Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
-Belfer Center Spring 2023 Newsletter

YOON SPEAKS AT HKS
President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol, left, shakes hands with Korea Project Director John Park as Harvard President Lawrence Bacow, middle, looks on. Stephanie B. Mitchell
Belfer Center's Korea Project Co-Leads Planning for South Korean President's Historic Harvard Visit and Speech
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Harvard on April 28 and delivered a major policy speech at Harvard Kennedy School’s JFK Jr. Forum, followed by a conversation with Harvard Distinguished Service Professor Joseph Nye about security and “soft power.” The Belfer Center’s Korea Project worked closely with Harvard University colleagues and Korean Consulate General counterparts to arrange for the visit and the Harvard speech, the first for a sitting South Korean president.
Meghan O'Sullivan to Become Next Belfer Center Director
On July 1, Meghan O’Sullivan, Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, will become Director of Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She will take the reins from Eric Rosenbach, Co-Director of the Center since 2017 and solo director since the sudden passing of Center Director Ash Carter in October. As Belfer Center Director, O’Sullivan will direct the Center and its research teams that focus on issues ranging from nuclear, cyber, and energy security to climate change, diplomatic challenges, and the changing global order. She will also continue her teaching and researching on issues related to geopolitics and energy.
Q&A With Meghan O'Sullivan
Read the transcript of our interview with Meghan O’Sullivan on what makes the Belfer Center effective and what will be on the Center's radar in the future.
ASSESSING THE WAR IN UKRAINE
TACKLING GLOBAL CHALLENGES
LEARNING FROM DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
In addition to Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, the Belfer Center has been honored to arrange discussions on campus with a number of distinguished global leaders. During the past few months, Center experts have welcomed and hosted conversations with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, democratic opposition leader in Belarus, Tadeous Tafirenyika Chifamba, Zimbabwe Ambassador to the U.S., and several other high-level guests.
-
Democratic Opposition Leader of Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya | Read the interview »
-
Ambassador of Zimbabwe to the U.S. Tadeous Tafirenyika Chifamba | See video interview »
-
U.S. Senator Ed Markey | Watch the video »
-
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien | Read the interview »
-
Special Assistant to the British Prime Minister for Foreign Policy and Defense John Bew | Read the interview »
-
President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol | Watch the full event video »
RESEARCHING CLIMATE AND ENERGY SOLIUTIONS
FOCUSING ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
PREPARING FUTURE LEADERS
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-
-
-
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
Center Names Mark Pascale New Director of Intelligence Project
Erica Chenoweth Named Inaugural Academic Dean for Faculty Engagement
Robert Stavins Project Awarded Salata Institute Grant for Methane Study
William Clark Named to American Academy of Arts and Science/Evolution and Ecology
Arctic Initiative Research Assistant Vic Hogg Gives Harvard's Graduate Oration at Commencement
International Security Journal Authors Honored for Best Articles in Security
Belfer Student Fellow Grace Park Selected as a Presidential Management Fellow
Student Fellow Bethan Saunders Named a Security Fellow for Truman National Security Project
Erica Chenoweth and Zoe Marks Named Faculty Deans of Pforzheimer House
Joseph S. Nye's "Soft Power" Question Stymies Jeopardy! Contestants
Congratulations to—and Comments from—Harvard Kennedy School 2023 Graduates
HOT OFF THE PRESSES
-
Inheriting the Bomb: The Collapse of the USSR and the Nuclear Disarmament of Ukraine
Mariana Budjeryn, Author
-
-
International Security Journal Highlights
Featured articles in the winter issue of the International Security journal focus on the psychology of nuclear brinkmanship, social cohesion and community displacement in armed conflict, why U.S. security assistance fails, and inadvertent expansion in world politics. Correspondence responds to the debate on China’s use of overseas ports. In these highlights, IS also congratulates authors who have received awards for their articles.
PHOTO GALLERY
-
Sam Schimmel and Na'ni'eezh Peter speak with HKS Dean Doug Elmendorf during the International Workshop on Indigenous Youth Leadership for the Changing Arctic, hosted by the Arctic Initiative. The workshop brought two dozen Indigenous youth from across the Arctic to Cambridge to learn about the various dynamics which are transforming the Arctic, as well as the process of using social innovation to address the wide-ranging consequences of this transformation.
-
Laurence Belfer speaking at the annual International Council meeting in May.
-
The Belfer Center hosted Belfer alumnus Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, U.S. State Department, for a board lunch on “Russia and the Future of Nuclear Security.”
-
John Park opens the first day of the 4th Annual Korean Security Conference at Harvard University presented by the Korea Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center on the theme of “Korea – An Oracle of Global Trends.”
-
The Future of Diplomacy Project hosted a conversation with Desiree Cormier Smith, the U.S. State Department’s first ever Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice. Erika Manouselis, Manager of the Future of Diplomacy Project, moderated.
-
Meghan O’Sullivan and Stephen Hadley, former National Security Adviser to President George W. Bush, at a Belfer Center Director's Lunch.
-
The Asia-Pacific Initiative and Future of Diplomacy Project hosted a special conversation with Matan Chorev, Principal Deputy Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department and Belfer Center alum, on "Navigating the Post Post-Cold War Era." This event was moderated by Chris Li (Director of Research, Asia-Pacific Initiative) and Mayu Arimoto (MPP '23 and Belfer Young Leader Student Fellow).
-
Gina McCarthy, Former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, speaks with John P. Holdren at the Belfer Center Board lunch.
-
The Belfer Center’s Defense Project hosted a seminar on the Boston Marathon bombings featuring former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis. The event was moderated by Juliette Kayyem, Belfer Center Senior Lecturer in International Security, and Eric Rosenbach, Co-Director of the Belfer Center. National Security Fellow and U.S. Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) officer Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Teller introduced the speakers.
-
The Harvard Kennedy School Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship hosted a seminar with Edouard Philippe, former Prime Minister of France, to discuss France's role in the world and Europe's current security landscape. This conversation was co-moderated by Natalie Colbert, Executive Director of the Belfer Center, and Svenja Kirsch, Fellow with the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship and introduced by Julien Descamps.
-
The Asia-Pacific Initiative and the Defense Project hosted a conversation with Martin Romualdez, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. The Speaker delivered remarks on the future of the U.S.-Philippines alliance, the foreign and defense policy of the Philippines under President Marcos, and evolving geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region. His remarks were followed by a conversation moderated by Eric Rosenbach, Co-Director of the Belfer Center.
-
The Belfer Center’s Future of Diplomacy Project and the Harvard International Arbitration Law Students Association host a seminar on the prosecution of Russian war crimes in Ukraine with Counselor for War Crimes Accountability at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Eli M. Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum discussed how the DOJ is committed to holding the perpetrators of such grave crimes fully accountable. This conversation was moderated by Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, Senior Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project.
-
The Belfer Center’s Future of Diplomacy Project and Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship hosted a seminar on the current European security landscape with Audra Plepyte, Ambassador of Lithuania to the U.S.; Kristjan Prikk, Ambassador of Estonia to the U.S., and Maris Selga, Ambassador of Latvia to the U.S. The Ambassadors discussed how Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has affected transatlantic and regional security as well as increasing threats to critical infrastructure in the Baltic states. This conversation was moderated by Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, Senior Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project.
-
Hank Paulson, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, speaks at a China Working Group meeting.
-
The Belfer Center’s Future of Diplomacy Project and Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship hosted a seminar on Türkiye’s current global role with H.E. Hasan Murat Mercan, Ambassador of Türkiye to the U.S., and Sir Peter Westmacott, former Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Türkiye, the U.S., and France. Ambassadors Mercan and Westmacott discussed a range of regional issues, including the war in Ukraine and NATO as well as Turkish-American relations. This conversation was moderated by Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, Senior Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project.
-
Building upon the legacy of his famous Meridian House speech, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Syria and former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Edward P. Djerejian discussed the history and future of American foreign policy toward the Muslim world with Middle East Initiative Faculty Director Tarek Masoud.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
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BELFER CENTER NEWSLETTER | Spring 2023
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
belfercenter.org
belfer_center@hks.harvard.edu
Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
Communications Newsletter Team
Editor: Sharon Wilke, Associate Director of Communications
Designer/Multimedia: Benn Craig, Multimedia Producer
Digital Outreach: Liz Hoveland, Digital Communications Coordinator
Editorial Contributions: Ada Ezeokoli, Communications Fellow
Liza Xiao, Communications Assistant
Shannon Felton Spence, Director of Global Communications and Strategy
Acknowledgments
The Communications Team would like to thank the following staff members for their special assistance in producing this newsletter: Monica Achen, Judit Gaspar, Francesca Giovannini, Liz Hanlon, Amritha Jayanti, Susan Lynch, Erika Manouselis, Maria Robson Morrow, John Park, and Natasha Yefimova-Trilling.
Photo Credits
Yoon Suk Yeol and Joseph S. Nye: JFK Jr. Forum/Martha Stewart
Drivers and Consequences of War: Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Tackling Global Challenges: ESA/NASA
Sexual Violence in Conflict: AP Photo/Andrii Marienko
Impacts of Energy Insecurity on Geopolitics: AP Photo/Martin Meissner
Africa’s Role in Climate Policy: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
Juliette Kayyem: Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
All photos and graphics by Belfer Center unless otherwise noted.
For more information on this publication:
Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:
Wilke, Sharon, Editor. Belfer Center Newsletter, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School. (Spring 2023)
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YOON SPEAKS AT HKS
President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol, left, shakes hands with Korea Project Director John Park as Harvard President Lawrence Bacow, middle, looks on. Stephanie B. Mitchell
Belfer Center's Korea Project Co-Leads Planning for South Korean President's Historic Harvard Visit and Speech
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Harvard on April 28 and delivered a major policy speech at Harvard Kennedy School’s JFK Jr. Forum, followed by a conversation with Harvard Distinguished Service Professor Joseph Nye about security and “soft power.” The Belfer Center’s Korea Project worked closely with Harvard University colleagues and Korean Consulate General counterparts to arrange for the visit and the Harvard speech, the first for a sitting South Korean president.
Meghan O'Sullivan to Become Next Belfer Center Director
On July 1, Meghan O’Sullivan, Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, will become Director of Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She will take the reins from Eric Rosenbach, Co-Director of the Center since 2017 and solo director since the sudden passing of Center Director Ash Carter in October. As Belfer Center Director, O’Sullivan will direct the Center and its research teams that focus on issues ranging from nuclear, cyber, and energy security to climate change, diplomatic challenges, and the changing global order. She will also continue her teaching and researching on issues related to geopolitics and energy.
Q&A With Meghan O'Sullivan
Read the transcript of our interview with Meghan O’Sullivan on what makes the Belfer Center effective and what will be on the Center's radar in the future.
ASSESSING THE WAR IN UKRAINE
TACKLING GLOBAL CHALLENGES
LEARNING FROM DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
In addition to Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, the Belfer Center has been honored to arrange discussions on campus with a number of distinguished global leaders. During the past few months, Center experts have welcomed and hosted conversations with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, democratic opposition leader in Belarus, Tadeous Tafirenyika Chifamba, Zimbabwe Ambassador to the U.S., and several other high-level guests.
-
Democratic Opposition Leader of Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya | Read the interview »
-
Ambassador of Zimbabwe to the U.S. Tadeous Tafirenyika Chifamba | See video interview »
-
U.S. Senator Ed Markey | Watch the video »
-
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien | Read the interview »
-
Special Assistant to the British Prime Minister for Foreign Policy and Defense John Bew | Read the interview »
-
President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol | Watch the full event video »
RESEARCHING CLIMATE AND ENERGY SOLIUTIONS
FOCUSING ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
PREPARING FUTURE LEADERS
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
Center Names Mark Pascale New Director of Intelligence Project
Erica Chenoweth Named Inaugural Academic Dean for Faculty Engagement
Robert Stavins Project Awarded Salata Institute Grant for Methane Study
William Clark Named to American Academy of Arts and Science/Evolution and Ecology
Arctic Initiative Research Assistant Vic Hogg Gives Harvard's Graduate Oration at Commencement
International Security Journal Authors Honored for Best Articles in Security
Belfer Student Fellow Grace Park Selected as a Presidential Management Fellow
Student Fellow Bethan Saunders Named a Security Fellow for Truman National Security Project
Erica Chenoweth and Zoe Marks Named Faculty Deans of Pforzheimer House
Joseph S. Nye's "Soft Power" Question Stymies Jeopardy! Contestants
Congratulations to—and Comments from—Harvard Kennedy School 2023 Graduates
HOT OFF THE PRESSES
-
Inheriting the Bomb: The Collapse of the USSR and the Nuclear Disarmament of Ukraine
Mariana Budjeryn, Author
-
-
International Security Journal Highlights
Featured articles in the winter issue of the International Security journal focus on the psychology of nuclear brinkmanship, social cohesion and community displacement in armed conflict, why U.S. security assistance fails, and inadvertent expansion in world politics. Correspondence responds to the debate on China’s use of overseas ports. In these highlights, IS also congratulates authors who have received awards for their articles.
PHOTO GALLERY
-
Sam Schimmel and Na'ni'eezh Peter speak with HKS Dean Doug Elmendorf during the International Workshop on Indigenous Youth Leadership for the Changing Arctic, hosted by the Arctic Initiative. The workshop brought two dozen Indigenous youth from across the Arctic to Cambridge to learn about the various dynamics which are transforming the Arctic, as well as the process of using social innovation to address the wide-ranging consequences of this transformation.
-
Laurence Belfer speaking at the annual International Council meeting in May.
-
The Belfer Center hosted Belfer alumnus Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, U.S. State Department, for a board lunch on “Russia and the Future of Nuclear Security.”
-
John Park opens the first day of the 4th Annual Korean Security Conference at Harvard University presented by the Korea Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center on the theme of “Korea – An Oracle of Global Trends.”
-
The Future of Diplomacy Project hosted a conversation with Desiree Cormier Smith, the U.S. State Department’s first ever Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice. Erika Manouselis, Manager of the Future of Diplomacy Project, moderated.
-
Meghan O’Sullivan and Stephen Hadley, former National Security Adviser to President George W. Bush, at a Belfer Center Director's Lunch.
-
The Asia-Pacific Initiative and Future of Diplomacy Project hosted a special conversation with Matan Chorev, Principal Deputy Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department and Belfer Center alum, on "Navigating the Post Post-Cold War Era." This event was moderated by Chris Li (Director of Research, Asia-Pacific Initiative) and Mayu Arimoto (MPP '23 and Belfer Young Leader Student Fellow).
-
Gina McCarthy, Former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, speaks with John P. Holdren at the Belfer Center Board lunch.
-
The Belfer Center’s Defense Project hosted a seminar on the Boston Marathon bombings featuring former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis. The event was moderated by Juliette Kayyem, Belfer Center Senior Lecturer in International Security, and Eric Rosenbach, Co-Director of the Belfer Center. National Security Fellow and U.S. Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) officer Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Teller introduced the speakers.
-
The Harvard Kennedy School Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship hosted a seminar with Edouard Philippe, former Prime Minister of France, to discuss France's role in the world and Europe's current security landscape. This conversation was co-moderated by Natalie Colbert, Executive Director of the Belfer Center, and Svenja Kirsch, Fellow with the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship and introduced by Julien Descamps.
-
The Asia-Pacific Initiative and the Defense Project hosted a conversation with Martin Romualdez, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. The Speaker delivered remarks on the future of the U.S.-Philippines alliance, the foreign and defense policy of the Philippines under President Marcos, and evolving geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region. His remarks were followed by a conversation moderated by Eric Rosenbach, Co-Director of the Belfer Center.
-
The Belfer Center’s Future of Diplomacy Project and the Harvard International Arbitration Law Students Association host a seminar on the prosecution of Russian war crimes in Ukraine with Counselor for War Crimes Accountability at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Eli M. Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum discussed how the DOJ is committed to holding the perpetrators of such grave crimes fully accountable. This conversation was moderated by Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, Senior Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project.
-
The Belfer Center’s Future of Diplomacy Project and Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship hosted a seminar on the current European security landscape with Audra Plepyte, Ambassador of Lithuania to the U.S.; Kristjan Prikk, Ambassador of Estonia to the U.S., and Maris Selga, Ambassador of Latvia to the U.S. The Ambassadors discussed how Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has affected transatlantic and regional security as well as increasing threats to critical infrastructure in the Baltic states. This conversation was moderated by Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, Senior Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project.
-
Hank Paulson, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, speaks at a China Working Group meeting.
-
The Belfer Center’s Future of Diplomacy Project and Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship hosted a seminar on Türkiye’s current global role with H.E. Hasan Murat Mercan, Ambassador of Türkiye to the U.S., and Sir Peter Westmacott, former Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Türkiye, the U.S., and France. Ambassadors Mercan and Westmacott discussed a range of regional issues, including the war in Ukraine and NATO as well as Turkish-American relations. This conversation was moderated by Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, Senior Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project.
-
Building upon the legacy of his famous Meridian House speech, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Syria and former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Edward P. Djerejian discussed the history and future of American foreign policy toward the Muslim world with Middle East Initiative Faculty Director Tarek Masoud.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
BELFER CENTER NEWSLETTER | Spring 2023
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
belfercenter.org
belfer_center@hks.harvard.edu
Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
Communications Newsletter Team
Editor: Sharon Wilke, Associate Director of Communications
Designer/Multimedia: Benn Craig, Multimedia Producer
Digital Outreach: Liz Hoveland, Digital Communications Coordinator
Editorial Contributions: Ada Ezeokoli, Communications Fellow
Liza Xiao, Communications Assistant
Shannon Felton Spence, Director of Global Communications and Strategy
Acknowledgments
The Communications Team would like to thank the following staff members for their special assistance in producing this newsletter: Monica Achen, Judit Gaspar, Francesca Giovannini, Liz Hanlon, Amritha Jayanti, Susan Lynch, Erika Manouselis, Maria Robson Morrow, John Park, and Natasha Yefimova-Trilling.
Photo Credits
Yoon Suk Yeol and Joseph S. Nye: JFK Jr. Forum/Martha Stewart
Drivers and Consequences of War: Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Tackling Global Challenges: ESA/NASA
Sexual Violence in Conflict: AP Photo/Andrii Marienko
Impacts of Energy Insecurity on Geopolitics: AP Photo/Martin Meissner
Africa’s Role in Climate Policy: AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
Juliette Kayyem: Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
All photos and graphics by Belfer Center unless otherwise noted.

Wilke, Sharon, Editor. Belfer Center Newsletter, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School. (Spring 2023)
- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
Recommended
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
-Belfer Center Fall 2022 Newsletter
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
-Belfer Center Newsletter Spring 2022
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
-Belfer Center Newsletter Fall 2021
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Paper - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Saudi First
Magazine Article - Der Tagesspiegel
Background: Ivan Arreguín-Toft
Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
New Russian Law on Northern Sea Route Navigation: Gathering Arctic Storm or Tempest in a Teapot?