🔈 Attention postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars interested in joining the Weatherhead Scholars Program! The application deadline is coming up on October 15. For details about the program and how to apply, visit: https://loom.ly/AlcAtvU

Syria has gone through monumental change over the past year. Join us on October 23 at 5pm in Tsai Auditorium to hear a conversation between Weatherhead Director Melani Cammett and Syria's Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Hind Kabawat. https://loom.ly/RQv8Zx0

🚨 JUST IN: President Donald Trump has an opportunity to avoid the dangers of an unrestrained nuclear arms competition—something he has repeatedly warned about. Will he seize it? Latest by Matt Bunn (@matthew-bunn.bsky.social) in @thebulletin.org #nuclearweapons #nukesky #Trump #Putin #China

Academic freedom in Western democracies faces dual threats: external political intervention and internal academic culture/silencing of minority views. Both pressures can lead to self-censorship & a narrowing of debate, warns Pippa Norris in the Gazette: https://loom.ly/uo5xvF8

At Harvard Climate Action Week, a panel discussed a new Harvard-MIT report for a global climate coalition. The report suggests that by coordinating carbon pricing, member countries could significantly cut emissions and raise billions for climate action. https://loom.ly/KeDt-Hw

Weatherhead Director Melani Cammett, in Sarajevo for a conference on norms after conflict, says most people in Bosnia & Herzegovina want to get along—but politicians profit from division. Real change needs economic, electoral incentives for cooperation—not more polarization. https://loom.ly/IfvchIw

Check out our events for the week of September 21, 2025 https://loom.ly/VY8wMuo

Trump trade policies claim to strengthen the middle class. But tariffs are not the way to shore up the middle class economically, because their benefits are so limited, @drodrik.bsky.social explained at a recent seminar in Brazil. https://loom.ly/zg0h1z4

From his theories of complex interdependence to soft power (and beyond), Joseph Nye's legacy is vast—and he has greatly influenced political scholarship at large. Join us for an online Weatherhead Forum devoted to his legacy on 10/15 at 12pm. Register here: https://loom.ly/_0r1vxw

Beagles—beloved pets, cartoon icons...and the lab dog of choice in 20th-century science? 'Lab Dog' by @bolman.bsky.social traces their surprising role in experiments from nukes to nicotine, reshaping how we see dogs, science, and ethics. https://loom.ly/nWwxuXc

Video is up on our YouTube page for those who missed it yesterday! Thanks to all our panelists and attendees for a wonderful conversation. youtu.be/nzZydcgbXc8?...

Happening online TODAY at 12pm ET - our first Weatherhead Forum of the year, "From Victory to Uncertainty: The Postwar Order After 80 Years." Register now for this webinar: https://loom.ly/4cyzbws

My article, “Outposts in the Wilderness: Post-Evangelical Feminist Communities on Digital Media, 2004-2024” is out with Religion and American Culture. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Kudos to Andrew O'Donohue, whose research on democratic backsliding in Turkey was awarded the 2025 Best Conference Paper Award from the American Political Science Association’s Law and Courts Section! Read his paper here: https://loom.ly/FjzwwaE

New study on Italy’s minimum income schemes finds that successful reintegration of welfare recipients into the labor market depends less on policy design & more on strong local governance and cooperation between employment services & social agencies. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Global consensus on climate policy moves slowly and emissions remain high. But maybe a smaller group of willing countries can lead the way by building a climate coalition. Read the newly released GCPP flagship report, out today: https://loom.ly/UuwTuaw

📆 Check out our events for the week of September 14, 2025. https://loom.ly/lbinPSE

Today at APSA will be a panel entitled "Citizenship and Global Justice: A Roundtable on the Work of Ayelet Shachar," celebrating the APSA Migration & Citizenship Career Achievement Award Shachar received last year—the first woman and the youngest recipient of this accolade. Congratulations!

Trade isn’t just about goods—it’s about power. New research from economist David Yang shows that China now wields more geopolitical influence through trade than even the US, reshaping global dynamics. “Trade is being restructured to take power into consideration,” warns Yang. https://loom.ly/w6EA24Y

Why do many Chinese students avoid politics in the US despite more freedom? New research by Weirong Guo shows students use 3 major avoidance strategies to navigate different political taboos—shaped by both their experiences in China and pressures in the US. https://loom.ly/4NS3D1s

Democratic backsliding is now a global phenomenon, with Donald Trump's America only the most visible and dramatic example. But @drodrik.bsky.social still sees some bright spots elsewhere. bit.ly/4m0PTI9

How do you mend a society after war? What happens when agents of the Chinese government harass dissidents on US soil? Catch up on our latest Epicenter articles and podcast episodes—along with new books & journal/media articles—in our September newsletter: https://loom.ly/c_1eaCA

📆 Check out our events for the week of September 7, 2025 https://loom.ly/g3redkM

China’s economy is a paradox: world leader in EVs and AI, yet hobbled by real estate chaos, debt, and fiscal strain. Industrial might is rising—but without reforms, prosperity may not follow. New article by Meg Rithmire in Current History: https://loom.ly/FwrGoGM

Who is the real alien? Viewed from far away, our planet has no borders. Yet many have been told they don’t belong. D. Ouellet considers the word 'alien' and all its contradictions and consequences in our latest Epicenter piece: https://loom.ly/jECz2vs

Join us on September 17 @12pm ET for our first Weatherhead Forum of the year: "From Victory to Uncertainty: The Postwar Order After Eighty Years." This event is on Zoom and requires registration. For details, see our event listing: https://loom.ly/4cyzbws

To assess political resistance to the green energy transition @dustintingley.bsky.social and Alexander Gazmararian propose analyzing other countries' trajectories within a credibility framework. https://loom.ly/oASGZ2I

In IR, an aggressive act can be interpreted as rational. But Josh Kertzer and colleagues run concepts like hawkishness, deterrence and intuition thru an evolutionary lens to explore what else can drive elite behaviors. https://loom.ly/xJYp7Pw

When those with power and influence bargain with authoritarians, they accelerate the demise of their own democracy, argues ‪@dziblatt.bsky.social. “Democracy rarely dies in a single moment. It is chipped away via abdication.”

Calling on civil society to recognize and push back against the "emerging ICE police state," Theda Skocpol draws dire comparisons to Hungary and Germany in the 1920s and 30s. https://loom.ly/iR7XFNE

Meet the 2025–2026 affiliates in @harvardusjapan.bsky.social! Their research projects encompass topics ranging from technological innovation to international organizations and more. Read more about the program and the incoming cohort at: https://loom.ly/Was2Eg0

Meet the 2025–2026 affiliates of the Canada Program! We welcome visiting scholars, and graduate and undergraduate research fellows to the program this year. Learn more about the Canada Program and incoming cohort at: https://loom.ly/LTBQNds

Meet the 2025–2026 Academy Scholars! Most will be working on transforming their dissertation into a book manuscript or series of articles, while some will be embarking on new writing. Learn more about them and The Harvard Academy at: https://loom.ly/jgRd-yA

Meet the 2025–2026 affiliates of the Weatherhead Scholars Program! This program brings together both scholars and practitioners of international affairs. Read more about the program and the incoming cohort at: https://loom.ly/RCv26pU

Empty Vessel follows the fascinating journey of a barge that transforms roles and identities across decades, serving as troop barracks, a floating jail, and worker housing, while mirroring the shifting tides of the global economy. New book by Ian Kumekawa: https://loom.ly/oJe54gg

New article from @biffpm.bsky.social on a little-noticed court decision to outlaw Jordan’s teacher’s union. Her analysis? The muted response underscores how Jordan’s political landscape has shifted as attention/activism center on Gaza. https://loom.ly/D97MUsU

Our mission is to fuel pathbreaking social science research that delves deep to examine complex global issues. Check out our new video and learn more about what we do at the Weatherhead Center. https://loom.ly/W7XaQ2Q

We are thrilled to meet our new and returning affiliates at the Weatherhead Center! Read the welcome message from Acting Center Director @erezmanela.bsky.social as we make final preparations for orientation next week. See you soon! https://loom.ly/oMpX1zg

New Epicenter Podcast: When violent conflict ends, people who were once enemies must find new ways of living together. Is true societal reconciliation possible? A network of scholars are studying the factors that help and hinder social transformation. https://loom.ly/83oajYU

New Nature study by Elizabeth Spelke of 2.5M French schoolchildren finds no gender gap in math at school entry—but a gap favoring boys emerges after just 4 months of instruction, and widens each year. https://loom.ly/1F_xTiA

why @harvard.edu needs international students, my thoughts on internationalization @ the school of education in @harvardmagazine.bsky.social www.harvardmagazine.com/commentary/h...

Read Yamini Aiyar on the political and economic problems confronting Indian federalism—and what it will take to renew India’s power-sharing model:

Why has Bosnia and Herzegovina fallen short of its democratic goals and European integration? Damir Kapidžić and Muamer Hirkić pinpoint the internal and external pressures that have led to state capture. https://loom.ly/e-YHj9I

Looking at cardiovascular health metrics and education across dozens of low and middle-income countries, S. V. Subramanian and colleagues found that people with primary education only scored better than other categories of education. Authors posit why. https://loom.ly/0xxqvLg

The purported global benefits of unfettered trade can only go so far if we live in a world with limited international cooperation. In a new chapter, Dani Rodrik and Joseph Stiglitz describe a framework for "minimal global governance." https://loom.ly/x7-HOhM

My new op-ed essay in the @financialtimes.com. on.ft.com/4kKqiTb The growing Brics divide between carbon and electro-states

On balance, companies that hire diverse workforces allocate talent more efficiently, break down structural barriers, and improve productivity. In a recent letter, Rohini Pande offers ways to make diversity programs more accountable, rather than eliminate them. https://loom.ly/a2nZ41M

Two decades ago, "China Shock" 1.0 hit US manufacturing hard—and more disruption is coming. Economists Autor and Hanson stress that instead of mourning lost manufacturing, the US must look ahead and lead with innovation. Get ready for China Shock 2.0: https://loom.ly/KimKDMw

Vincent Brown on the unprincipled capitulation of universities to the powers of their day.

Excited to report my article "Digital Interdependence and Power Politics" has been published open access in @bjpols.bsky.social. I use internet measurements to understand how international security influences global data flows www.cambridge.org/core/journal...