17 Upcoming Events

National Security Fellows

O. Leiwant

Seminar - Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

Counterintelligence: Myths and Misunderstandings from a Military Perspective

Tue., Mar. 19, 2024 | 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Wexner Building - Room 434 A-B

Please join the Belfer Center’s Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy Program (DETS) for a seminar on “Counterintelligence: Myths and Misunderstandings from a Military Perspective” on Tuesday, March 19th at 3:00 PM in Wexner-434AB. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP here.

PM Youssef Chahed speaks during a joint press conference with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker after their talks in Tunis in October 2018.

(AP Photo/Hassene Dridi)

Study Group - Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

Building Democracy in the Arab World: An Insider Perspective

Tue., Mar. 19, 2024 | 4:30pm

One Brattle Square - Room 401

Dr. Youssef Chahed, former Prime Minister of Tunisia (2016-2020) and MEI Senior Fellow, will offer a unique insider view of Tunisia’s struggle for democracy and economic growth since 2011. Participants will hear about concrete challenges leaders faced while seeking to advance democracy and economic growth in the Arab context. Together, participants will analyze what institutional and political drivers promoted and constrained Tunisia’s democratic development – what helped Tunisian democracy survive despite the absence of pre-conditions and what lessons might be learned for the future.

THIS STUDY GROUP IS FOR HUID HOLDERS ONLY. PARTICIPANT APPLICATIONS ARE REQUIRED. EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST HERE.

Study Group - Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

Exploring Science Communication with Dr. Syra Madad: A Two-Part Study Group

Wed., Mar. 20, 2024 - Wed., Mar. 27, 2024

Taubman Building - Nye A, 5th Floor

Join Dr. Syra Madad for an engaging two-part study group focused on the art and science of science communication. In this series, we delve into the importance of effectively communicating scientific concepts, especially in an era rife with misinformation and disinformation. The sessions will explore strategies for translating complex scientific information into accessible language, engaging diverse audiences, and combating misinformation in the public sphere. Part One will lay the foundational understanding of science communication principles, including audience analysis, message framing, and storytelling in science. Part Two will feature guest experts from the field, offering insights from their experiences and advanced techniques in science communication. These sessions are ideal for aspiring science communicators, educators, researchers, and anyone interested in bridging the gap between science and society. 

Session 1: March 20th 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM 

Session 2: March 27th 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM 

Light refreshments, coffee, and tea will be served during each session. 

Please register here. This is an IN-PERSON event. You must have a Harvard ID to attend.

Abstract image of "Artificial intelligence"

Ruwan|Adobe Stock

Seminar - Open to the Public

AI and Information Quality with the Hon. Ellen McCarthy

Wed., Mar. 20, 2024 | 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Littauer Building - Fainsod Room, 324

Join the Intelligence Project for a discussion with Senior Fellow Ellen McCarthy, CEO of the Trust in Media Cooperative, on artificial intelligence (AI) and information quality.  In today's evolving information environment, information integrity is critical for individuals, organizations, and governments to make sound decisions. However, the speed and volume of unreliable, opaque, or misleading content overwhelms how we consume and discern quality information. This challenge is further compounded by the potential misuse and exploitation of generative AI. For instance, misleading content about political participation, one of the most important decisions we make, has gravely undermined public trust in the political process and institutions. Moreover, foreign actors have increasingly attempted to manipulate public discourse with synthetic accounts and content at scale, further threatening the integrity and security of the political process.

This seminar will take place in person under the Chatham House Rule. It is open to Harvard ID holders only and registration is required.

A Ground-Based Interceptor missile launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Sept. 12, 2021.

AP/Matt Hartman

Seminar - Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

The Eternal Promise of Missile Defense

Thu., Mar. 21, 2024 | 12:15pm - 1:45pm

One Brattle Square - Room 350

Speaker: Sanne Verschuren, Assistant Professor of International Security, The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University

Despite nearly seventy years of research and development in the United States, missile defense continues to face high, if not insurmountable, technological challenges, is financially burdensome, and has resulted in negative outcomes for strategic stability. Hence, the speaker asks: What explains the continued and widespread support for missile defense among U.S. policymakers? Contrary to arguments about American cultural features, public appeal, and organizational politics, she examines two conditions that can explain the persistence of missile defense: technological malleability and patterns of ignorance.

Open to Harvard ID Holders Only: Admittance will be on a first come–first served basis. Coffee &Tea Provided.

Seminar - Open to the Public

Energy Policy Seminar: “The Future of Resource Adequacy in a Decarbonized Grid"

Mon., Mar. 25, 2024 | 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Rubenstein Building - David T. Ellwood Democracy Lab, Room 414AB

Join us for an Energy Policy Seminar series featuring Conleigh Byers, an Environmental Fellow hosted by the Harvard University Center for the Environment and the Belfer Center's Environment and Natural Resources Program. Byers will give a talk on “The Future of Resource Adequacy in a Decarbonized Grid.” Q&A to follow. Buffet-style lunch will be served.

Registration: RSVP required. A Harvard University ID is required for in-person attendance; all are welcome to attend via Zoom. 

Recording: The seminar will be recorded and available to watch on this page (typically one week later). Those who register for this event will automatically receive a link to the recording as soon as it becomes available.

Accessibility: To request accommodations or who have questions about access, please contact Liz Hanlon (ehanlon@hks.harvard.edu) in advance of the session.

Sponsors: The Belfer Center's Environment and Natural Resources Program, the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, the Harvard University Center for the Environment, the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability

Book Cover titled "We Win They Lose: Republic Foreign Policy & the New Cold War" By Matthew Kroenig & Dan Negrea, Foreward by Mike Pompeo

Republic Book Publishers

Seminar - Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

Belfer Director's Lunch with Matthew Kroenig

Mon., Mar. 25, 2024 | 12:15pm - 1:30pm

Littauer Building - Belfer Center Library, Room 369

"We Win They Lose: Republican Foreign Policy & the New Cold War," A Conversation with Matthew Kroenig

Please join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs for a Director’s Lunch with Matthew Kroenig, Vice President and Senior Director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, moderated by Belfer Center Director Meghan O’Sullivan on Monday, March 25 from 12:45-2:00 PM in the Belfer Library (L369).

This event is off the record and will be in-person for HUID holders only. Space is limited for this event, so please only RSVP if you plan to attend.

Flags of Southern and Western Africa

Adobe Stock Image

Study Group - Harvard Students

Beyond the Headlines: A Kaleidoscopic Exploration of Contemporary African Politics and International Cooperation

Tue., Mar. 26, 2024 | 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Wexner Building - G02 Seminar Room

Meets from March 26 – April 23, 4:30 pm – 5:45 pm ET (5 sessions)

About the Study Group

Africa is at a pivotal moment. As the continent experiences dynamic change, a timely opportunity emerges for the United States to recalibrate relations with the diverse nations across the continent by embracing partnerships centered on African realities. With youthful populations, abundant resources, and growing economic and technological capacity, Africa holds solutions to global challenges from food security to climate change. Yet inclusive, sustainable development in Africa largely depends on international cooperation. By moving beyond outdated policies, the United States can craft a foreign policy agenda that more closely aligns with Africa’s profound transformation through trade, investments in clean energy and health, and youth empowerment initiatives grounded in mutual understanding. The future of U.S.-Africa ties will impact our interconnected world. By exploring the powerful shifts shaping Africa’s 

Students will be given the voluntary option to prepare one policy memo on a topic related to one of the five sessions. The teaching team will review these memos and provide comments, and students will be invited to brief their memos to our expert guest speakers during the relevant session. 

Students will be given the voluntary option to prepare one policy memo on a topic related to one of the five sessions. The teaching team will review these memos and provide comments, and students will be invited to brief their memos to our expert guest speakers during the relevant session. 

We invite all interested individuals to join us in these thought-provoking discussions. The goal is to deepen our understanding of the political and policy-related challenges and opportunities in Africa today.

The study group will be facilitated by Dr. Gloria Yayra A. Ayee, HKS Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy and Belfer Center faculty affiliate. 

Registration is required. Register HERE.

Seminar - Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

A Conversation with Salam Fayyad

Tue., Mar. 26, 2024 | 4:30pm - 6:00pm

A conversation between MEI Faculty Chair Professor Tarek Masoud and author and former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Dr. Salam Fayyad. This event is part of the Middle East Initiative's "Middle East Dialogues," a series of frank, open, and probing encounters with vital and varied perspectives on the current conflict, its causes, and the prospects for peace and progress in the region.

This event is open to HUID holders only. Registration is required.