Headlines

Research on Religion Podcast: Richard Nielsen on Deadly Clerics

May 13, 2018 Research on Religion

http://www.researchonreligion.org/religion-politics/richard-nielsen-on-deadly-clericsPolitical rebellion and violence in the Middle East has recently been associated with religious belief and rhetoric, often spurred on by the writings and recordings of Muslim clerics. What motivates imams to advocate such tactics? Prof. Richard Nielsen, an associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, answers this question with reference to previous theories of revolution and an examination of the career paths of imams who advocate violent jihad. 

3 Questions: Vipin Narang on the North Korea summits

May 11, 2018 Michelle English Center for International Studies

An historic April 27 summit between Moon Jae-in, president of South Korea, and Kim Jong-un, supreme leader of North Korea, has been lauded as a path to peace for the divided peninsula as well as a tipping point of the North Korean nuclear crisis. But what concrete actions should we expect from the meeting between Kim and Moon? And how will this affect the forthcoming summit between President Trump and Kim? MIT nuclear strategy expert Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science and a member its Security Studies Program, weighs-in with his observations, underscoring that rhetoric is key.

People Power

May 11, 2018 Peter Dizikes MIT News

In politics, your voices make a difference. At least at the state level of U.S. politics, that is. A new study co-authored by an MIT political scientist shows that state policies in the U.S. from 1936 through 2014 have been responsive to public opinion — and have become even more aligned with it in recent decades.

Richard Nielsen on Deadly Clerics

May 8, 2018 The Baylor Institute for Studies on Religion

Political rebellion and violence in the Middle East has recently been associated with religious belief and rhetoric, often spurred on by the writings and recordings of Muslim clerics.  What motivates imams to advocate such tactics? 

Work of the future and the future of work for women in political science

May 2, 2018 Leda Zimmerman MIT Political Science

After a 30-year career focused on the economic institutions of wealthy democracies, Kathleen Thelen, Ford Professor of Political Science, has recently begun carving out time from her globe-hopping schedule to pursue compelling opportunities closer to home.

WOTR PODCAST: A BIG DEBATE ABOUT A LITTLE NUKE

March 14, 2018 War on the Rocks

Why are so many people at odds over low-yield nuclear weapons? Listen to this fierce debate between Frank Miller – a long-suffering veteran of the Pentagon and nuclear strategy, Dr. Olga Oliker of CSIS and a longtime observer and scholar of Russian nuclear and military doctrine, and Vipin Narang – a professor at MIT and, most importantly, a War on the Rocks senior editor. Co-hosts Ryan Evans and Usha Sahay did their best to moderate this high-yield debate about low-yield nukes. Get ready for the fallout.

Vote of Confidence

February 21, 2018 Kara Baskin Spectrum

The MIT Election Data and Science Lab (MEDSL), launched in January 2017, champions the efficiency, integrity, and transparency of the democratic process

Sizing up the North Korea Showdown

December 19, 2017 Peter Dizikes MIT Technology Review

Are North Korea’s recent missile tests—and President Trump’s outspoken response to Kim Jong Un—moving us closer to war? For insight, MIT Technology Review spoke with Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science, author of Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era, and a leading analyst of the nuclear tactics of smaller states.

When the media is in on the experiment

November 9, 2017

With a readership that runs into the millions, few would argue that the New York Times doesn’t influence public debate on a host of issues. But what about a news outlet with a circulation of only about 50,000?

Why some Muslim clerics become jihadists

November 9, 2017 Peter Dizikes MIT News Office

What turns people into radical jihadist clerics? A new book by an MIT political scientist offers a new answer: thwarted career ambitions.

An American in Paris

November 8, 2017 Leda Zimmerman MIT Political Science

Moving to another country often sparks serious thinking about identity and belonging. This is doubly true for Dekeyser: She is an American in Paris, on a multi-year research project investigating the ways Islam shapes people’s sense of citizenship and allegiance to the French state.

Jesse L. White, Jr. (1979) endows fellowship fund

November 6, 2017 Leda Zimmerman

Mississippi native Jesse L. White Jr. PhD ’79 came to MIT with the aim of understanding voting behavior in his home state and gaining a broader perspective on the world. As a political science doctoral student, he found what he was looking for: “Growing up in a very provincial environment, going to a world-class institution was life-altering,” White says. “I feel like I owe so much to MIT.”