FEATURE

OP-ED

"Nuclear Iran: A Glossary of Terms"

Revised and updated. By Simon Henderson and Olli Heinonen.

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EVENT

Material Interests and Ideology in India-Israel Relations

Seminar w/Michal Ben-Josef Hirsch and Manjari Chatterjee Miller. May 23, 12:15PM. Belfer Library (L369).

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May 16, 2013

David Hamburg on Giving Peace a Chance

By James F. Smith, Communications Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

When Dr. David A. Hamburg led the Carnegie Corporation of New York in the 1980s and ‘90s, he drew on his roots as a physician to foster projects and research that advanced a simply stated goal: “the prevention of rotten outcomes.”

Now in his late 80s, Hamburg is still putting his medical instincts to work. He is discovering new ways to use early-prevention methods to avoid deadly conflict and enable healthy human development.

Hamburg spoke at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs on May 3 about his new book, Give Peace a Chance. His son and co-author, filmmaker Eric Hamburg, joined him at the event, along with two Harvard friends, Law School Dean Martha Minow and Belfer Center Director Graham Allison.

May 10, 2013

"The Cost of Saving Lives in Bangladesh"

The Atlantic

By Ben Heineman, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

The horrific death of more than 900 Bangladesh garment workers in the collapse of a building, following the death of 112 garment workers in a Bangladesh factory fire five months ago, has led, of course, to the inevitable calls for reform. The immediate question is how to ensure structural soundness of factories after the multi-storied Rana Plaza facility--making garments for as many as 30 international retailers--broke apart, burning, suffocating and crushing its workforce. But broader issues of worker health and safety for Bangladesh's 5,000 garment factories have also come to the fore.

May 12, 2013

"JFK’s wisdom for graduates"

Boston Globe

By Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics, Harvard Kennedy School

In this season of commencement addresses, Future of Diplomacy Project Director Nicholas Burns reflects on what he believes to be the most important speech by an American president in a half a century: President John F. Kennedy's 1963 commencement address at American University. Burns praises that speech, delivered 50 years ago next month, "for its moral courage and strong sense of idealism and hope," and encourages us to hold to those values still today.

May 2, 2013

"Are Chechen Immigrants a 'Threat'?"

The Huffington Post

By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

“There are still many questions left unanswered as America seeks to understand how the Tsarnaev brothers could have inflicted harm on the innocent people of the country that has granted them shelter, food and education.But there is one question that should not be asked at all, and that is whether the horrendous attacks in Boston should prompt the United States and other countries to consider immigrants a security threat just because they belong to a certain ethnic group.”

April 29, 2013

Prince Turki on Saudi Arabia's Role after Arab Awakening

By Ramiro Gonzalez Lorca

In a speech for the Belfer Center’s Middle East Initiative, Prince Turki al Faisal laid out Saudi Arabia’s two–pronged security strategy as the Gulf kingdom contends with the fallout from the 2011 Arab uprisings and fast-changing global energy trends. Prince Turki, who directed the Saudi intelligence service for more than two decades and served as ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland, and then to the United States, said Saudi foreign policy doctrine is based on two themes: external security and energy security.

The full text as prepared for delivery is attached (pdf).

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

April 25, 2013

"Challenges, both here and abroad"

Boston Globe

By Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics, Harvard Kennedy School

Reflecting on the events of last week in Boston and surrounding area, Professor Burns believes that the wisest strategy will be to stay true to the United States' greatest strength -- our democratic principles. 

AP Photo

April 25, 2013

"The New Normal?"

Boston Globe

By Juliette Kayyem, Lecturer in Public Policy

"...[E]very aspect of the week's events from the security precautions taken at the finish line of the Marathon to the way the manhunt was conducted will provide new standards for public safety entities who learn from each other. Giving the task of performing such an evaluation to an independent assessor without past ties to Massachusetts law enforcement is essential. Public confidence will benefit because, before we know it, there will be another Marathon next year. A formal process of determining lessons learned, while memories are fresh, is part of an effective feedback loop."

April 21, 2013

"Nation's Challenge: Terrorist Next Door"

Philadelphia Inquirer

By Marisa L. Porges, Research Fellow, International Security Program

"Active support from and cooperation with American Muslims will be one of the most effective ways to thwart future terrorist attacks. As Saudi counterterrorism officials continually remind me, the friends and family of potential jihadists are the best form of defense against radicalization. This approach works in America, too."

Rex Features via AP Images

April 18, 2013

"After the Boston Marathon bomb attacks: What we've learned"

GlobalPost

By Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics, Harvard Kennedy School

Amid the shock, grief and anger, what can we learn? Nicholas Burns dissects this week's Boston Marathon bombings.

April 18, 2013

"Resilient Bostonians Must Regroup, Learn, and Adapt"

Boston Globe

By Juliette Kayyem, Lecturer in Public Policy

"Those actions by authorities were the product of a constant process of learning from horrors in the past. The lessons learned from the terrorist attacks on 9/11 prompted the quick reactions of first responders in Boston. The skills that soldiers mastered in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan created competencies that saved lives, and limbs, at the bomb site. The plea for public participation came from a government that has learned that an insular national security apparatus is limited in its capacities."