Cambridge, MA – April 02, 2024 — The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School proudly announces several new Senior Fellows joining in Spring 2024, chosen for their outstanding leadership, professional accomplishments, and dedication to shaping future policy leaders.  

The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School is proud to announce the appointment of Barham A. Salih, esteemed Iraqi Kurdish leader and former President of the Republic of Iraq, as a Senior Fellow.

Meghan O'Sullivan and Jason Bordoff on how COP28 demonstrated what’s missing from climate diplomacy.

In honor of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Belfer Center experts shared their perspectives on the future of the international human rights movement as part of the Carr Center's publication, Making a Movement: The History and Future of Human Rights. 

Henry Kissinger – longtime scholar and diplomat – died on Wednesday, November 29. Several Belfer Center foreign policy and security experts share their thoughts on the impact Kissinger has had on the U.S., the world, and on themselves.

The White House announced today that President Joe Biden has nominated Kurt Campbell for Deputy Secretary of State. Campbell, recent Belfer Center Senior Fellow and former Assistant Director of the Center, is currently the National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific. He is the architect of Biden’s China and Indo-Pacific strategy and advises the president on a range of policy issues related to Asia. 

Belfer Center Director Meghan O'Sullivan looks to the future.

The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School (Cambridge, MA) is pleased to announce its 2023–2024 cohort of Fellows.

At the foot of the Eqi Glacier in Greenland in June, I watched ice formed thousands of years ago drop into the warming ocean. With this vivid depiction of climate change in my mind, I was disappointed that neither of the conferences held last month to prepare for the UN’s upcoming COP28 summit had produced any real breakthroughs.

However, while the need for climate action is rising, the stakes for COP, perhaps counter-intuitively, look to be diminishing. An underwhelming COP28 would be a missed opportunity but it may not be a tragedy. Twenty or even 10 years ago, it was reasonable to hope a co-operative approach could address climate. But it is no longer a realistic expectation — nor the most promising route for progress.

Meghan O’Sullivan, the Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs and Director of the Center’s Geopolitics of Energy project, will become Belfer Center Director on July 1, 2023. As she prepares for this transition, Communications Associate Director Sharon Wilke asked her to share her thoughts on the Belfer Center and what she sees as its greatest strengths, why she decided to take on the leadership role, and how she hopes to build on the Center’s strengths and impact in the near and distant future.