Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - International development

Hot Off the Presses

Susan M. Lynch — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:03:27 -0500

A survey of recent books by Belfer Center affiliates.

Obama Bets Big on Syrian Rebel Leader

David Ignatius — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:26:09 -0500

"The Obama administration is placing a large bet on the ability of a Syrian former professor of military engineering to build a coherent rebel army that can defeat the regime of Bashar al-Assad, combat Islamic radicals and help build a stable new Syria."

Middle East Development Journal Releases March 2013 Issue

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:42:36 -0500

Though the events of the Arab Spring in 2010 and 2011 represented the beginning of a revolution, the real revolution is yet to occur, writes Ishac Diwan in his introduction to the March 2013 issue of the Middle East Development Journal.

Incompatibility Hinders BRICS Bloc

Joseph S. Nye — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:56:21 -0500

"...[W]hile the BRICS may be helpful in coordinating certain diplomatic tactics, the term lumps together highly disparate countries. Not only is South Africa miniscule compared with the others, but China's economy is larger than those of all of the other members combined. Likewise, India, Brazil and South Africa are democracies, and occasionally meet in an alternative forum that they call IBSA (the India, Brazil, South Africa Dialogue Forum)."

Understanding Revolution in the Middle East: The Central Role of the Middle Class

Ishac Diwan — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 11:40:46 -0500

This paper presents the outlines of a coherent, structural, long term account of the socioeconomic and political evolution of the Arab republics that can explain both the persistence of autocracy until 2011, and the its eventual collapse, in a way that is empirically verifable. The changing interests of the middle class would have to be a central aspect of a coherent story, on accounts of both distributional and modernization considerations, and that the ongoing transformation can be best understood in terms of their defection from the autocratic order to a new democratic order, which is still in formation.

Real Steps For a Post-Assad Syria

David Ignatius — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:20:09 -0500

"The Obama administration and the Syrian opposition are beginning to grapple seriously with the core problem in Syria, which is how to topple President Bashar al-Assad without creating a political vacuum in which terrorists, warlords and regime die-hards could thrive," writes David Ignatius for the Washington Post.

Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew Talks America's Strengths And Weaknesses

Graham Allison, Robert D. Blackwill and Ali Wyne — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:00:29 -0600

Both in the United States and abroad, many influential observers argue that the U.S. is in systemic decline. Not so, says Lee Kuan Yew, the sage of Singapore. Lee is not only a student of the rise and fall of nations. He is also the founder of modern Singapore. As prime minister from 1959 to 1990, he led its rise from a poor, small, corrupt port to a first-world city-state in just one generation.

Forging New Diplomatic Bonds Through Science and Technology

Calestous Juma — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:29:57 -0600

"Slovenia and Kenya are inventing a form of science and technology diplomacy that is based on commitment to taking on global challenges irrespective of size and level of development. The cooperation points to a new future in which science and technology will increasingly become the bond that ties nations together in new diplomatic arrangements."

The Hard Work Ahead of John Kerry in Syria

David Ignatius — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:15:40 -0600

"John Kerry’s first task as secretary of state should be to develop a coherent policy for Syria, where U.S. sanctions are proving counterproductive, the fighting around Damascus is deadlocked, the economy is in ruins and the country is headed toward a sectarian breakup," writes David Ignatius.

Involving Russia in Syria

David Ignatius — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:08:41 -0600

"Syria is the world’s most intractable and dangerous problem. But two ideas emerged on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that could draw Russia into a more constructive role in solving the crisis, rather than allowing it to remain an obstructionist bystander," wirtes David Ignatius for the Washington Post.

What's the Most Critical and Under-appreciated Issue in International Security? World Peace

Scott Moore — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:12:43 -0600

"...[I]t is clear that the international community possessed neither the analytic tools nor the institutional capabilities to deal with a world order in which ethno-religious groups, and not nation-states, were the primary operative actors. Which brings us back to the question: what if organized state violence and warfare is the exception rather than the rule in international security?"

The Promise of India

Nicholas Burns — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:00:44 -0600

Nicholas Burns writes, "It has been a big idea in American foreign policy for over a decade: The United States would align its interests with a rapidly rising and democratic India to balance China’s burgeoning power in the vital Asia Pacific region. But that ambitious strategic bet depended on the critical assumption that the chaotic, poor, and struggling India of today would develop into the vibrant, wealthier, and more stable India of tomorrow that many of its admirers think it may yet become.

Time to be like Ike

David Ignatius — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:41:18 -0600

January 9, 2013

Washington Post columnist David Ignatius analyzes Obama's new picks for this second-term Cabinet.

The Case for John Kerry as the Next Secretary of State

David Ignatius — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:10:24 -0600

"What kind of secretary of state would Sen. John Kerry make?" asks Belfer Center senior fellow and Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, "that’s the question of the moment after U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice’s surprise decision Thursday to withdraw her name from consideration....three qualities make Kerry a good fit for this moment."

Moving Beyond Race in Malaysian Electoral Politics

Derwin Pereira — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:09:22 -0600

"The coming general election in Malaysia will be a watershed no matter who wins. It will demonstrate how ethnicity and economics interact today, four decades after they threatened to tear the country apart," writes Derwin Pereira for Malaysia's The Straits Times.

High-Risk, High-Reward: Will Obama Seek a Free-Trade Pact With Europe?

Ben Heineman — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 15:09:04 -0600

Just after the New Year, President Obama will have to decide whether to take a dramatic, high-stakes gamble on a very unsexy topic: a U.S.-EU free trade agreement. It will be one of the key high-risk, high-reward choices of his second term, writes Ben Heineman.

A free-trade agreement with Europe?

David Ignatius — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:25:25 -0600

At a recent meeting of German business and foreign-policy leaders, one participant summed up an anxiety that’s almost palpable here: “Europeans have a sense of being left alone. You Americans don’t understand how much we need you.”

Belfer Center Poll: Americans Have Strong Interest in Global Affairs

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:18:18 -0600

During the 2012 Presidential race, many took it for granted that foreign policy concerns were low on the list of issues important to the American people. However, a poll conducted by the Belfer Center, in conjunction with the Mellman Group, Hill Research Consultants, and Senior Fellow Mike Murphy, found that in Ohio and Florida, national security and foreign policy are still critical to voters.

The Never-Ending War in the Middle East

David Ignatius — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:32:38 -0600

"The most depressing aspect about the latest Gaza war is that it dramatizes this 'no-exit' aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Wars recur every four or five years, but they never seem to settle anything. The Israelis pound the Palestinians until they accept a cease-fire, but it’s temporary. The emotional state of war continues," Writes David Ignatius of the Washington Post.

Syrian Rebels at Cross Purposes

David Ignatius — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 08:20:27 -0600

November 23, 2012

The Syrian opposition took a big step forward this month by forming a broad political coalition that includes local activists who started the revolution. But the opposition’s military command is still a mess, and until it’s fixed, jihadist extremists will keep getting more powerful.

Samar Yazbek, "A Woman in the Crossfire: Diaries of the Syrian Revolution"

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:02:38 -0500

October 12, 2012

An audio recording of Samar Yazbek's book talk on September 21 at Harvard Kennedy School.

Two Concepts of Liberty: U.S. Cold War Grand Strategies and the Liberal Tradition

Brendan Rittenhouse Green — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:47:48 -0500

Contrary to conventional accounts, the United States did not immediately adopt a balancing strategy against the Soviet Union after World War II. Rather, the Eisenhower administration sought U.S. withdrawal from Western Europe by pursuing a buck-passing strategy. Only under the Kennedy administration did the United States begin to make permanent commitments to the defense of Europe. A new theory analyzes this shift in policy, defining those who sought to withdraw from Europe as “negative liberals” and those who sought firmer balancing commitments as “positive liberals.”

Syria’s Eerie Parallel to 1980s Afghanistan

David Ignatius — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 09:36:38 -0500

David Ignatius writes that the United States and its allies "are moving in Syria toward a program of covert support for the rebels that, for better or worse, looks very much like what America and its friends did in Afghanistan in the 1980s."

Georgia’s Rowdy Election Campaign

David Ignatius — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:25:29 -0500

Washington Post columnist, David Ignatius, examines the upcoming election in Georgia and the Georgian government under current President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Puzzled By a ‘Red Line’ Demand

David Ignatius — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 15:46:30 -0500

Washington Post columnist, David Ignatius, analyzes the relationship between Irsaeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the White House.

Romney, the 'Hand of Providence,' and Israel

Charles G. Cogan — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:27:02 -0500

"[T]here is the 45-year-old Israeli occupation of the West Bank (not to speak of the earlier Western-colonial and Ottoman periods), which has served to inhibit the development of Palestinian society. Secondly, one must correlate Israel's laudable economic and technological achievements with the fact of U.S. aid; with purchases by the U.S. military; and with U.S. technological assistance, including joint development of new systems."

Harvard Kennedy School Receives Gift from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences

Doug Gavel — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 11:17:45 -0500

July 13, 2012

The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) has given $8.1 million to Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) to support the continuation of the Kuwait Program at HKS Belfer Center's Middle East Initiative. The gift will be used to develop leaders with the capacity to address the many challenging public policy issues facing the region. It will also fund research issues of vital importance in the region, such as education, energy, and water.

Robert B. Zoellick to Join Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center as Senior Fellow

Robert B. Zoellick — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:10:23 -0500

Robert B. Zoellick, outgoing president of the World Bank, will join Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in July as a senior fellow. Zoellick, whose five-year term at the Bank ends June 30, is a former Belfer Center research fellow and an alumnus of the Kennedy School. He has also been named a distinguished visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C.

The Politics of Psychology in the British Empire, 1898–1960

Erik Linstrum — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:37:34 -0500

"This article first considers the ways in which experimental psychology and psychoanalysis hastened the obsolescence of ideas about the so-called 'primitive mind' and, in some cases, served the purposes of overtly anti-colonial politics. It then surveys the history of intelligence testing in the British Empire, which originated in the aftermath of the First World War, expanded in scale after the Second, and ultimately contributed to post-colonial development. Finally, it asks how far the case of psychology puts the very concept of 'colonial science' into question."

Round Up of Middle East Initiative Spring Events

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:03:33 -0500

A year after the sparks of revolution began in the Arab World, the Middle East Initiative (MEI) focused its spring events on the implications of the region’s tumultuous transition.