309 Items

Ash Carter speaking at a Harvard Kennedy School JFK Jr. Forum on March 28, 2017. 

Martha Stewart

Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Ash Carter’s Lessons from ISIS for Israel’s Campaign Against Hamas

| Oct. 25, 2023

Our colleague and friend Ash Carter left us one year ago this week. As we reflect on all he brought to our lives and our nation, and face the challenge Hamas’ vicious terrorist attack that killed 1400 innocent Israelis, it is instructive to consider what the architect of President Obama’s strategy to defeat ISIS might say if asked how Israel should respond. Netanyahu has declared that Hamas is ISIS, and we will defeat it just like the enlightened world defeated ISIS.” While noting important differences between ISIS and Hamas, I suspect he would have taken this invitation to restate lessons learned from our own campaign against ISIS.

- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

The Legacy of Ash Carter

| Fall 2022

As tributes and memories poured in following the sudden death of Belfer Center Director Ash Carter on October 24, it became increasingly clear that his legacy of teaching and serving will live on through the students he taught, colleagues he mentored and worked alongside, and the many individuals whose lives he touched during his work in and out of government. 

Here, through the words of students, colleagues, government officials, and others, we share something of the incredible impact of this extraordinary man known as “Professor Carter,” “Secretary Carter,” “Sir,” and just “Ash.” 

1996 photo with Russian defense minister Pavel Grachev, Ukrainian Defense Minister Valery Schmarov, and U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry (with Ash Carter, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs) planting sunflowers at the site which formerly housed a missile silo at a military base near Pervomaysk, Ukraine.

Department of Defense via AP

Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

In Memoriam: Ash Carter's Critical Role in Nuclear Security and Policy

    Author:
  • Amb. (ret.) George A. Krol
| Nov. 05, 2022

Ambassador George Krol (ret.) recounts Ash Carter's unique qualities and the seminal role he played in developing U.S. policy toward the newly independent republics of the former Soviet Union in the mid-1990's.  "He left a lasting impression on all of us," Amb. Kool writes, "including, I contend, in many of the republics of the former USSR."

On the right is Miklhail S. Gorbachev with then Belfer Center Director Graham Allison on the left. With a Harvard Kennedy School JFK Jr. Forum backdrop behind them. 

Martha Stewart

News - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s Legacy

Former Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who is known for ending the Cold War, dissolving the Soviet Union, and changing the map of Europe, died Tuesday, August 30. He was 91.

We asked several Center experts for their thoughts on Gorbachev and his impacts – and how his life and actions are relevant to the challenges the world faces today.

Report - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Technology Primer: Social Media Recommendation Algorithms

| Aug. 25, 2022

The use of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok is increasingly widespread, currently amounting to billions of users worldwide. Social media companies deploy proprietary recommendation algorithms to automate the selection, ranking, and presentation of content on the platform’s “feed” or recommended content section, every time a user opens or refreshes the site or app. However, social media recommendation algorithms have a range of privacy, security, information quality, and psychological concerns for users. 

A successful approach to the regulation of social media recommendation algorithms will require a combination of government regulation, self governance, and external oversight to facilitate value alignment across these diverse actors and tackle the various challenges associated with this technology. This publication explores the technical components of social media recommendation systems, as well as their public purpose considerations. 

Quantum diamond microscope tracks changes in magnetic fields

John T. Consoli/University of Maryland

Report - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Tech Hub Competition and Federal R&D Funding

    Authors:
  • Sarith Felber
  • Chuck Meire
  • Gopal Nadadur
  • Christina A. Nguyen
| June 2022

This report examines the competitiveness of Boston’s tech hub by comparing its performance to other leading hubs. In particular the report reviews the importance of federal funding for research and development, compares Boston’s share of federal funding to other tech hubs and explores how Boston could leverage its advantages to increase its own share of federal funding. Critically, the report recognizes the role Boston plays in the national innovation landscape and argues that it is in Boston's best interest to more effectively collaborate with existing and emerging hubs to advance U.S. scientific leadership.

 

Petri dishes containing Streptomyces, an antibiotic-producing genus.

Tim Llewellyn

Report - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Tech Hub Competition and Private Funding of the Innovation Life Cycle

| June 2022

In the U.S, the business or the private sector performs and funds most R&D activities. This report focuses on the role of private funding in promoting and sustaining the Boston tech hub. It includes an analysis of Boston’s place in the national landscape of private investment and how current and future trends may influence Boston’s attractiveness. Lastly, it explores policy tools to encourage private investment across the technology innovation life cycle.

A researcher uses a gel electrophoresis technique to separate mucins from other proteins in a mammal saliva sample.

Douglas Levere/University at Buffalo

Report - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

International Students & Scholars in STEM in the U.S.

| June 2022

This report explores the primary factors contributing to the recent drop in international student enrollments in the United States. Losing the race for international students and scholars would be a blow to the United States’ global leadership in science and technology. University leaders and policymakers must adopt innovative solutions to bolster the foreign STEM talent pipeline. We outline several recommendations to consider to advance U.S. competitiveness including developing new immigration pathways for highly skilled STEM workers, expanding and streamlining existing programs, and refining a national strategy for welcoming immigrants. We also provide suggestions for strengthening the integrity of the American research ecosystem.