EUROPE
AP Photo
May 13, 2009
"Here's an Easy Way to Save Taxpayer £100m — Dump Half Our MPs"
Op-Ed, The Scotsman
By Azeem Ibrahim, Research Fellow, International Security Program
"If parliament were a business, solutions would be clear. We would cut the numbers employed, bring more talented people in, and give them the resources to get on with doing a better job. The same solution is right for parliament. This means reducing MPs' numbers to improve their aggregate quality. Does anyone really believe we need more than 323, half the current number?...The next task is to bring more talented people into politics. We need to attract MPs who have more life experience and have had a job in the real world. Halving the number of places available would ensure parties picked the best candidates, and a political version of market forces would see the most qualified and competent MPs remain...."
AP Photo
May 11, 2009
"Central banks need to avoid fighting the last war"
Op-Ed, Financial Times (London)
By Sir John Gieve, Former Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
No one favours bringing the full range of fiscal, monetary and regulatory functions back together under political control. I don't know of any major economy that manages with fewer than three institutions, and most have more. So we need a structure that gives each body a clear remit, but recognises their interdependence and ensures effective co-operation.
Spring 2009
"Who Are These Belligerent Democratizers? Reassessing the Impact of Democratization on War"
Journal Article, International Organization, issue 2, volume 63
By Vipin Narang, Research Fellow, International Security Program/Project on Managing the Atom and Rebecca M. Nelson
In a key finding in the democratic peace literature, Mansfield and Snyder argue that states with weak institutions undergoing incomplete transitions to democracy are more likely to initiate an external war than other types of states. We show that the empirical data do not support this claim. We find a dearth of observations where incomplete democratizers with weak institutions participated in war. Additionally, we find that the statistical relationship between incomplete democratization and war is entirely dependent on the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire prior to World War I. We also find that the case selection in Mansfield and Snyder rarely involved incomplete democratizers with weak institutions. We therefore conclude that the finding that incomplete democratizers with weak institutions are more likely to initiate or participate in war is not supported by the empirical data.
Los Alamos National Laboratory
April 2009
"The Viennese Connection: Engelbert Broda, Alan Nunn May and Atomic Espionage"
Journal Article, Intelligence and National Security, issue 2, volume 24
By Andrew Brown, Associate, Project on Managing the Atom
Recently declassified materials have revealed the existence of a previously unknown network of Austrian communists in pre-war England. The group of young well-educated Viennese used unsuspecting social contacts and marriages of convenience to establish itself. Analysis of this network reveals some previously overlooked similarities between the 'Cambridge' spies Kim Philby and Alan Nunn May, as well as the emergence of a new nuclear spy, Engelbert Broda. Their wartime espionage as individuals took place at a time when non-communist British scientists were promoting the international sharing of atomic knowledge through unofficial channels. The newly released files reflect a characteristic preference of the British secret services for intelligence gathering rather than intervention and illustrate how vital leads follow from apparently trivial observations.
AP Photo
April 17, 2009
"Polar Diplomacy"
Op-Ed, Washington Times
By Paula J. Dobriansky, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
"The Antarctic Treaty's unique diplomatic framework furnishes a compelling template for international partnerships on other pressing security, economic and environmental challenges. The experience gained under this treaty provides valuable lessons beyond Antarctica for other international cooperative security and environmental efforts."
AP Photo
April 8, 2009
"Obama Gradually Changes Course"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, The Dubai Initiative
President Barack Obama's speech in Turkey gave vague hints couched in nice rhetoric -- intriguing hints that should be watched for signs of policies that affirm them. Large ships adjust their course slowly and incrementally, and Obama turned the wheel a few degrees.
AP Photo
April 3, 2009
"Working with our friends in Europe"
Op-Ed, Boston Globe
By R. Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics
European governments need to work harder to convince their publics that they have as much of a stake in facing global threats as we do.
April 2009
Entrepreneurial Finance: Financing of Young Innovative Ventures
Book
By Ant Bozkaya, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 2008–2009; Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, 2005–2009; Dubai Initiative, 2007–2008
This book aims to better understand the process of the funding of young innovative ventures, and how a deeper understanding of this process can help public policy to better stimulate entrepreneurial firms—especially in high-technology industries.
These essays, complemented by a comprehensive introduction, are essential for scholars, researchers, policymakers, and entrepreneurs wishing to advance their understanding of this important and expanding field of study.
April 1, 2009
"Taking a Walk on the Supply Side: The Determinants of Civilian Nuclear Cooperation"
Journal Article, Journal of Conflict Resolution, issue 2, volume 53
By Matthew Fuhrmann, Affiliate, Project on Managing the Atom
Matthew Fuhrmann's article "Taking a Walk on the Supply Side: The Determinants of Civilian Nuclear Cooperation," argues that countries provide civil nuclear assistance for three strategic reasons: to strengthen their allies and alliances, to strengthen their relationship with enemies of enemies, and to strengthen existing democracies and bilateral relationships with these countries. The hypotheses are tested using a new data set on more than 2,000 bilateral civilian nuclear cooperation agreements signed between 1950 and 2000.
AP Photo
April 2009
"Nasty, Brutish and Long"
Magazine or Newspaper Article, Prospect, issue 157
By Monica Duffy Toft, Associate Professor of Public Policy
It’s a busy time for civil wars. The Sri Lankan army has pushed far into Tamil territory, seeking a decisive victory. The killings in Northern Ireland show how spoilers try to gain advantage over rivals in any political process. Then there is the threat that recently pacified civil wars, such as those in Iraq and Sudan, will come back, while the global recession may push new ones forward.
