FEATURE

OP-ED

"The Cost of Saving Lives in Bangladesh"

The Atlantic op-ed by Ben Heineman on labor laws in Bangladesh.

more ›

 

EVENT

"Iran: Compliance at the Cost of Nonproliferation?"

Seminar w/Tytti Erästö. May 20, 12:15PM. Neustadt Room, Rubenstein G20.

more ›

 

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."

AP Photo

April 16, 2013

"A Spectator Event with No Doors"

Boston Globe

By Juliette Kayyem, Lecturer in Public Policy

"The speed of evacuation, and the intensity of the response, were the products of months of planning for the Marathon. Public-safety officials were on high alert because any event with lots of people around is sure to have safety issues. But no marathon can ever be totally secure."

Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

April 11, 2013

"End war, but don’t abandon Afghanistan"

Boston Globe

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

Professor Burns shares his key takeaways from the "Future of Afghanistan" conference he co-hosted on April 4-5 at Harvard. Like most wars, this will not be won on the battlefield; rather, it will be brought to an end in a negotiated solution between the Afghan government and the Taliban. He reminds us that the U.S. government has a basic responsibility, moral as well as political, to stay involved as the majority of Afghans wish, but that we should seek greater political and financial support from Afghanistan’s powerful neighbors — Russia, China, India, and Iran.