim Fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies. |
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In the NewsApril 14, 2021Sought-after ambassador posts unfilled under Biden. Will they go to political allies or veteran diplomats?Deirdre Shesgreen and Courtney SubramanianUSA TodayM Taylor Fravel quoted: M Taylor Fravel, an expert on China with MIT's security studies program, said the Biden administration may have good reason to hold off on its ambassadorial nominations, noting the wide range of legislative priorities the White House is juggling. “It's America's most consequential diplomatic relationship at the moment, without a doubt,” Fravel said. “If you get China wrong, you get many other things wrong. If you get China right, you solve a lot of other problems.” |
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In the NewsApril 5, 2021China miscalculated in provoking a standoff with IndiaHappymon JacobThe WireHappymon Jacob interviews Taylor Fravel about China’s military strategy. Fravel unpacks China’s concept of a world class military and provides a rich understanding of its strategy of fighting local informalized wars and situates it within the Chinese grand strategy. |
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In the NewsMarch 29, 2021The mysterious user editing a global open-source map in China’s favorVittoria Elliott and Nilesh ChristopherRest of WorldM Taylor Fravel quoted: Altering OpenStreetMap to advance national interests could be considered an extension of what experts call “cartographic warfare” when countries enforce territorial claims via maps. “In the ’50s and ’60s, China and India were engaged in this and would publish competing maps to bolster the strength of their claims to territory,” said M Taylor Fravel, director of the Security Studies Program at MIT, who has studied China’s borders and territorial disputes. “What we are seeing now in open source I would characterize as the latest manifestation of the ways in which states have sought to advance their claims through maps and mapmaking.” |
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In the NewsMarch 28, 2021Loaded language: US denuclearization phrasing puts progress on North Korea in jeopardyJesse JohnsonThe Japan TimesVipin Narang quoted: “The inconsistency is frustrating,” Vipin Narang, a North Korea expert and professor of international relations at MIT, said of the apparent shift in language. “These phrases are not interchangeable, at least as far as Pyongyang is concerned...” “It seems unnecessary to insist on the ‘denuclearization of North Korea’ if it will simply torpedo attempts to jump-start talks,” MIT’s Narang said. “Of course, it’s possible Pyongyang is just using this as an excuse, but it’s an easy excuse for them to use.” |
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In the NewsMarch 26, 2021North Korea claims 'new tactical guided' missiles launchedLaura BickerBBC NewsVipin Narang quoted: Such a new missile would allow North Korea to put heavier nuclear warheads on its rockets, Vipin Narang, a security studies professor at MIT said on Twitter. “I think the story with this KN23 variant is this massive payload upgrade. This gives North Korea the flexibility to use a not-so-compact nuclear warhead on this missile. On @ArmsControlWonk 0 (fart) to 10 (ICBM) scale, I put this test at a solid (fuel) 6. Others may disagree.” |
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In the NewsMarch 25, 2021North Korea claims it tested a new guided missileGuardian staff and agenciesThe GuardianVipin Narang quoted: Vipin Narang of MIT said it appeared to be a weapon that the North displayed at a military parade in January. “A 2.5 ton warhead likely settles the question whether this KN23 variant is nuclear capable. It is,” he tweeted. |
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In the NewsMarch 25, 2021Barry Posen on risking escalation and scrutinizing planCIMSEC discussed the 1980s Maritime Strategy with Professor Barry Posen of MIT, who at the time emerged as a challenger of some of the strategy’s precepts. In this discussion, Posen discusses the possibly escalatory nature of the strategy, the nuclear risks involved, and how operational war plans deserve to be scrutinized by civilian policymakers. This article was first published here. |
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In the NewsMarch 24, 2021North Korea missile test casts shadow over Biden administration, Japan OlympicsJosh Smith, Antoni SlodkowskiReutersVipin Narang quoted: Even short-range ballistic missile tests would be a “step up” from the weekend test, and allow North Korea to improve its technology and send a proportionate response to recent US-South Korea military drills, said Vipin Narang, a nuclear affairs expert at MIT. The test launches should not torpedo diplomatic efforts, but they are a reminder of the cost of the failure to secure a deal with Pyongyang, he said. “Every day that passes without a deal that tries to reduce the risks posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile arsenal is a day that it gets bigger and badder,” Narang said. |
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In the NewsMarch 23, 20213 Questions: Artificial intelligence for health care equityMIT Schwarzman College of ComputingMIT NewsRegina Barzilay, Fotini Christia, and Collin Stultz describe how artificial intelligence and machine learning can support fairness, personalization, and inclusiveness in health care. |
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In the NewsMarch 23, 2021Biden administration's focus on RussiaNECNSue O’Connell speaks with Carol Saivetz, senior advisor for the Security Studies Program at MIT, about Biden’s focus on Russia. |
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In the NewsMarch 19, 2021Officials from the US and China have met for the first time since Biden took officeJohn RuwitchNPRM Taylor Fravel quoted: “On the one hand, I might view it as positive because the US is airing concerns that I, as the ally or partner, share. On the other hand, I might be concerned that this is the sign of a relationship that's going to sort of accelerate in terms of its decline.” |
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In the NewsMarch 18, 2021Analysis: Denuclearisation of what? US switch on North Korea wording raises debateJosh SmithReutersVipin Narang quoted: Implications of unilateral denuclearisation are “a nonstarter for Pyongyang and is unlikely to jumpstart any negotiations,” said Vipin Narang, a nuclear affairs expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. “The formulation ‘denuclearisation of North Korea’ implies unilateral obligations on North Korea - something it has never agreed to, and neither have we,” he said. |
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In the NewsMarch 18, 2021Traveling the world for global health solutionsAfter studying and working on three continents, Andrea Orji, an MIT senior and chemical engineering major, now aspires to become a physician in Nigeria. |
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In the NewsMarch 15, 2021North Korea breaks silence to warn US against 'causing a stink'Jennifer Hansler, Nicole Gaouette and Kylie AtwoodCNNVipin Narang quoted: “Denuclearization is a non-starter,” said Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at MIT, who added that “every time we use that phrase it's a five-yard penalty, because the North Koreans never agreed to it.” Narang said that the Biden officials' insistence on adopting the same emphasis on North Korean denuclearization “likely isn't helping, when you insist on something they've rejected flat out of hand.” |
![Aaron Te Moananua, left, receives a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand has opened its first large vaccination clinic as it scales up efforts to protect people from the coronavirus. [New Zealand Ministry of Health via AP]](https://cis.mit.edu/sites/default/files/images/News_InTheNews_031421_ManaakitangasRoleInLowDeathRate.jpg) |
In the NewsMarch 14, 2021Manaakitanga’s role in New Zealand's low COVID-19 death rateGeoff JohnsonTimes ColonistChappell Lawson quoted: While most scholars at the event were “reluctant to ascribe outcomes to culture,” said MIT political scientist Chappell Lawson, “during a time of a global public health crisis, it is at least possible to ask how social practices have fed into the varying responses around the world” adding that “the basic question related to culture response is how the habits and mindsets of a group of people affect what people do in the public sphere.” |
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In the NewsMarch 10, 20213 Questions: Richard Samuels on Japan’s 3.11 triple disaster and its impact 10 years laterMIT NewsWithin minutes, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown on March 11, 2011, brought an unprecedented wave of death, displacement, and destruction to Japan. Here, Samuels reflects on whether 3.11 was a force of change, or a return to status quo, in Japan’s politics and public policy. |
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In the NewsMarch 10, 2021A conversation about Japanese politics and public policyUC San Diego School of Global Policy and StrategyWhat do the Tohoku earthquake, Japanese intelligence, technology policy and national security policy, and Japan’s energy and regional policies have in common? Richard Samuels shares insights he has gained from this deep and broad research, and what his findings imply for Japan, Japan’s grand strategy, and US-Japan relations today. |
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In the NewsMarch 10, 2021Exploring generations of influence between South Asia and MITOver Independent Activities Period, students were involved in conducting research, looking at historical archives on campus and beyond, and conducting oral history interviews with alumni in India and the United States. The project laid the groundwork for an online archive that traces the personal, professional, and intellectual journeys of alumni, documenting the incredible relationship between South Asia and the Institute. |
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In the NewsMarch 10, 2021Latest Microsoft mass hacks highlight challenge for Biden administrationAFPThe Straits TimesR David Edelman quoted: “The administration has said it wants to impose costs, and it's unclear what costs are commensurate. Just like with SolarWinds, the private sector is going to have to pay for another state's adventurism,” Mr Edelman said. “Indictments? Sanctions? They only have so much effect when we're talking about agents safely ensconced in a foreign security state thousands of miles away.” |
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In the NewsMarch 8, 2021What's really driving China's strategic objectives?Michael GreenReal VisionTaylor Fravel sits down with his long-time friend Mike Green of Logica Capital Advisors to discuss a multitude of factors affecting China’s strategic objectives. They The focus of the interview is on geography and how China’s large number of land borders and their perception of being blocked off from the Pacific Ocean by USmilitary presence in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines makes the “first island chain” a potential flashpoint for conflict. |
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In the NewsMarch 6, 2021The Fukushima disaster was not the turning point many had hopedThe EconomistRichard Samuels quoted: “There’s been some change, but nothing at the pace commensurate with the promise,” argues Richard Samuels, author of “3.11: Disaster and Change in Japan”. |
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In the NewsMarch 3, 2021MIT and Danish university students unite to envision a more sustainable futureMISTIClimate action is among the top priorities for the Institute and one that demands global solutions. With Denmark’s reputation as a leader in sustainable thinking, finding a way to bring the two together presented a natural synergy for the MIT-Denmark program...The Green Campus Challenge was launched with these goals in mind, tasking student teams to develop proposals to make a more sustainable campus and also broaden their cross-cultural competencies and learn about how sustainability is perceived in another culture. |
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In the NewsFebruary 26, 2021US launches airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias in SyriaPeter O'DowdWBUR Here & NowThe Pentagon says the strikes in Syria targeted Iranian-backed militia groups in response to a rocket attack at a US base in Iraq last week. Host Peter O'Dowd gets the latest on the strikes, which mark the first military offensive of Biden's presidency, from security analyst Jim Walsh. |
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In the NewsFebruary 19, 2021Biden moves to restart Iran nuclear talksPeter O'DowdWBUR Here & NowThe Biden administration says the US would be willing to attend a meeting with European partners and Iran to “discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran's nuclear program.” Jim Walsh explains and weighs in on this first real sign of rejoining the Iran nuclear deal. |
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In the NewsFebruary 17, 2021China removes tanks and dismantles helipad, easing border tension with IndiaWill GlasgowThe AustralianM Taylor Fravel quoted: “In the near term, the disengagement greatly reduces the chance of military escalation between two nuclear-armed powers by creating buffer zones between their frontline forces,” said M Taylor Fravel, an expert on China’s territorial disputes at MIT. “In the longer term, it could serve as the basis for talks to reduce incidents along the LAC, especially in areas where the two countries view the location of the LAC differently,” Mr Fravel told The Australian. |
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In the NewsFebruary 12, 2021Indian and Chinese troops start disengagement at Pangong Tso; experts discussCNBC-TV18The Chinese PLA have withdrawn over 200 tanks and have started removing troops from south Pangong region. Defence minister Rajnath Singh told parliament on Thursday that Indian and Chinese troops have reached an agreement on disengagement. To discuss this, Parikshit Luthra spoke to Ananth Krishnan, China correspondent at The Hindu, and M Taylor Fravel, director of security studies at MIT. |
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In the NewsFebruary 12, 2021How India stood its ground and forced China to end Pangong Tso aggressionSnehesh Alex Philip and Nayanima BasuThe PrintM Taylor Fravel quoted: “Although it remains early days, my view is that China is responding to the significant deterioration of US-China relations in the past year, and the way in which its international image has suffered in many countries, at a time when the party will launch the 14th five-year plan that is critical to its development goals,” Fravel added. |
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In the NewsFebruary 12, 2021Impeachment video shows Pence had 'nuclear football' as he moved away from Capitol riotMorgan GstalterThe HillVipin Narang quoted: “More jarring than seeing the ‘football’ follow Pence as he was being evacuated — it is just a communication device, at no point could it’s compromise have resulted in a launch — is knowing that the man who possessed sole authority to launch American nukes at the time incited this mob,” Narang wrote. |
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In the NewsFebruary 11, 2021Indian, Chinese armies begin pullback at LACRahul Singh and Sutirtho PatranobisHindustan TimesVipin Narang quoted: Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said: “Let’s see what happens. Any movement toward disengagement is good, but it has to be real and sustained, and verified not just in Pangong but eventually elsewhere as well. It can’t be China pretending to disengage and India pretending to believe it.” |
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In the NewsFebruary 5, 2021To arms or to flight?Leda ZimmermanMIT Political ScienceWhy do some people fight and others flee when confronting violence? “This question has been bothering me for quite some time,” says Aidan Milliff, a fifth-year doctoral student who entered political science to explore the strategic choices people make in perilous times. |
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In the NewsFebruary 4, 2021US-Russia treaty restricting nuclear weapons extended for 5 yearsWBUR Here and NowThe Biden administration and Russia agreed to extend a nonproliferation treaty that restricts the two nations' arsenals of some of the deadliest weapons known to humankind. Jim Walsh weighs in. |
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In the NewsFebruary 3, 2021Choucri connects the dots between technology and geopoliticsKatherine LeeAAASNazli Choucri’s work involves urgent and timely topics such as changes in international relations, conflict and violence, and the international political economy, with a focus on cyberspace and the global environment. She is profiled here by AAAS, where she was elected in 2020 as a fellow. |
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In the NewsFebruary 3, 2021Iran has done well to resist Trump’s maximum pressureMohammad MazhariTehran TimesThe rising tension between Iran and the Trump administration pushed some observers to claim that the JCPOA is dead, especially after the Arab-Israeli normalization and their efforts to form a coalition against Iran. John Tirman discusses with Tehran Times. |
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In the NewsFebruary 3, 2021China on the brink of "major crisis"Jamie SeidelThe Morning BulletinM Taylor Fravel quoted: “China's emphasis on operating in the grey zone recognizes the clear dangers of crossing the threshold for the use of force and have been employed precisely for this reason - to achieve national objectives without using force,” he says. “A leading Indonesian political figure once said to me that the PRC had no real soft power in Southeast Asia, but plenty of ‘money power’,” he says. |
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In the NewsFebruary 3, 2021Maritime disputes in East AsiaColumbia-Harvard China and the World ProgramColumbia UniversityA podcast featuring Taylor Fravel on key maritime issues in East Asia related to the South China Sea, the East China Sea, Taiwan, and the US role in the region. |
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In the NewsFebruary 1, 2021Why India is facing possible US sanctionsRonak D DesaiForbesVipin Narang quoted: Dr Vipin Narang, professor and sanctions expert at MIT, notes that “even though India imports significant quantities of Russian military equipment, there does appear to be a particular and specific concern about S-400, one that caused the US to sanction a NATO ally, albeit one with which it has complicated relations.” The fact that Turkey “did not escape CAATSA sanctions suggests that the US is very concerned about the S-400 system.” |
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In the NewsJanuary 31, 2021With increasing authority, women are gaining space while preaching Islam on the InternetKSU | The Sentinel NewspaperRichard Nielsen heavily quoted: “When I found women preaching with authority on these sites, I was very surprised and wanted to know more,” explains political scientist Richard Nielsen, who teaches at MIT. He recently published a study on this topic, as part of his larger project to understand the impact of the Internet on religious authority. |
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In the NewsJanuary 30, 2021Nuclear proliferation is not fast, but it is frighteningThe EconomistRichard Samuels quoted: Such experiences change perspectives. Japanese conversations about nuclear weapons were once “sotto voce” and confined to a small cluster of “very conservative thinkers”, says Richard Samuels of MIT. Now, he writes in an article with his colleague Eric Heginbotham, “What once had been nearly taboo...has a conspicuous presence in Japan’s security discourse.” |
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In the NewsJanuary 29, 2021Foreign policy advice: Don’t look backPeter DizikesMIT NewsThe Biden administration faces tasks ranging from reviving relationships with traditional partners, restoring agreements forged in the Obama administration, and tackling our ongoing global crises. The four panelists at the Starr Forum all spent time at MIT in the past, as Robert E Wilhelm Fellows at CIS. |
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In the NewsJanuary 27, 2021PhD candidates Campbell-Mohn and Freeman among Kissinger’s Nolan Prize winnersThe Henry A Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) announced, in conjunction with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Texas National Security Review, the 2020 Janne Nolan Prize winners for the best article on national security/international affairs. Congratulations to PhD candidates Emma Campbell-Mohn and Suzanne Freeman, who both received recognition for their work. |
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In the NewsJanuary 27, 2021India sticking to S-400 deal with Russia despite threat of possible US sanctionsRezaul H Laskar, Rahul SinghHindustan TimesVipin Narang quoted: “The fact that Turkey didn’t escape CAATSA sanctions suggests the US is very concerned about the S-400 system, and it's probably not just junk. India's insistence to take delivery of its first S-400 batteries later this year therefore sets the Biden administration potentially on a collision course on the sanctions question with India,” Narang said. |
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In the NewsJanuary 21, 2021North Korea’s new sub missile is first step toward a new ICBMMorten Soendergaard LarsenForeign PolicyVipin Narang quoted: “It’s just not survivable against the United States. In any crisis or conflict, I can only imagine that the US Navy or the [South Korean navy] would be there just blanketing the entire coast. I can’t imagine anything is going to survive,” said Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. |
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In the NewsJanuary 21, 2021Biden seeks five more years for last Russia nuclear pact but no 'reset'AFP NewsVipin Narang quoted: “The only opponents are those who seek an unlimited arms race. Glad to see the Biden administration dispensing with reckless games of chicken with global security on Day One,” tweeted Vipin Narang. He said the Biden administration can still find other ways to pressure Russia over its concerns on so-called tactical nuclear weapons — which Moscow could deploy in hot conflicts close to home, as opposed to strategic weapons that mostly target the United States. “This buys the sundae without precluding future sprinkles,” Narang said. |
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In the NewsJanuary 19, 2021How Trump will hand off the 'nuclear football' to BidenZachary CohenCNNVipin Narang quoted: “The easiest way to think about it is there is a seamless cutover as to which ‘biscuit’ is valid at noon Wednesday,” according to Vipin Narang, a nuclear policy expert and professor at MIT. “Biden's biscuit would not be valid at 11:59 am, and Trump's would not be valid at 12:01 pm.” |
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In the NewsJanuary 18, 2021North Korea’s Kim could be planning missile launch to welcome Biden administrationSimon Denyer and Joby WarrickThe Washington PostVipin Narang quoted: Narang would not rule out a provocative test but said it is equally possible that Kim, already struggling to keep the coronavirus at bay, maintain food production and prop up the economy, could bide his time. “Time is on Kim’s side, so why rock the boat, especially given potentially serious domestic problems?” he asked. “Kim doesn’t need to be the new kid screaming for attention, especially if he can quietly improve and expand his force, as he’s doing.” |
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In the NewsJanuary 18, 2021Taylor Fravel on China Power Project PodcastThis special episode of the ChinaPower podcast is the fourth of five featuring the audio from the China Power Project's fifth annual conference, which comprises five live online debates. The fourth debate took place on December 9, 2020 and featured two experts debating the following proposition: Within the next five years, China will use significant military force against a country on its periphery. |
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In the NewsJanuary 15, 2021North Korea shows off new submarine-launched missile at military paradeWilliam GalloVOAVipin Narang quoted: “The only thing that makes sense to me is that these developments are setting the stage for a solid fuel ICBM. To me that has to be the end game here,” tweeted Vipin Narang, a nuclear specialist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. |
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In the NewsJanuary 15, 2021North Korea unveils new submarine-launched missile at paradeJesse JohnsonThe Japan TimesVipin Narang quoted: “I’m struggling to understand the logic of this rapid SLBM development and evolution with no real survivable submarine and the only thing that makes sense to me is that these developments are setting the stage for a solid fuel ICBM,” Vipin Narang, a North Korea expert and professor of international relations at MIT, wrote on Twitter. “To me that has to be the end game here.” |
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In the NewsJanuary 14, 2021‘A more general anxiety’: Gun sales soared nationwide in 2020Anissa GardizyThe Boston GlobeJohn Tirman quoted: John Tirman, executive director of MIT’s Center for International Studies, said he believes US gun sales were up in 2020 due to a “general instability of society.” “It does relate to the election, and Trump, and the possibility that Biden could try to enact gun control, but I think it is a more general anxiety,” he said. |
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In the NewsJanuary 12, 2021Questions of national security arise amid uncertainty in DCWBUR Here and NowThere are questions about national security in the aftermath of what happened at the US Capitol last Wednesday when President Trump's supporters stormed the building. Jim Walsh weighs in. |
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In the NewsJanuary 8, 2021Trump has the authority to launch nuclear weapons — whether Pelosi likes it or notJennifer Williams and Alex WardVoxVipin Narang quoted: “So long as Trump remains in office, he retains the legal authority to solely launch some or all of America’s nuclear weapons until 12:01 pm on January 20, or until he is removed from office,” Vipin Narang, a nuclear security expert at MIT, told Vox. “Any ‘safeguards’ that could effectively prevent POTUS from exercising sole authority to launch nuclear weapons are either illegal or illusory.” |
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In the NewsJanuary 5, 2021Chinese President Xi Jinping wrests greater control over China's military; revises National Defense LawANIThe Free Press JournalM Taylor Fravel heavily quoted: “This marks only the fifth time that the PLA has changed its operational doctrine since 1949.”... Fravel added: “The promulgation of a high-level doctrinal document suggests that the PLA is consolidating the changes to improve joint operations that were part of the unprecedented reforms that began in late 2015. In fact, it likely signals confidence that the reforms have been successful.” |
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In the NewsJanuary 4, 2021Iran eyes Biden but could conflict still erupt with Trump?Shaun TandonAFP NewsVipin Narang quoted: “We have a new form of deterrence now -- schizophrenic deterrence. We don't know what we're doing,” said Vipin Narang. Instead of looking tough by reversing the Nimitz's return, “it may send the wrong signal – which is that it's total chaos in Washington right now and if you're going to take a shot, maybe this is the time you want to do it.” |
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