I am handing the baton to Ash and Eric for the next lap of the race, confident that the best for the Belfer Center is yet to come.

Graham Allison’s impact as Director of the Center has been extraordinary—“impossible to overestimate” in the words of Harvard Kennedy School Dean Doug Elmendorf.

A lively discussion of “Russiagate” at the JFK Jr. Forum on Tuesday, May 2, launched the 2017 annual meeting of the Belfer Center International Council . 

Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf announced on March 28 that Belfer Center Director Graham Allison will step down as director of the Center at the end of the academic year and will be succeeded by former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Carter’s former Chief of Staff Eric Rosenbach. Both Carter and Rosenbach are alumni of the Belfer Center.

Carter will join Harvard Kennedy School as the Belfer Center director and the Belfer Professor of Technology and Global Affairs, a new professorship established by a gift from Robert and Renée Belfer. As Secretary of Defense, Carter, a physicist, became known for pushing the Pentagon to “think outside its five-sided box.” At Harvard, he will focus his scholarship on the role of innovation and technology in addressing challenges at home and around the world.

Cambridge, MA – Former Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter will join the Harvard Kennedy School as the Belfer Professor of Technology and Global Affairs and Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. As Secretary of Defense, Carter, a physicist, became known for pushing the Pentagon to “think outside its five-sided box” in order to transform the way the military fought adversaries and strengthened alliances, managed its budget and talent, developed its technology, and more. He will now lead the Belfer Center’s programs and will focus his scholarship on the role of innovation and technology in addressing challenges at home and around the world.

Eric Rosenbach and Aki Peritz's book Trials By Fire helps policymakers, legislators, and the general public gain a better understanding of the complex nexus between counterterrorism efforts and the law in a non-partisan manner.

"...[B]olstering the Afghan security forces will not only restore trust in coalition forces, but also build Afghans' confidence in the future of the country."

"The continuing headache that this Iraqi prime minister gave to President Bush may indeed carry over into this administration, despite Maliki's non-endorsing "endorsement'' of Obama during the US presidential campaign. Nevertheless, given the drawdown of US troops in Iraq, having a strong man in Baghdad - whatever his ethnic or confessional background - is not the worst of all outcomes."

The goal of Confrontation or Collaboration is to provide a guide to the complexities of the Intelligence Community to policymakers, legislators, students and the public. We hope this book leads to more informed debates and decisions about critical national security issues facing our nation.

This memo provides members of Congress with an overview of fusion centers, explains the role these centers play in information sharing and addresses some challenges that they face today.