Mailing address
Littauer 335
79 JFK St.
Cambridge, MA, 02138
Simon Saradzhyan
Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Contact:
Telephone: 617-496-8228
Email: simon_saradzhyan@hks.harvard.edu
Experience
Simon Saradzhyan is a research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center. His research interests include nuclear and conventional terrorism, arms control, U.S.-Russian relations, defense, security and space affairs in Russia and other newly-independent states.
Prior to joining the Belfer Center, Saradzhyan worked as a researcher for East West Institute and as a consultant for the United Nations and World Bank.
Simon has also worked as deputy editor of the Moscow Times and as Moscow correspondent for Defense News. He has contributed scores of articles to other publications, ranging from the Times of London to Space News, earning certificate of merit from the commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces for his coverage of Russia's military affairs.
As an editor, he led coverage of such dramatic events in Russia, as the Dubrovka and Beslan-hostage taking crises. As a reporter, Simon has covered a number of milestone security events in Russia on the ground, including the October 1993 coup and the 1999 apartment bombings in Moscow.
Saradzhyan is the author of a number of papers on arms control and security, including "Russia's Non-strategic Nuclear Weapons in Their Current Configuration and Posture: A Strategic Asset or Liability?" and "Russia's Support for Zero: Tactical Move or Long-term Commitment?" and published by the Belfer Center;"Russia: Grasping Reality of Nuclear Terror," published in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science; "Russia's System to Combat Terrorism and Its Application in Chechnya" published in the "National Counter-Terrorism Strategies" of NATO Security through Science Series; and "La Guerra Olvidada de Chechenia" (Forgotten War in Chechnya,) published in La Vanguardia Dossier Quarterly.
Saradzhyan has presented his research at numerous conferences, such as the European Union Institute for Security Studies' annual conference and the EastWest Institute's annual Worldwide Security Conference. In his capacity as an expert, Saradzhyan has appeared on BBC, CBS, NPR, AP and Reuters television as well as on Russian radio and television stations.
Simon co-founded and served as the first president of Harvard Club of Russia in 2004-2006.
Saradzhyan earned a Masters in Public Administration the John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2002.
May 2, 2013
"Are Chechen Immigrants a 'Threat'?"
Op-Ed, 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 30, 2013
"Boston Bombing Puts Spotlight on Security Services' Failure to Cooperate"
Op-Ed, RIA Novosti
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
"Was the bombing of the Boston marathon the result of an intelligence failure? There seems to be no clear answer to that question yet. But it does seem to me that had there been a greater degree of trust between the US and Russian secret services, they would have been more willing to share information and act on each other’s warnings, preventing Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from allegedly bombing the Boston marathon's finish line on April 15."
April 20, 2013
"Russia, US may face a shared threat"
Op-Ed, Boston Globe
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
As evidence emerges, more is becoming known about Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the brothers suspected of carrying out the Boston Marathon attacks, writes Simon Saradzhyan. "They were reportedly devout Muslims who were born into a family of ethnic Chechens, lived in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, and studied in Russia’s North Caucasus, before coming to the United States as children. Over time, the older brother, Tamerlan, became a more radical figure. Whatever his motivation, he was following a similar path to that of some insurgents in the North Caucasus, who once focused on achieving secular independence for their homeland, but went on to become intertwined in international jihadist networks that share a belief that their number one enemy is America."
April 8, 2013
The U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism Newsletter: January-March 2013
Newsletter
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
The U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism Newsletter is a forum for discussing nuclear terrorism and actions to contribute to improved joint US-Russian assessment of the threat of nuclear terrorism. Available in both English and Russian.
April 2, 2013
"Why Nuclear Powers Should Start Walking Toward Global Zero"
Op-Ed, RIA Novosti
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
"On April 5, 2009 President Barack Obama gave a speech that was supposed to set the agenda for his presidency in international security. “I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” he proclaimed in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Prague. Four years later, however, this drive to achieve “Global Zero” seems to have waned to a point when even another round of modest reductions in US and Russian arsenals appears difficult to achieve."
March 5, 2013
"Russia Needs to Develop Eastern Provinces as China Rises"
Op-Ed, RIA Novosti
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
"For better or worse, China is still several decades of development away from claiming the mantle of the world’s most powerful nation, according to Asia’s wisest living statesman, Lee Kwan Yew, the founder of modern Singapore.
The Kremlin should use this 'grace period' to allocate resources and introduce incentives to spur economic and demographic growth east of the Urals so that this region doesn’t become what Russian political scientists describe as 'a raw materials appendage' to China," advises Simon Saradzhyan of Harvard's Belfer Center.
February 20, 2013
"A Chinese Silver Bullet for North Korea’s Nuclear Program?"
Op-Ed, RIA Novosti
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
"North Korea’s nuclear test last week indicates that the regime's race to acquire long-range nuclear missiles may have entered its final stretch. If this is the case, then those countries that have been fighting, in vain, to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions might soon find themselves with only one possible secret weapon of their own: China," Simon Saradzhyan of the Belfer Center.
February 5, 2013
"View From the Global Tank: Russia Can Shoulder Obama’s Challenges - After a BMD Deal"
Op-Ed, RIA Novosti
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Simon Saradzhyan explains how the growing gap between the U.S. and Russia negatively impacts many goals, both foreign and domestic, outlined in President Obama's second inaugural address, and argues that a deal between the two powers over America's ballistic missile defense (BMD) program in Europe could lead to greater Russian involvement and cooperation in American foreign policy objectives, leaving more time for Obama to address domestic concerns.
January 4, 2013
The U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism Newsletter: November-December 2012
Newsletter
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
The U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism Newsletter is a forum for discussing nuclear terrorism and actions to contribute to improved joint US-Russian assessment of the threat of nuclear terrorism. Available in both English and Russian.
AP Photo
October 25, 2012
"7 Lessons of Cuban Crisis for Karabakh Conflict"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Artur Saradzhyan
The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 stands out as not only one of the most dangerous moments in human history, but also as the most thoroughly researched case of a confrontation between two great powers that ended up being peacefully resolved. The wealth of evidence and quality of analysis that have been produced by participants and scholars of the October 1962 crisis make the latter an indispensable case study for anyone interested in management of any inter-state conflict.
