For the past eight years, a group of high-level American and Russian retired military and intelligence officials has met annually to discuss sensitive issues of U.S. - Russian relations. The purpose of the Elbe Group, launched by the Belfer Center in 2008, is to keep open an important channel of communications between the two countries that have the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. in the world. 

Direct talks between America and the insurgents would be the best way to start diplomacy that might end the war in Afghanistan. U.S. officials have sought that goal in vain before, but now the time may be ripe.

NATO has been preparing for its July summit meeting for a year now, but there is one wild card: President Trump.

Lieutenant General (ret) Douglas Lute, former U.S. NATO Ambassador and a Belfer Center Senior Fellow, and Brigadier General (ret) Kevin Ryan, Belfer Center Associate and founder of the U.S.-Russia Elbe Group, traveled to Moscow in late fall to participate in a conference on U.S.-Russia Relations hosted by the Club of Military Leaders at the Russian General Staff Academy. The conference participants discussed the state of relations between the two countries and explored ways forward.

The Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs will welcome nine Senior Fellows to the Harvard Kennedy School campus between February and April 2018. All fellows will be actively engaged in Project programming, including chairing seminars with students, conducting research, and playing an active role in the intellectual life of the Harvard Kennedy School.

During 2017, the Belfer Center was honored to welcome a number of new senior fellows, dedicated public servants who have served in high-levels of government. All of the new faces in our midst help the Center build bridges across aisles and oceans as they work with students, faculty, and other fellows to tackle today’s most challenging issues.  We were pleased to announce the following senior fellows during 2017.

Douglas Lute, former Ambassador to the North Atlantic Council, speaks with Nicholas Burns (who held the Ambassadorship before Ambassador Lute) about the strategic inflection point that NATO faces, particularly because of Russia.