A sampling of articles in the Fall 2017 of the Belfer Center's journal International Security.

International Security is America’s leading journal of security affairs. The International Security journal is edited at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center and published quarterly by the MIT Press. Questions may be directed to IS@harvard.edu.

When do U.S. presidents strengthen the government’s response to mass killing? Three factors account for such shifts: dissent within the president’s inner circle; congressional pressure; and the threat of personal political costs for the president. The 1944 creation of the War Refugee Board, which saved 200,000 Jews during the Holocaust, is a clear example of such a policy shift.

"My late grandmother rarely discussed the story of her rescue from the Holocaust with her grandchildren, nor the fact that her father, Wilhelm Chan, had once been a partner at Sal Oppenheim jr. and Cie in Cologne, Germany. She, like many other survivors, was focused on building a new life in America, in her case, within a close-knit Jewish immigrant community in Roslyn, N.Y. Nevertheless, her story is one worth telling and emphasizes the fallacy of assuming character traits based on profession."

"Above all, the program encouraged critical thinking and dialogue. Not mentioning this aspect of the program risks undercutting one of its principal achievements: creating a network of young professionals who may disagree on a range of intellectual and political issues but nevertheless seek serious and informed discussion."

"Now imagine if Morgenthau, his subordinates at Treasury, and his informants at State had refused to serve in an administration that had done little overall to respond to the Holocaust. Or, suppose President Clinton had taken cues from the rest of his foreign policy team, and Albright had been completely silenced and isolated. In the former case, hundreds of thousands of lives would have been lost. In the latter, the Bosnian conflict would have undoubtedly continued longer, and the president's reputation at home and abroad would have suffered."

"The large number of signatories on the dissenting memo is truly historic, but what's equally significant is that these diplomats have now joined a long line of government dissidents during cases of mass atrocity. These 51 names, as yet unknown, undoubtedly will someday rank alongside Henry Morgenthau Jr., Archer Blood and Marshall Harris, 20th century U.S. government officials who took a stand against U.S. policy in response to mass killings abroad."

"Those who refuse to utter the name radical Islamic terrorism have a singular focus on America's failure to enact gun control measures. Yet, recognizing that these tragedies were inspired by hate and acknowledging that improved gun control measures may have helped prevent or mitigate their consequences need not be mutually exclusive."

"History demonstrates that U.S. policy toward mass killing is truly democratic; much of the power ultimately rests in the hands of the American people. If a response is what the American people desire, pressure through Congress, through the media, and through civil society may lead to significant policy change. In the absence of these pressures, the Obama administration is likely to maintain the status quo."

"In New York the American dream thrives and our dearest American values flourish. My New York values have shaped my work ethic, my interest in public service and my belief in the truly exceptional nature of our country. New York reminds us that despite our differences, racial and religious, regional and economic, we all share the values of democracy, freedom, independence and industry. Division may be politically expedient, but it is unity in this shared history that makes us American."

A sampling of Belfer Center fellows and affiliates in the news.