Recent Videos tagged 'Security studies and military' on MIT Video

My Five Dinners with Ahmadinejad, featuring Jim Walsh PhD '00

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 20:30:12 GMT

Jim Walsh PhD '00 is one of a small number of Americans who has traveled to North Korea and Iran for talks with officials about nuclear issues. A research associate in the MIT Security Studies Program, he is an international security expert who has testified before the US Senate on terrorism and Iran’s nuclear program.

On June 4, 2012, Walsh offered his thoughts on international security, nuclear weapons, and terrorism and took questions from the worldwide MIT community via video chat. Watch the video then join the discussion online.

Read more: http://alum.mit.edu/pages/sliceofmit/2012/05/29/faculty-forum-online-dining-with-ahmadinejad-featuring-jim-walsh-monday-june-4/

The 2012 *General Jimmy Doolittle Award Dinner

Tue, 08 May 2012 07:03:48 GMT

Doolittle Award

Each year, SSP honors the memory of General “Jimmy” Doolittle, American war hero, aviation pioneer, and MIT graduate (SM ’24 and PhD ’25) with an awards lecture on a topic of aviation.

2012 General Jimmy Doolittle Award Dinner

On April 19, 2012, the 2012 James Doolittle Award was presented to Professor Richard K. Betts, Director, Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University. The topic of Professor Betts' talk: "The Decline of Deterrence."

April 19, 2012

Nuclear Challenges and Some Answers with Ambassador Thomas Pickering

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:06:18 GMT

The Jack Ruina Nuclear Age Speaker Series: October 17, 2011. Guest speaker Ambassador Thomas Pickering.

Report Card on the War on Terror

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:03:00 GMT

Gary Hart, Former Colorado Senator and one-time presidential candidate; Co-Chair, Hart-Rudman Commission on Homeland Security in the 21st Century (1998-2001); Daniel Benjamin, Senior Fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies ; Steven Simon, Senior Analyst, RAND Corporation

Description: Gary Hart wields his national security expertise to query these two authors in detail on their latest collaboration. Benjamin summarizes the book this way: "By pursuing the policies we have, we are hastening the next attack. I'm not talking about a run of the mill attack, the kind society could learn to live with, but a really big attack, which will endanger our institutions, confidence and society." The authors believe the U.S. intervention in Iraq has spawned a new Iraqi insurgency and energized the greater Islamic jihad. Hart asks if it's solely U.S. policy that's creating an increasingly virulent movement, or whether homegrown "Islamic brutality" and belief must share some blame. Simon responds that our actions in the Middle East and elsewhere make it very difficult for Islamic moderates to counter "the observed experience of Muslims in many parts of the world." A lot of energy that went into Arab nationalism, says Benjamin, now enters a violent movement "to embrace justice, freedom and fairness." He continues, "The sense of imposition by the West will remain there, and grievances won't go away even if we pull up stakes tomorrow."

The authors warn that Islamic fighters in Iraq are getting valuable experience in military operations in urban terrain, which they will likely apply to Western cities. They call for a new policy in the Middle East and South Asia, involving functioning alliances to counter terrorism, as well as creating incentives for hostile leaders to change their behaviors. Benjamin says, "Don't conduct foreign policy adventures," because these inevitably give "the bin Laden argument a powerful leg up. We've got to stop doing that. We need people to go back to believing in America as the upholder of ideals it was not too long ago."

Host(s): School of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences, Center for International Studies

Faculty Forum Online: Homeland Security

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:02:59 GMT

National security in an age of massive movements of people across borders is a universal concern that involves complex issues. While borders have different characteristics and challenges, there are areas of commonality. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of crossings are not problematic, but the ones that are raise concerns.

On Dec. 5, 2011, MIT Associate Professor of Political Science Chappell Lawson, who recently completed a two-year assignment as executive director and senior advisor to the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, offered his thoughts on homeland security and answered questions from the worldwide MIT alumni community. Watch the video then join the discussion online.

2009 Ruina Nuclear Age Speaker Series: Hans Blix

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:33:30 GMT

Dr. Hans Blix delivers the address

Robots to the Rescue (feat. MDS robot Nexi)

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:36:16 GMT

The Personal Robots group presents a scenario demonstrating mixed-initiative human-robot teaming for disaster response.