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We All Fall Down: The Dismantling of the Warsaw Pact and the End of the Cold War in Eastern Europe

The non-Soviet members of the Warsaw Pact contributed to the end of the Cold War along with the superpowers. These Eastern European states recognized that their relationship with the Soviet Union would impede their success in the post–Cold War world, so they ended the Pact.




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Nobody Actually Knows What Russia Does Next

Stephen Walt argues that because no one knows what Putin might do, NATO's European members should increase their defense capabilities and correct any obvious vulnerabilities. At the same time, however, the United States and its NATO allies should acknowledge Russia's legitimate security concerns and consider what they can do to allay them.




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Uptick in Russian-African Diplomacy Moscow’s Evolving Geopolitical Plans

A spate of high-level diplomatic gatherings demonstrates that the Russian leadership remains keen to implement a strategy of expansion, rather than merely sustainment, of its relations with the rising Africa.




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Space Technology Advances: Catalysts for Conflict or Pathways for Human Progress?

Ensuring that space remains a domain for peaceful exploration and mutual benefit rather than a new frontier for conflict will significantly depend on the global community's ability to navigate the complex interplay of technological advancements, regulatory frameworks, economic opportunities, and geopolitical challenges. 

This paper was written for the final assignment of IGA-250, a Harvard Kennedy School course on emerging technology: security, strategy, and risk.




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A Failure of Security and Democracy

Juliette Kayyem writes that politicians and security experts, especially those focused on the upcoming conventions in Milwaukee and Chicago and future political rallies, must now reckon with the evident mismatch between what we know about political violence—it is pervasive and indiscriminate, according to the FBI—and how we plan for it.




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Event Debrief: Why the Inflation Reduction Act Passed

Harvard Kennedy School hosted Leah Stokes, Anton Conk Associate Professor of Environmental Politics at UC Santa Barbara, to discuss how the historic Inflation Reduction Act succeeded where so many previous climate bills failed.




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Democratic Transitions and Conflict Zones: The Impact on Policy-Making in Africa

On March 26, the study group met for the first time to examine recent democratic progress and backsliding in African countries. The session focused on ongoing conflicts in different regions of Africa and examined their political underpinnings. Participants also discussed the role of third-party actors in supporting and facilitating conflict mediation and peacebuilding efforts in the continent. The study group counted with the presence of external expert guest Dr. Antje Herrberg, Chief of Staff of the European Union Capacity Building Mission in Niger (EUCAP Sahel Niger). Dr. Herrberg brings more than two decades of professional and personal experience in transition and conflict resolution, intractable conflict, and terrorism with a deep interest to alleviate the suffering of people. Furthermore, Florian Dirmayer, Master in Public Policy Candidate at Harvard Kennedy School, delivered a memo briefing on European Union Security Cooperation with Niger After the 2023 Military Coup.




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Building a Durable Peace in Ukraine

In June, Ukraine’s most powerful backers met at the G7 summit before attending Ukraine’s peace conference in Switzerland, which hosted representatives from nearly eighty countries. For one week, they met to discuss Volodymyr Zelensky’s ten-point peace plan, announced a plan to fund Ukraine using frozen Russian assets, and introduced a U.S.-Ukraine bilateral security agreement. As the United States and its allies are working to put Ukraine in the best position possible for eventual ceasefire negotiations, what should their top priority be?




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Strategic Myopia: The Proposed First Use of Tactical Nuclear Weapons to Defend Taiwan

David Kearn argues that the idea that the first use of nuclear weapons since 1945 would be by the United States in the defense of Taiwan against a conventional Chinese invasion would have significant, negative, and long-lasting, diplomatic ramifications. It is difficult to fathom the myriad potential consequences, but U.S. nuclear weapon use would almost certainly shatter the non-proliferation regime as a functioning entity, incentivize states (including China) to acquire or improve their existing nuclear arsenal, and damage America's standing globally.




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Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and Its Impact on the Global Nuclear Order

Mariana Budjeryn presents "Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and Its Impact on the Global Nuclear Order" at the DOE/NNSA Administrator's Strategy Forum




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The Enormous Risks and Uncertain Benefits of an Israeli Strike Against Iran's Nuclear Facilities

Assaf Zoran argues that an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities may have the opposite result of prompting an escalation in Iran’s nuclear developments, a pattern previously observed in response to kinetic actions attributed to Israel.




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When Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Adversary Perceptions of Nuclear No-First-Use Pledges

Would the world be safer if the United States pledged to never use nuclear weapons first? Supporters say a credible pledge would strengthen crisis stability, decrease hostility, and bolster nonproliferation and arms control. But reactions to no-first-use pledges by the Soviet Union, China, and India suggest that adversaries perceive pledges as credible only when the political relationship between a state and its adversary is already relatively benign, or when the state’s military has no ability to engage in nuclear first use against the adversary. 




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Morality Is the Enemy of Peace

Stephen Walt argues that once governments use moral arguments to justify their positions in international disputes, cutting a deal becomes much harder, even when it would be in everyone's interest.




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Reflecting on the U.S. Strategy Towards Africa: Embracing Partnership & Pragmatism

The Africa in Focus series is a forum for the intellectual and critical analysis of processes and policies from the continent and its engagement with the international community. Through thoughtful and dynamic programming, Africa in Focus brings greater African perspectives into broader policy conversations at HKS.




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Is Nuclear Proliferation Back?

Joseph Nye considers lessons from his own work on preventing the spread of nuclear technology in the 1970s.




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Impacts of Electric Vehicle Subsidies: A Conversation with Hunt Allcott

Behavioral economist Hunt Allcott, Professor of Global Environmental Policy at the Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University, questioned the impact of new and used electric vehicle (EV) subsidies in the latest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.”




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Event Debrief: The Future of Resource Adequacy in a Decarbonized Grid

Concerns over resource adequacy during periods of peak demand or supply crises are rising with increasing deployment of renewable energy. Conleigh Byers says mandatory forward market contracts could help.




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Leveraging Charging Strategies to Reduce Grid Impacts of Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles (EVs) can challenge or support electricity systems depending on how they are charged. Controlled charging that combines technical solutions with heterogenous EV user behaviors can reduce peak demand to avoid grid constraints and support the integration of renewable energy.




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Opportunities for Cost-Effective Residential Heat Pump Adoption in Massachusetts

The first-ever town-level spatial analysis of the effect of heat pump adoption on residential heating bills finds that air-source heat pump adoption will increase heating costs for approximately half of all Massachusetts households due to high electricity prices, challenging the state’s ability to achieve its recently announced ambitions for heat pump adoption.




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Harvard Project Director Robert Stavins Moderates Climate Action Week Panel on “Strategies for Mitigating Global Methane Emissions”

Efforts to measure and mitigate the impact of methane emissions was the topic of discussion last Monday (June 10, 2024) at a panel convened as part of Climate Action Week in the Northwest Building, sponsored by Harvard’s Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability and moderated by Harvard Environmental Economics Program and Harvard Project Director Robert Stavins.




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Former Residents of Huronia, Rideau, and Southwestern Regional Centres Could Receive Compensation from Class Action Settlements - Settlement Overview Video

Settlement Overview Video. If you lived at Huronia, Rideau, or Southwestern Regional Centres, you may be eligible to make a claim.




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International Automakers Now Account for 45% of U.S. Auto Production and 59% of U.S. Vehicle Sales - Redefining the American Auto Industry

Redefining the American Auto Industry. - The Growing Impact of International Automakers on the U.S. Economy.





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State Farm� Teams Up with Canine Expert Victoria Stilwell to Take a Bite Out of Dog Attacks - Video OneTitle

National Dog Bite Prevention Week is May 18-24. Any dog can bite, regardless of breed. Be a responsible pet owner.






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Survey Finds Gap Between Home Protection Concerns And Consumer Actions - Kristin Chenoweth Protect It Or Lose It Video

Kristin Chenoweth teamed up with Allstate to quiz homeowners on the value of the possessions in their home - see what they know, and don't know!






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Ulmart's Hybrid Approach Continues to Disrupt Russian E-commerce: Sales Grow by 30% - Video

Ulmart�s stunning growth continues unabated as sales for the first six months of 2014 were up 31% in a year-on-year comparison. Sequential quarterly growth increased by 47%.




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U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, and the Ad Council Launch New Public Service Ads to Reach Struggling Homeowners - Get mortgage help. This is why. MakingHomeAffordable.gov :60

Get mortgage help. This is why. MakingHomeAffordable.gov :60




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PNC Christmas Price Index Up A Tame One Percent In 2014; Is This The Year True Loves Make The Splurge? - Presenting The Great Carol Comeback.

Presenting The Great Carol Comeback.








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Rules are Changing for Corporate Reputation Management, According to Sodexo 2015 Workplace Trends Report - 2015 Sodexo Workplace Trends Overview

2015 Sodexo Workplace Trends Overview






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Changing Face of Retirement Shines New Light on Aging in America - Jim Poolman on the Changing Face of Retirement

Jim Poolman on the Changing Face of Retirement




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San Diego Padres And Mercury Insurance Host Second Annual Event To Assemble 1,000 Care Packages For Marines And Sailors Overseas - Mercury Packing Party for Troops

Mercury Packing Party for Troops




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Remote Island in the Philippines watches the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight live for the first time - Preparations on Bantayan island

Preparations for a live screening of the Fight of the Century on a remote island in the Philippines




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ITC Energizes Thumb Loop Transmission Line - capable of delivering 5,000 MW of low-cost wind energy across Michigan - Thumb Loop VNR

The Thumb Loop system is designed to meet the maximum wind energy potential of Michigan�s Thumb region as well as contribute to regional system reliability and facilitate wholesale market competition.