People

CIS Research Affiliate and Co-Director of the CIS Human Rights and Fellowship Program Anat Biletzki spoke on "Technology and the Changing Face of Political Activism" for the Boston-Bergen Forum on Digital Futures, an event-series of UMass Boston’s Applied Ethics Center and MediaFutures Bergen. The series, which took place in October 2021, was co-sponsored by the CIS Human Rights and Fellowship Program.

CIS Research Affiliate Malcolm Byrne discussed his book Worlds Apart: A Documentary History of US-Iranian Relations, 1978-2018 at the Wilson Center on September 21, 2021.

Professor of Political Science Nazli Choucri was featured in “Can the world change course on climate?” by SHASS on December 10, 2021.

Ford International Professor in the Social Sciences and Director of MIT Sociotechnical Systems Research Center Fotini Christia’s work was featured in “Community policing in the Global South”  by MIT News on November 29, 2021.

CIS research affiliate and SSP Alumna Fiona Cunningham received runner-up for the Best Research Article on US Foreign Policy and Grand Strategy by Johns Hopkins University's Kissinger Center's 2021 America in the World Consortium (AWC) for her article, “The Maritime Rung on the Escalation Ladder: Naval Blockades in a US-China Conflict,” appearing in Security Studies.

Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and Director of the MIT Security Studies Program Taylor Fravel spoke on US-China first strike showdown: Rising nuclear tensions  for the National Committee on US-China Relations on December 5, 2021; and on The impact of Covid-19 on China’s military: A conversation with Taylor Fravel for the Center for Strategic and International Studies on August 29, 2021. He was a Task Force Member for China's New Direction: Challenges and Opportunities for US Policy, published by the Asia Society Center on US-China Relations, UC San Diego, 2021.

CIS Research Affiliate and SSP Alumnus Eugene Gholz spoke on “Refusing to choose: Did the global posture review fail?” for Defense Priorities on December 10, 2021.

CIS research affiliate Claude Grunitzky was featured in The Transformative Power of Social Capital in SheMoney on February 2, 2022; and in Equity Alliance, Investor in Minority- and Female-Led Venture Funds, Raises $28.6 Million in the Wall Street Journal on January 31, 2022. He moderated the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa conference on Africa's Youth on December 20, 2021.

PhD Student Eyal Hanfling received a Human Rights and Technology Fellowship from CIS.

CIS Principal Research Scientist Eric Heginbotham presented on “Roles and Missions in the US-Japan Alliance,” for Sasakawa Peace Research Institute on November 9, 2021.

CIS and MISTI Research Affiliate Steven Koltai spoke at the Midcoast Forum on Foreign Affairs about the Infrastructure Bill and particularly its broadband-related provisions in September 2021. He will be advising and co-teaching with Associate Director of MISTI and Managing Director of MISTI’s programs in the Middle East David Dolev in the spring course: Middle East Cross-border Development and Leadership.  

CIS Research Affiliate and SSP Alumnus Peter Krause’s co-edited book, Stories from the Field: A Guide to Navigating Fieldwork in Political Science, was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2021.

SSP Administrative Assistant Lynne Levine retired from the Institute after close to 30 years of dedicated work at the Security Studies Program.

Total Professor of Political Science and Contemporary Africa and director of the MIT-Africa Program Evan Lieberman, was named director of the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI). 

SSP Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow David C Logan was a panelist for the event "The US, China, and Nuclear Deterrence in the Hypersonic Era," hosted by the Jamestown Foundation on December 1, 2021.

Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security and Political Science Vipin Narang spoke at a book talk, “How Do States Seek the Bomb?” for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on February 2, 2022. CIS affiliate and SSP alumna Fiona Cunningham moderated the talk.  Narang and his recent book were featured in A look at how countries go nuclear—and why some do not by Peter Dizikes in MIT News on January 11, 2022.  He spoke on A nuclear threat from the Taliban? for the media outlet Thirteen on September 21, 2021.

Associate Professor of Political Science Richard Nielsen moderated a Starr Forum: Global Jihad: A Brief History on September 21, 2021.

Professor of Political Science and former Dean of SHASS Melissa Nobles was appointed Chancellor of MIT. Her work was featured in “Putting ideas into action” by Technology Review on December 17, 2021.

CIS Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow Ada Petriczko moderated a Starr Forum: Autocracy’s Assault on Press Freedom on February 3, 2022. She was featured in “Women’s rights and rising threats to press freedom worldwide” in MIT News on February 2, 2022.

Ford International Professor of Political Science Barry Posen participated in a debate on “US Alliances: Fit for Purpose?” at the Realism and Restraint Conference in DC on November 3, 2021. He also spoke on “Maritime Power and NATO,” at the Royal United Services Institute and Royal Navy Conference; and was a panelist at a Starr Forum: US, Afghanistan, 9/11: Finished or Unfinished Business? on September 14, 2021. 

PhD student Apekshya Prasai and PhD candidate Aidan Milliff, were named 2021-22 Peace Scholars by the US Institute of Peace. They both received grants to continue their dissertation research. Prasai’s research is on female rebel involvement in the Nepali Civil War.  Milliff’s research regards the strategies people pursue to keep themselves safe during complex, violent political events.

Carol Saivetz organized and moderated three Starr Forums/Focus on Russia events: The Russian-Ukrainian Conflict: A prologue to WWIII or another frozen conflict? on January 28, 2022; The Future of US-Russian Relations: More of the Same or Something Different? on November 9, 2021; and Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future? on October 27, 2021. She spoke on where things stand between the US and Russia for NECN on January 10, 2022.  She spoke at the Starr Forum: US, Afghanistan, 9/11: Finished or Unfinished Business? on September 14, 2021.

Ford International Professor of Political Science and Director of the MIT Chile Program Ben Schneider was named an MIT 2021 Committed to Caring (C2C) honoree. C2C recognizes faculty members that go above and beyond in their mentorship of graduate students.

PhD Candidate Meicen Sun was featured in “Data flow’s decisive role on the global stage,” by MIT's Department of Political Science on September 13, 2021.

CIS principal research scientist and executive director John Tirman moderated a Starr Forum: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter on October 21, 2021.

SSP Senior Research Associate Jim Walsh made several media appearances including China is not looking to start a war with US Fox News (November 14, 2021); US general says China's hypersonic missile test is 'close' to a Sputnik moment WBUR Here and Now, October 28, 2021; Gen Mark Milley faces criticism, support over call to Chinese counterpart WBUR Here and Now September 17, 2022 and America's longest war is over. What did the US gain from 20 years in Afghanistan? WBUR Here & Now, August 31, 2021.

Professor of History and Co-director of the MIT Russia Program Elizabeth Wood was academic visitor at Balliol College, Oxford (UK) for fall “Michaelmas” term.  While in England, she gave two talks: “Performing Putin: Crimea and the Spectacle of a Resurgent Empire in Russia, 2014-2018” (at both Oxford and Cambridge) and “Five Faces of Masculinity: How Masculine Image Making has Served the Russian President” (at Oxford).  She also co-chaired and spoke at a Starr Forum: Russian and Ukrainian Crisis on January 28, 2022.  The MIT Russia Program (which includes Wood’s Co-director David Gamarnik and Managing Director Katya Zabrovski) and the MIT Russian Studies Program, where Wood serves as faculty advisor, received grants from MIT Skoltech.

Published

CIS Alumnus Jamie Baker, “AI for Judges: A Framework,” Center for Security and Emerging Technology, December 2021. The Robert E Wilhelm Fellowship at CIS helped support this research.

_____________ “Staying Left of Boom: The Central and Essential Role of the NSC," in Lessons for the next twenty years: what we’ve learned in the two decades since 9/11, Journal of National Security Law & Policy, Volume 12 Number 1— Special 9/11 20th Anniversary Issue, September 9, 2021.

CIS Research Affiliate Orkideh Behrouzan (with Tara Sepehri Far), “The impact of sanctions on medical education in Iran,” Rethinking Iran, The SAIS Initiative for Research on Contemporary Iran, Johns Hopkins University Washington, DC, 2021.

CIS Senior Research Fellow Joel Brenner, “Reflections on the IG’s Role, Stellarwind, and the Information Sharing Fiasco,” in Lessons for the next twenty years: what we’ve learned in the two decades since 9/11, Journal of National Security Law & Policy, Volume 12 Number 1—Special 9/11 20th Anniversary Issue, September 9, 2021.

CIS Research Affiliate Malcolm Byrne (with Kian Byrne), Worlds Apart: A Documentary History of US-Iranian Relations, 1978-2018, Cambridge University Press; Annotated edition (August 26, 2021).

Ford International Professor in the Social Sciences and Director of MIT Sociotechnical Systems Research Center Fotini Christia (with Graeme Blair & Jeremy M Weinstein), “Community policing is not one size fits all,” Foreign Policy, November 29, 2021.

Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and Director of the MIT Security Studies Program Taylor Fravel (with Task Force members), “China’s military challenge,” China's New Direction: Challenges and Opportunities for US Policy, Asia Society Center on US-China Relations, UC San Diego, 2021.

_____________ (with Fiona Cunningham) “China’s nuclear arsenal is growing. What does that mean for US-China relations?,” Washington Post Monkey Cage, November 11, 2021.

CIS Principal Research Scientist Eric Heginbotham, “Is US foreign policy too hostile to China?,” Foreign Policy, October 19, 2021.

_____________ (with Rachel Esplin Odell) “Strait of emergency? Debating Beijing’s threat to Taiwan,” Foreign Affairs, September/October 2021.

Ford Career Development Assistant Professor in Political Economy and Urban Planning Jason Jackson, (with Aziza Ahmed) “Race, Risk and Personal Responsibility in the Covid-19 Response” Columbia Law Review, Volume 121 (3) April 1, 2021.

Associate Professor of Political Science Chappell Lawson (with PhD Candidate Sean Atkins) “Cooperation amidst competition: cybersecurity partnership in the US financial services sector,” Journal of Cybersecurity, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2021.

Assistant Professor of Political Science Erik Lin-Greenberg (with SSP and PhD alumnus Reid Pauly and Jacquelyn Schneider), “Wargaming for International Relations Research,” European Journal of International Relations 2022.

_____________ (with Theo Milonopoulos) “Private Eyes in the Sky: How Commercial Satellites are Transforming Intelligence,” Foreign Affairs (Online), 23 September, 2021.

SSP Research Candidate Aidan Milliff, “Facts Shape Feelings: Information, Emotions, and the Political Consequences of Violence,” Political Behavior, Volume 43, October 2021.

Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security and Political Science Vipin Narang, Seeking the Bomb: Strategies of Nuclear Proliferation , Princeton University Press (2022).

PhD alumni Cullen Nutt and Reid Pauly, “Caught Red-Handed: How States Wield Proof to Coerce Wrongdoers,” International Security, Volume 46, Number 2 (Fall 2021).

CIS Research Affiliate Alessandro Orsini, Teoria Sociolgica Classica e Contemporanea [Classic and Contemporary Sociological Theory], UTET Università, 2021.

CIS Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow Ada Petriczko, “Nobel Prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa won't be silenced,” The Boston Globe, November 28, 2021.

_____________ “In Europe's new humanitarian crisis, border security is prioritized over human rights,” The Boston Globe, October 7, 2021.

_____________ “The Texas abortion law has an Eastern European ring to it,” The Boston Globe, September 24, 2021.

Ford International Professor of Political Science Barry Posen, "Ukraine: Unleashing the rhetorical dogs of war," Just Security, February 15, 2022.

_____________ “Letting go of Afghanistan: Presidents Biden and Trump were right,” The National Interest, January 2, 2022.

_____________ “A new transatlantic division of labor could save billions every year!” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, September 7, 2021.

SSP Grand Strategy, Security, and Statecraft Fellow Robert Ralston, “US public prefers diplomacy over war on Ukraine,” Responsible Statecraft, January 25, 2022.

_____________ (with Ronald R Krebs), “More Deferential but also more political: How Americans' views of the military have changed over 20 years,” War on the Rocks, November 17, 2021.

_____________ (with Ronald R Krebs), “Why conservatives turned on the US military,” War on the Rocks, September 28, 2021.

CIS Research Affiliate and SSP Alumnus Erik Sand, “Don't count your submarines before they're built,” War on the Rocks, September 29, 2021.

Professor of Public Policy and Organization, Emeritus Harvey Sapolsky (with Eugene Gholz), “The defense innovation machine: Why the US will remain on the cutting edge,” Journal of Strategic Studies, Volume 44, Number 3 (2021).

CIS Robert E Wilhelm Fellow Steven Simon (with Jonathan Stevenson), “We need to think the unthinkable about our country,” The New York Times, January 13, 2022.

_____________ (with Daniel Benjamin) “Beyond forever war,” Foreign Affairs, September 29, 2021.

_____________ “Reflecting on September 11, 20 years later,” MIT News, September 9, 2021.

_____________ (with Alan Richards), “Afghanistan was a Ponzi scheme sold to the American public,” Foreign Policy, September 2, 2021.

PhD Candidate Kunal Singh, “Underplaying the China threat,” Hindustan Times, November 11, 2021.

_____________ “What is nuclear China up to?” Hindustan Times, October 24, 2021.

PhD Candidate Meicen Sun (with Yasheng Huang), “Three Challenges to Manufacturing Digitalization and How to Overcome Them: Lessons from Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the People’s Republic of China,” in Harnessing Digitalization for Sustainable Economic Development: Insights for Asia, Asian Development Bank Institute, December 2021.

CIS principal research scientist and executive director John Tirman, "History as it happens: Invisible carnage," Washington Times, February 8, 2022.

_____________ “Will America ever reckon with the human cost of the Afghanistan war?,” DAWN, September 20, 2021.

Ford International Professor of Political Science Stephen Van Evera (with Michael 0’Hanlon), “There is no NATO open-door policy,” The Hill, January 27, 2022.

Elizabeth Wood, “Performing Memory and its Limits: Vladimir Putin and World War II in Russia,” in David L Hoffmann, ed., The Memory of the Second World War in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia (Routledge, 2021).

_____________ “Paradoxes of Gender in Soviet Communist Party Women's Sections (the Zhenotdel), 1918-1930,” The Routledge International Handbook to Gender in Central-Eastern Europe and Eurasia, edited by Katalin Fábián, Janet Elise Johnson, and Mara Lazda (Routledge, 2021).