INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS & SECURITY

Experts on the Middle East analyze the history and context of the war in Israel and Gaza

Harvard Kennedy School Professor Tarek Masoud led a discussion last week on the compounding tragedies facing the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, historical and recent contributors to the conflict, and its broader geopolitical implications. The panel discussion at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum included Edward P. Djerejian, a former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs and former U.S. ambassador to Israel and Syria; Shai Feldman, the Raymond Frankel Professor of Israeli Politics and Society at Brandeis University; and Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland. Masoud directs the Middle East Initiative at the Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

Science, Technology & Data

Eric Schmidt and others look at the future of artificial intelligence in a series of Forum events

Eric Schmidt, former CEO and chairman of Google, discussed the state of AI at a John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum event with Professor Graham Allison last week. Schmidt cautioned against the risks of artificial intelligence being used in a way that is “not aligned with human values” and spoke about security risks. “Future national security issues will be determined by how quickly you can innovate against the solution,” he said. This session was one of three recent Forums on artificial intelligence, including one on AI and democracy featuring HKS professors Latanya Sweeney and Sharad Goel and former White House official Miriam Vogel. Elaine Chao, former U.S. secretary of transportation and secretary of labor, also came to campus to discuss AI and the future of transportation.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

HKS experts have concerns as well as some optimism on climate change and the green energy transition

HKS faculty members explored climate and energy challenges facing the United States and the world at a recent Dean’s Discussion event. Professor of Practice Meghan O’Sullivan explored the ways the green energy transition may affect geopolitics: “If you don’t have a geopolitical environment that’s conducive to expediting the energy transition, it makes the transition that much harder.” Professor of Practice Joe Aldy discussed how countries are falling behind their U.N. climate pledges. Professor Kathryn Sikkink focused on human rights climate litigation. And Assistant Professor Charles Taylor considered signs of progress as well as concerns about the secondary effects of climate change, such as water scarcity. 

SOCIAL POLICY

Research rethinks “ordeals” in enrollment programs

Should enrolling in public programs be easy or hard? Harvard Kennedy School Associate Professor Mark Shepard asks that question in a new research paper co-written with Harvard post-doctoral fellow Myles Wagner. While earlier research has indicated that “ordeals”—bureaucratic hassles—that make it harder to enroll in social programs might also help them better target the people who need them most, Shepard and his coauthor question this idea. “Policymakers can use our results to better think about how a simpler system might close gaps and affect the targeting of who gets support,” they write.

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