NEWS
Belfer Center Named Top Think Tank in Climate Policy
June 19, 2013
The International Center for Climate Governance (ICCG) has named the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs winner of the 2012 ICCG Climate Think Tank Ranking in the Global category. The Belfer Center was cited as the most influential institution outside of Europe “working in the field of climate change economics and policy.”
The ICCG acknowledged the Belfer Center’s Environment and Natural Resources Program (ENRP) in its recognition of the high-impact policy work carried out by the Center in climate economics and environmental governance.
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OP-ED
"Dangerous Cargo: Action Needed on Hazardous Materials"
Ryan Ellis and Lewis Branscomb on the dangers of transporting hazardous materials.
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OP-ED
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FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
June 12, 2013
"A Smarter Way to Deal with China"
Los Angeles Times
By Joseph S. Nye, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor
"In meeting many of the new transnational challenges, the U.S. has to get away from thinking just about power over others and think about power with others. We do not want to become so fearful that we are not able to find ways to cooperate with China."
June 5, 2013
"The great powers’ relationship hinges on the Pacific"
Financial Times
By Robert B. Zoellick, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
The upcoming Annenberg summit between Presidents Barack Obama of the US and Xi Jinping of China could define the strategic relationship between the two most powerful countries in the world for years to come. Mr Xi has called for a “new type of great power relationship”. Tom Donilon, the US national security adviser, has suggested a “new model of relations between an existing power and an emerging one”.
June 12, 2013
Matthew Bunn Promoted to Professor of Practice
By James F. Smith, Communications Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Matthew Bunn, an associate professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, has been promoted to the rank of professor of practice, effective July 2013.
Bunn leads the Managing the Atom research project in the school’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. The project is the hub of Harvard’s work on nuclear policy issues. Bunn's research interests interests include nuclear theft and terrorism; nuclear proliferation and measures to control it; the future of nuclear energy and its fuel cycle; and innovation in energy technologies.
Belfer Center Director Graham Allison said: “The Center is proud of Matt as an outstanding model of the combination of analysis and practice to which we aspire, as a leader in research activities at the Center, and as a colleague and friend.”
Jun 10, 2013
"On Iran's Nuclear Program, Obama Should Take a Cue From JFK and 'Go First'"
Christian Science Monitor
By Matthew Bunn, Associate Professor of Public Policy; Co-Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom
"Fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy delivered a commencement address at American University whose message echoes down the decades to the challenges America faces today – including the challenge of Iran."
June 5, 2013
Former Belfer Center Staffer Tapped for U.S. Envoy to the United Nations
By James F. Smith, Communications Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Samantha Power, the former project director of the Human Rights Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs who went on to become a senior foreign policy adviser to President Obama, was nominated today to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The President announced Power’s nomination in a ceremony at the White House, in which he also appointed current U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to be his new national security adviser, succeeding Tom Donilon.
June 5, 2013
Stephen W. Bosworth Joins Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center as Senior Fellow
By James F. Smith, Communications Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Ambassador Stephen W. Bosworth, who transformed Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy during his 12 years as dean, is joining Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs as a senior fellow. Belfer Center Director Graham Allison said Bosworth would bring to the Kennedy School a wealth of experience as a career diplomat, with a long focus on Asia and the Korean peninsula, areas of intense interest for the Belfer Center.
June 3, 2013
A Plea for Agricultural Innovation
By Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project; Principal Investigator, Agricultural Innovation in Africa
Addressing today's agricultural challenges requires a more balanced view that must be guided by evidence. But more importantly, it requires an optimistic outlook that recognizes the power of human creativity in responding to global challenges.
May 23, 2013
"Building Roads in Africa? Send in the Troops"
CNN.com
By Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project; Principal Investigator, Agricultural Innovation in Africa
"African armed forces possess extensive human resources and equipment needed to build infrastructure projects. They regularly use such facilities during emergencies and are at the forefront of developing robust systems such as smart microgrid systems that can provide decentralized power supply for rural Africa. What is needed is an explicit policy to extend their role in the construction and maintenance of infrastructure projects in cooperation with civilian agencies."
May 22, 2013
"China's No-First-Use Policy Promotes Nuclear Disarmament"
The Diplomat
By Hui Zhang, Senior Research Associate, Project on Managing the Atom
"If China abandons its no-first-use nuclear pledge, which has guided China's nuclear strategy since its first nuclear test in 1964, it would severely undermine the global disarmament process, potentially preventing the U.S. and Russian from further reducing their nuclear arsenals and even encouraging the U.S. to expand its nuclear forces. Is China really changing its nuclear policy?"
May 21, 2013
"Obama Can Still Build 2nd Term Legacy"
CNN.com
By Joseph S. Nye, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor
"Obama's first term was marked by the passage of health care legislation — unpopular with some, but a historic accomplishment that Democratic presidents have sought since the days of Harry Truman. The Democrats' loss of the House of Representatives in the 2010 elections has constrained Obama's ability to advance other transformational efforts on the domestic front, though some believe that, out of self-interest, the Republican Party may still allow bipartisan reform of immigration law during Obama's second term."
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MULTIMEDIA
- Public address by Prince Turki Al Faisal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Kevin Rudd, Australia's 26th Prime Minister, on China
- Gary Samore discusses WMD in Syria on the Charlie Rose Show
- Lee Kuan Yew's insights with Graham Allison and Robert Blackwill
- Lecture w/Dr. Ellis Goldberg on sectarian violence in Egypt
- MORE
Summer 2013 Newsletter
Spring/Summer Slideshow
HIGHLIGHTS
BELFER ON THE JOB IN WASHINGTON
| MOST VIEWED PUBLICATIONS | QUOTE OF THE WEEK | BELFER IN THE NEWS |
|---|---|---|
"At the end of the day, the obligation of the U.S. government is to defend first and, until we get that right, we shouldn't be running around attacking other people.” Richard A. Clarke, Belfer Center faculty affiliate, on cyber wars |






