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APRIL 9, 2026 |
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Harvard Kennedy School | | | |
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Fighter jets parked on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in 2024. Photo by Fazry Ismail / POOL/AFP via Getty Images. | | |
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International Relations & Security |
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How the United States declares war—and what makes the conflict in Iran different |
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Historian and foreign relations expert Fredrik Logevall explains how the United States declares war—and what makes President Trump’s approach in Iran different. “Strictly speaking, according to the Constitution, we aren’t officially at war because only Congress has the power to declare war,” Logevall says. “In reality, of course, what we’re seeing in Iran is very much a war. It can have no other name.” Logevall explains that up until World War II, presidents pursued a full vote of Congress to declare war. Since then, they have used other approaches for entering conflicts. “What’s extraordinary about President Trump in the current context is that he has not really bothered to even consult with Congress, never mind seek the approval of Congress,” Logevall says.
See also: Why is the war in Iran so expensive? Professor Linda Bilmes analyzes why the conflict in Iran will cost the United States at least $1 trillion.
Learn more about International Relations & Security at HKS » | | |
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Science, Technology & Government |
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AI for policymakers |
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Governments have begun to use generative AI. HKS researchers weigh in on what works. Professor Mark Fagan says that governments need to think about concrete guardrails that include both policies and ethical considerations (such as the EU AI Act). Professor Jason Furman lays out five principles for AI regulation for policymakers. Researchers from Harvard’s Project on Workforce share that over 40% of workers use generative AI on the job. Professor Bruce Schneier says AI will increasingly be used in political campaigns, and Professor Teddy Svoronos explains why university students need to think about the unique “value-add” they bring amid new technologies.
See also: Mark Fagan talks about how organizations can identify AI risks in a Harvard Magazine video.
Learn more about Science, Technology & Government at HKS » | | |
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What we're Listening To |
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Professor Jake Sullivan and former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell discuss U.S.–China relations. | | |
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Development & Economic Growth |
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Why is it so hard to file taxes in the United States? |
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Many countries make it simple and free to file taxes; in the United States, it is often both challenging and expensive. In advance of tax day in the U.S. (April 15), Mina Hsiang, a former administrator of the United States Digital Service and now a fellow at HKS’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, explains why. She discusses the history of the nation’s complicated tax code, how private tax preparation companies thwarted a simpler process, and how a government “free-file” system for taxes in the United States nearly got off the ground.
Learn more about Development & Economic Growth at HKS » | | |
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What we're READING |
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Policymakers need to know how to write memos, speeches, op-eds and more. The HKS Communications Program teaches these skills. | | |
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Public Leadership & Management |
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Historians, documentarians, and politicians, live and livestreamed |
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It’s been a busy few weeks at HKS’s John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum. Among other events, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns spoke about his narrative approach and how “democracy meant bad things” to some observers during the American Revolution. Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan explained that the best advice he got as a young politician came from former Congressman Barney Frank. And historian Jill Lepore spoke with former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg; former Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust; and Princeton Professor Eddie Glaude at the first event at the Forum in a series celebrating the United States’ 250th anniversary. Check out what else is happening at the Forum.
Learn more about Public Leadership & Management at HKS » | | |
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What we're Doing |
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Global health practitioners are using what they learned at last year’s Global Empowerment Meeting—the flagship annual event of Harvard’s Center for International Development—to use generative AI for managing the workloads of health workers in Ethiopia and improving follow-up care for children experiencing malnutrition in Nepal. Read more about how global health professionals are putting Harvard insights into practice. | | | | | |
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