Belfer Center Topics

Five Questions for the Secret Service

Belfer Center — Jul 15, 2024

Jul 15, 2024

The agency had one job—to protect a major political figure from physical harm—and failed, writes Juliette Kayyem. Five questions must guide inquiries into the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.

A Failure of Security and Democracy

Belfer Center — Jul 13, 2024

Jul 13, 2024

Juliette Kayyem writes that politicians and security experts, especially those focused on the upcoming conventions in Milwaukee and Chicago and future political rallies, must now reckon with the evident mismatch between what we know about political violence—it is pervasive and indiscriminate, according to the FBI—and how we plan for it.

Biden's Frailty Doesn't Endanger America

Belfer Center — Jul 11, 2024

Jul 11, 2024

Stephen Walt writes that doubts about Biden’s ability to do the job over the next six months must be balanced against the qualities that Trump exhibited when he oversaw U.S. foreign policy. Insider accounts of Trump’s first term portray him as erratic, mercurial, uninterested in details, and incapable of giving most foreign-policy problems sustained attention.

International Trade and Climate Change Policy: A Conversation with Robert Lawrence

Belfer Center — Jun 18, 2024

Jun 18, 2024

The rise of political populism and economic protectionism are serious barriers impeding efforts to combat global climate change. Robert Lawrence, the Albert Williams Professor of International Trade and Investment at Harvard Kennedy School, expressed those concerns in the latest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.”

The End of Soft Power?

Belfer Center — Jun 12, 2024

Jun 12, 2024

Joseph Nye argues that even as the hard power of weapons and armies resurges on the global stage, the cultivation and use of soft power will still hold currency in the twenty-first century.

What Do Africa and the Arctic Have in Common? A Lot, It Turns Out

Belfer Center — Jun 3, 2024

Jun 3, 2024

As the climate crisis intensifies, demand is surging for minerals needed to manufacture clean energy technologies. In the race to secure supplies of critical minerals, Africa and the Arctic have taken center stage as companies and governments around the world eye their vast mineral deposits. These seemingly disparate regions now face the same question: how to capitalize on their mineral wealth while maximizing the socioeconomic benefits and minimizing the environmental harms of mining.

Constructing Climate Change: Exploring How Cities Frame Climate Change in the Arctic

Belfer Center — May 23, 2024

May 23, 2024

Framing climate policy actions to be acceptable by various stakeholders in cities poses a critical task for urban governance. This paper draws on the literature on climate change discourse to analyze the content of framing and its reasoning in the two municipalities located in the Arctic: Murmansk, Russia, and Tromsø, Norway.

Trump's Assassination Fantasy Has a Darker Purpose

Belfer Center — May 23, 2024

May 23, 2024

Juliette Kayyem argues that Trump's stories of his own victimization make violence by his supporters far more likely.

America Still Retains a Soft Power Advantage over China

Belfer Center — May 22, 2024

May 22, 2024

Joseph Nye posits that an open civil society that allows protest can be a soft power asset.

It’s Greenland’s Turn to Lead the Arctic Council

Belfer Center — May 14, 2024

May 14, 2024

In 2025, the Kingdom of Denmark will take over from Norway as part of the rotating Arctic Council Chairship. Researcher Hannah Chenok argues that Greenland must have a greater say in the Chairship.

US-China Cooperation Remains Possible

Belfer Center — May 6, 2024

May 6, 2024

Joseph S. Nye advocates for identifying areas for cooperation between the United States and China such as climate change and public health.

What America's Palestine Protesters Should and Shouldn't Do

Belfer Center — May 6, 2024

May 6, 2024

Stephen Walt advises protesters that people who haven't made up their minds yet are usually attracted by facts, logic, reason, and evidence. In his experience, they are turned off by anger, rudeness, intolerance, and especially by anyone who interferes with their own desire to learn more.

Current and Future Arctic Cooperation: Where to Next?

Belfer Center — May 1, 2024

May 1, 2024

Viktoria Waldenfels MPA 2025 reflects on promising ways forward for Arctic cooperation.

This study group, led by Arctic Initiative Senior Fellow Margaret Williams, is evaluating the costs and benefits of renewing cooperation with Russia on science and conservation issues.

Kyrgyzstan in Crisis: A Geopolitical Juncture

Belfer Center — Apr 29, 2024

Apr 29, 2024

Kyrgyzstan is currently at a critical geopolitical juncture in which it is forced to
confront its longstanding ties with Russia against a backdrop of internal and external
pressures towards autocracy. Once celebrated as the ‘island of democracy’ in Central
Asia, the small nation faces significant challenges in light of internal authoritarian
tendencies and external pressure following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in
February 2022. This report, therefore, examines the role of Kyrgyzstan within the
global democracy versus autocracy debate that has intensified in the past two years
and assesses President Japarov’s neutrality with regards to Russia’s invasion and
Bishkek’s shifting allegiances.

This report relies on a qualitative methodology that builds on field research conducted
in Kyrgyzstan in August 2023. As such, this report incorporates interviews with
Kyrgyz civil society organizations and other stakeholders working on issues
including, but not limited to, democratization, corruption, human rights, media, and
the rule of law. The report presents an in-depth analysis of the Russian influence with
regards to the Kyrgyz political system, civil society, and strategic relationship with
Moscow, underpinned by the historical context of Kyrgyz-Russian relations.

A Message from Ukraine: Do Not Provoke Putin—with Weakness

Belfer Center — Apr 29, 2024

Apr 29, 2024

Mariana Budjeryn writes that despite, or perhaps because, of this ever-present shadow of war, the 16th annual Kyiv Security Forum, which was held in March 2024, was a display of camaraderie and solidarity with Ukraine, with sincere dues paid to Ukraine's bravery, sacrifices, and resilience, as well as in recognition that Ukraine belongs in the transatlantic security architecture.

Arctic Initiative Highlights from Arctic Encounter Symposium 2024

Belfer Center — Apr 17, 2024

Apr 17, 2024

From climate science to healthcare to waste management, read on for key takeaways from our team’s activities at Arctic Encounter Symposium 2024 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Is America in Decline?

Belfer Center — Apr 17, 2024

Apr 17, 2024

Joseph Nye argues that episodes of "declinism" say more about popular psychology than geo-political analysis, but they also show how the idea of decline touches a raw nerve in American politics. China is not an existential threat to the United States unless U.S. leaders make it one by blundering into a major war.

America Fueled the Fire in the Middle East

Belfer Center — Apr 15, 2024

Apr 15, 2024

Stephen Walt argues that the tragic irony is that the individuals and organizations in the United States that have been the most ardent in shielding Israel from criticism and pushing one administration after another to back Israel, no matter what it does, have in fact done enormous damage to the country that they were trying to help.

The Government Isn't Ready for the Violence Trump Might Unleash

Belfer Center — Apr 7, 2024

Apr 7, 2024

Juliette Kayyem argues that the Biden administration should lay out transparent plans to safeguard the electoral process no matter who is ultimately sworn in.

Should the West Engage with Russia on Science and Conversation While the War in Ukraine Continues?

Belfer Center — Mar 28, 2024

Mar 28, 2024

Confronted by the accelerating climate crisis, Western governments, NGOs, and academia are grappling with a difficult question: Should the West engage with Russia on science and conservation, at a time when Russia is waging an unjust and violent war on a sovereign nation?

This study group, led by Arctic Initiative Senior Fellow Margaret Williams, is evaluating the costs and benefits of renewing cooperation with Russia on science and conservation issues.