Spring 2015 Belfer Center Newsletter

The Spring 2015 issue of the Belfer Center newsletter features recent and upcoming Center activities, along with research and analysis of critical global issues by members of the Center community. This edition highlights new U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter, former director of the Belfer Center and professor at Harvard Kennedy School. Current Center Director Graham Allison praises Carter for his “rare mix of academic depth and managerial savvy” along with an ability to build consensus.

Also in this issue, Allison, Kevin Rudd, Joseph Nye, and Steven Miller weigh in on the future of U.S.-China relations and whether these two powers can escape ‘Thucydides’ Trap’ and avoid war in the 21^st century.

We look, too, at the global hotspots Iran and Russia/Ukraine. In our Q&A, Matthew Bunn answers a number of questions about how the current crisis in U.S.-Russian relations impacts nuclear security.

Also in this issue, we share recent activities by Harvard Kennedy School students who have expanded horizons through activities coordinated by Center programs. These include participation in the 2014 Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland; field trips to the Middle East to experience the rehabilitation needs of Syrian refugees and energy/environmental challenges; and research made possible by the annual Vicki Norberg-Bohm Fellowships.

Our Spotlight in this newsletter is on Juliette Kayyem, Belfer Center/HKS lecturer in public policy, whosebackground and experience in security give her unique insights into issues as varied as the Boston Marathon bombings, the BP oil spill, and women in combat roles. We welcome new senior fellow Jim Miller, former under secretary of defense for policy, who will lead a project on preventing war among the great powers. And we feature two fellows – Brandon Parker and Cristine Russell – who enrich the Center’s faculty, fellows, and students with their expertise, ideas, and interactions.

Finally, we introduce a new section in this newsletter called Points of Progress. As our faculty and fellows tackle some of the world’s most critical issues, they encounter in their work not only tough challenges but also positive developments. We share some of those points of progress in this new section.

International Security and Relations

Will the U.S. and China Collide in the 21^st Century? (Pages 8-9)
What if the Iran Negotiations Fail? (Page 4)
U.S.-Russia Conference Aims to Reduce Tensions (Page 5)

Climate and Energy

Confronting Dangerous Climate Change (Page 3)

Students and Research

Students See Middle East Challenges Firsthand (Page 13)
Norberg-Bohm Fellowship Supports Research Curiosity (Page 13)

In the Spotlight

Former Center Director Named Defense Secretary (Page 1)
Spotlight on Juliette Kayyem (Page 7)
Q&A with Matthew Bunn (Page 6)
Jim Miller: Preventing War Among the Great Powers (Page 2)
Brandon Parker: "From Bombers to Nonproliferation" (Page 12)
Cristine Russell: "From Typewriter to Twitter" (Page 12)

In Print

Hot Off the Presses (Page 14)
International Security Journal Highlights (Page 15)

News and Notes

From the Director (Page 2)
Points of Progress (Pages 4-5)
Newsmakers (Page 15)
Belfer in Brief (Page 16)

Spring 2015 Newsletter

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