BCSIA Annual Report, 1979-1980: Overview

BCSIA: 1979-1980 ANNUAL REPORT
1. Overview

OVERVIEW

The seventh annual report of the Center for Science and International Affairs (CSIA) covers the period from July 1, 1979, to June 30, 1980. On July l, 1978, the former Program for Science and International Affairs (PSIA) joined the John F. Kennedy School of Government and under its new name— the Center for Science and International Affairs (CSIA)--became the first research center of the School. The creation of this permanent Center was made possible by a $4 million grant from the Ford Foundation. Supplemented by funds raised for the Harvard Program in Public Policy and Management, the grant provides an endowment sufficient to ensure the continuation of the Center. The Center is housed in the Kennedy School of Government''s new building at 79 Boylston Street. The Center has continued the Program''s objective of advancing understanding and resolution of major problems of international security through research, publication, training, and teaching. The major focus is on arms control and disarmament and the part these can play in reducing the dependence on force in world politics. This involves a concern with the theoretical bases underlying the role of force in international conflicts, with the motivation for and the long-term consequences of the spread of weapons to other countries, and with the evaluation of more immediate policy problems and the choices available for their resolution. The means by which nuclear weapons capability can be constrained and reduced in a way that diminishes the likelihood of war receives particular emphasis. Related areas of research include the benefits and risks attendant to the growing use of nuclear materials in power generation, the international competition for energy resources and the likelihood of conflict stemming from this competition, and the impact of national science policies on international efforts to deal with global problems. The research conducted is integrative in character and draws upon the natural, social, and behavioral sciences.

During 1979-80, the Center was administered by Professor Paul Doty, Director; Professor Albert Carnesale, Associate Director; Professor Michael Nacht, Assistant Director; and Dr. Dorothy Zinberg, Director of Seminars and Special Projects. Advice and direction were provided by an Advisory Committee of eleven senior authorities in the field. Ten scholars and professionals were in residence full- or part-time, and eight graduate students were provided with guidance in writing theses, as well as with office space, administrative support, and other resources. Three working groups were conducted this year: Defense and Development; Energy and Security; and Nuclear Forces and Doctrine. These working groups provide a vehicle for collaborative work and exchange of information and views by members of the research staff with similar interests. The aim of each group is to produce either a book or one or more related journal articles. Among the subjects dealt with in works published during the past year by members of the research staff were nuclear power and proliferation, SALT, Sino-Soviet conflict in the Persian Gulf, NATO, defense spending, INFCE, U.S.-Japanese security and nuclear energy relations, ICBM, and arms transfer. Articles on these subjects appeared in Environmental Consensus, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, International Security, Strategic Survey, Political Science Quarterly, Naval War College Review, Daedalus, Fletcher Forum, The New York Times, USA Today, Politique Etrangere, International Organization, Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, Current History, Technology in Society, and in several edited volumes. Energy and Security, a volume published this year by Ballinger, is the product of a joint CSIA/CFIA working group.

International Security, the quarterly journal sponsored and edited by the Center and published by the MIT Press, completed its fourth year of operation in the Spring of 1980. It continued its goal of providing timely and imaginative analyses through contributions that reflect diverse points of view and varied professional experiences. The articles either represent new research findings or confront and interpret current policy problems.

Three series of seminars were continued from previous years: the Harvard Arms Control Seminar, the CSIA Visitors Seminar, and the CSIA Research Seminar.

The course "Technology, War, and Peace" was taught this year by Professors Carnesale and Doty. Center members participated as teaching fellows. The course was cosponsored by the Harvard University Office of General Education and the Kennedy School of Government. Of the sixty-two students enrolled, fifteen were graduate students for whom a special section was formed. Subjects covered included current and future problems created by the development of nuclear weapons and the range of possibilities that exist for controlling them, the history of the atomic bomb, the role of science and technology in both promoting and undermining stability, and the relationship of peaceful nuclear energy to nuclear weapons proliferation.

During the year CSIA was actively involved in organizing, sponsoring and hosting the following workshops and conferences: The Symposium on U.S. Arms Control Objectives and the Implications for Ballistic Missile Defense, cosponsored by the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Defense Advanced Technology Center; the Conference on Governmental Issues of Radioactive Waste Disposal, sponsored by the Aspen Institute; the Conference of the Ford Foundation Arms Control Centers on The Future of Arms Control, sponsored by the Ford Foundation; and the Workshop on Energy and Security, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Table of Contents:

OverviewOrganization and Personnel

Research and PublicationsSeminars Other Program Activities Related Professional Activities Former Members of the Research Staff