For the Press

The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the world’s regions, changing both the geological and geopolitical landscape of the Arctic region. Meanwhile, China and Russia are enhancing their cooperation in the Arctic, particularly through China’s investments in Russia’s rich natural resources – coal, liquified natural gas (LNG) and oil – as well as in shipping and port infrastructure. The two countries are also enhancing their relationship in other areas, adding to the shifting geopolitics of the region. Coupled with the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, questions arise of the implications the two states’ cooperation has on the security of the eight Arctic states. Panelists will explore this changed geopolitical landscape, as well as the implications foreseen for the green transition in the region.

RSVP required. This event will be held in a hybrid format. A Harvard University ID is required for in-person attendance; all are welcome to attend via Zoom.

For questions, please contact Elizabeth Hanlon (ehanlon@hks.harvard.edu).

Speakers: Michal Ben-Josef Hirsch, Research Fellow, International Security Program; Jennifer M. Dixon, Associate Professor of Political Science, Villanova University

When does a principled idea become an international norm? And how do international norms change and develop over time and space? Over the past three decades, international norms scholarship has made great advances in our understanding of the nature, causes, and effects of the international normative environment. And yet, it also features a high degree of conceptual idiosyncrasy and lacks a shared conceptual framework for studying norm development. These shortcomings have hampered the accumulation of knowledge in the study of norms and stymied the ability to provide much-needed empirical assessments and methodological tools to assess the origins, trajectory, and current status of international norms. This seminar — which is based on a book manuscript in progress — introduces a conceptual model of norm development and uses a mixed-methods analysis of the development over time of five core international human rights norms: the prescriptive norms of legal accountability; truth-seeking; and reparations and the prohibitive norms against genocide and torture. Combined, the study of these five norms seeks to assess the development and status of the international human rights regime from 1945 to the present.

Open to Harvard ID Holders Only: Admittance will be on a first come–first served basis. Coffee &Tea Provided.

Please join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs for a Director's Seminar with Gita Wirjawan, Fisher Family Visiting Fellow at the Belfer Center, moderated by Belfer Center Director Meghan O'Sullivan, on Thursday, April 25th from 2:00 - 3:15 PM in the Belfer Library (L369). They will discuss "Security and Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia and Beyond."

This event will be off-the-record, in-person, and is restricted to Harvard ID holders. If your RSVP has been confirmed, you will receive confirmation and event details prior to the session.

April 26, 2024, marks 38 years since the accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in then-Soviet Ukraine. Still bearing the tragic distinctions of the worst nuclear accident in history, Chornobyl exposed thousands of people to ionized radiation, creating lingering humanitarian effects as well as severe social and political dislocations. By exposing the dysfunction and duplicity of the Soviet regime in Moscow, Chornobyl also contributed to the collapse of the Soviet empire. Some three decades later, the Chornobyl Power Plant and the exclusion zone around it, was occupied and vandalized by Russian military forces, dispatched by another ruler in Moscow to wage war against Ukraine. To interrogate relations between political power and human dimensions of nuclear security, we delighted to host a conversation with Adam Higginbotham, the author of an award-winning book Midnight in Chernobyl.

Arctic cities face uniquely challenging conditions for solid waste management, including harsh weather, geographic remoteness, limited infrastructure, and a rapidly changing climate. Arctic residents produce twice as much garbage annually than the global per capita average, with lower rates of waste collection and recycling than the rest of the world. 

The Arctic Initiative, together with the Arctic Mayors’ Forum, is hosting a webinar to explore how Arctic cities are implementing innovative approaches, including circular economy strategies, to address pollution and create cleaner, more sustainable places to live.

In this webinar, a panel of researchers and practitioners will discuss:

• The unique waste management challenges faced by Arctic cities.
• The serious health and environmental consequences of improper waste disposal.
• Real-world best practices for improving waste management.

This event is free and open to everyone, but registration is required. For questions or to request accessibility accommodations, contact Elizabeth Hanlon (ehanlon@hks.harvard.edu).

Join us for a talk by H.E. Dr. Yasir Al Naqbi, Director General, GovAcademy, Abu Dhabi Department of Government Enablement, on promoting effective governance, nurturing innovation, and enhancing the citizen experience, moderated by MEI Faculty Chair Professor Tarek Masoud. 

This event is for HUID holders only. Registration is required. Lunch will be provided.

Please join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs for a Director’s Lunch with John Deutch, Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, moderated by Belfer Center Director Meghan O’Sullivan. Deutch will be discussing his new book, "Fifty Years of Energy Policy, 1973-2023: Lessons for the Future," which analyzes how the consequences of past policy decisions can help anticipate likely outcomes of different policy choices today. Deutch uses his combination of technical expertise, policy experience at the highest levels of government, and his natural instincts as a teacher to make for an unusually accessible book about a complex and fast-evolving topic.

This event will be off-the-record, in-person, and is restricted to Harvard ID holders. If your RSVP has been confirmed, you will receive confirmation and event details prior to the session.

Please join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs for a seminar about AUKUS at a Crossroads with Sophia Gaston, Head of Foreign Policy and UK Resilience at the Policy Exchange think tank in Westminster, and moderated by S.T. Lee Chair in U.S.-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School, Rana Mitter on Monday, April 29th from 5:00 to 6:00 PM in the Belfer Library (L-369)

In the two-and-a-half years since its surprise announcement, the deterrence rationale which underpinned the creation of the AUKUS security pact between Britain, the United States and Australia has only increased in urgency, as the geopolitical environment has deteriorated significantly. AUKUS stands at the vanguard of a new era of allied co-creation and co-development of the most vital future technologies we need for our military and economic competitiveness. If successful, it will deliver a mutual capability uplift in all three partners across both traditional and cutting-edge domains, and create the blueprint for enhanced allied competitiveness towards China and other disruptive adversaries. But as the project moves from planning to implementation, it is hitting up against the realities of constrained resources, political instability, and competing priorities, while other allies call for its expansion. Can the three AUKUS partners keep the show on the road and bring this ambitious pact to fruition? And what is at stake if they fail? This discussion will explore the risks facing AUKUS and why it’s vital this long-term project is able to endure in an age of political disruption.  

This event is in-person and for Harvard ID holders only.

Join Professor Tarek Masoud for a conversation with Bret Stephens, New York Times opinion columnist and founder and editor-in-chief of SAPIR, on the war in Gaza, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and the crisis of speech on college campuses. This event is part of the Middle East Initiative's "Middle East Dialogues," a series of frank, open, and probing encounters with vital and varied perspectives on the current conflict, its causes, and the prospects for peace and progress in the region.

Speaker: Valbona Zeneli, Visiting Scholar, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University 

Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese enjoyed unfettered access to Europe's economic, research, and academic domains. Chinese President Xi Jinping's friendship pact with Russian President Vladimir Putin resulted in negative reverberations throughout European capitals and raised concerns about China's strategic ambitions and their impact on Europe. The presentation will examine the change in Europe's assessment of Chinese ambitions since the initiation of the war in Ukraine and likely impact on Chinese engagement activities going forward, including the need for a stronger transatlantic coordination.

Open to Harvard ID Holders Only: Admittance will be on a first come–first served basis. Coffee &Tea Provided.