News + Media

	Analysis + Opinion April 19, 2007 The risks of staying vs. leaving Iraq Barry PosenBoston Globe Supporters of the war in Iraq, including most recently Senator John McCain, tell us that a series of awful consequences will certainly result if US forces disengage. This argument is offered with great confidence. Yet the costs of disengagement are less certain than is often argued, and the United States can reduce the risks that these costs will arise - and limit their consequences if they do.
	Analysis + Opinion April 2, 2007 No to Africa command Harvey Sapolsky and Benjamin Friedman Defense News The Pentagon's proposal to establish a U.S. Africa Command as part of the U.S. command structure is a mistake. Creating an organization with the express mission of bringing stability to that sadly unstable continent flies in the face of the limits of state-building lessons that the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq teach.
	Audit April 1, 2007 China’s premature rise to great power Liselotte Odgaard China’s so-called rise to great power status is usually taken for granted. Still, a convincing argument can be made that Beijing’s post-Cold War grand strategy is based on fear of failure rather than management of success.
	Audit April 1, 2007 Can scientific codes of conduct deter bioweapons? Jeanne Guillemin, MIT At least since the First World War, when the German army sabotaged the Allies’ pack animals with anthrax and glanders, worldwide concern about biological weapons has focused on how to improve legal restraints against biological weapons (BW). Over these same years, the major powers have vacillated in their willingness to promote international treaties and laws against BW programs.
	In the News March 20, 2007 The United States, India, and the Gulf: Convergence or Divergence in a Post-Iraq World? Persian Gulf Initiative The Persian Gulf Initiative workshop "The United States, India, and the Gulf: Convergence or Divergence in a post-Iraq World?" convened experts on India, the states of the Persian Gulf, and American policy to discuss the interests, perceptions, and policies of these countries. The resulting discussion focused on a set of important dynamics involving the United States, India, and the Gulf that are often overlooked in an American foreign policy community focused on the current conflict in Iraq.
	News Release March 2, 2007 Promoting peace, the Just Jerusalem competition MIT announces today the launch of "Just Jerusalem," a competition that invites participants worldwide to submit urban plans and other creative works to help transform Jerusalem into a more peaceful residence. An international panel of diplomats, researchers and professionals will jury the competition.
	Audit March 1, 2007 Sudan at the crossroads Frances M Deng, MIT There is a tendency in the outside world to see the tragedy in the Darfur region of the Sudan in isolation from the regional conflicts that have been proliferating in the country for a half century. These conflicts reflect an acute crisis of national identity that is both a cause of genocidal wars and a factor in the state’s indifference to the resulting humanitarian consequences.
	Audit March 1, 2007 China’s energy governance: perception and reality Edward A Cunningham, MIT As observers outside of China warn of a looming Chinese end game in global energy assets, manipulated by Beijing, leading policymakers inside of China are facing considerable challenges governing major energy companies—especially those that the state owns.
	Analysis + Opinion February 21, 2007 Many hidden costs line national security path Cindy WilliamsKansas City Star The $625 billion Defense Department budget President Bush sent Congress this month for fiscal year 2008 (which begins this October) is significantly larger after adjusting for inflation than any U.S. military budget since World War II. Even more staggering is the Pentagon’s plan to spend $2.8 trillion during the five years from 2008 to 2012. Unfortunately, the most striking thing about this enormous budget is that it falls far short of the true costs of the current national security path.
	News Release February 7, 2007 CIS regrets actions of Iranian authorities CIS expressed regret and disappointment at the actions of Iranian authorities who barred two prominent Iranian intellectuals from traveling to a conference at MIT. Hashem Aghajari and Abdollah Momeni were stopped from boarding an airplane in Tehran on Sunday, even though they had obtained all required documents.