MIT SSP

Former SSP Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow Florian Galleri presents a new piece in the Washington Quarterly, “French Nuclear Ambiguity at a Crossroads”. Check it out: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10… @TWQgw

Center for Nuclear Security Policy’s Matthew Sharp provides new analysis for @BulletinAtomic. ⚛️Take a look: #post-heading" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">thebulletin.org/2026/06/three-…

SSP Senior Fellow Kelly M. Greenhill coauthored a chapter in the recently published Oxford Handbook of Human Security. 🔖Organized Forced Migration and Human Security: academic.oup.com/edited-volume/…

This past semester, SSP’s Richard Nielsen, associate professor of political science, joined a cohort of scholars from the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) to form the inaugural SHASS Faculty Fellows Program. The program creates a space to foster supportive and interdisciplinary discussion and allows members to gain fresh perspectives on their research across SHASS. Of the program, Nielsen says, “I am so inspired each week we meet, and every single project has me exclaiming ‘I wish I was writing this!’”

SSP Senior Fellow Charles Glaser and George Washington University professor of political science Alexander B. Downs “argue that the current debate between nuclear coercionists and pessimists is misleading because it fails to adequately incorporate strategic selection.” Check out their latest paper in Security Studies journal: tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…

Wargaming Lab Co-director Erik Lin-Greenberg scores another award for his latest book “The Remote Revolution: Drones and Modern Statecraft”: the American Political Science Association Foreign Policy Section 2026 Best Book Award. From APSA, this award recognizes outstanding scholarly monographs related to foreign policy, broadly conceptualized. Congratulations, Professor Lin-Greenberg! @APSAtweets @eriklg

We are pleased to announce that SSP Research Affiliate Fiona Cunningham has been awarded the 2026 Peter Katzenstein Book Prize for her book “Under the Nuclear Shadow: China’s Information-Age Weapons in International Security”. This award recognizes an outstanding first book in international relations, comparative politics, or political economy and was established on the occasion of Professor Katzenstein’s 40th Year at Cornell University. 🏆Congratulations, Fiona! 📘 @Fiona_Cunning

On June 6, the Security Studies Program celebrated its 50th anniversary with a full day of festivities, friendship, and food. Alumni from across the country and around the globe joined us at the MIT Media Lab to catch up with colleagues and share memories of what makes SSP so special. The day’s programming included panel discussions reflecting on SSP throughout the decades and examining the rigor of SSP’s research. Alumni also took the opportunity to share anecdotes and affirm the strength of the SSP community. Thank you to everyone who celebrated this momentous occasion with us. Here’s to another 50 years! 🎉🥂

Thanks for celebrating SSP's 50th anniversary with us, @TaraMaller!

Congratulations to SSP’s PhD graduates! We are honored to celebrate the hard-earned achievements of doctors Nicholas Blanchette, Wenyan Deng, Suzanne Freeman, Eleanor Freund, Eyal Hanfling, Wright Smith, Raymond Wang, and Diana Zhu. We look forward to your ongoing contributions to security studies and political science! And congratulations to Raymond Wang for receiving the Lucien Pye Award for the Best Doctoral Thesis! @eyalhanfling @soraywang @DTingxuan @WrightLSmith @SuzBFreeman

In a new paper, Stanton Nuclear Fellow Beenish Pervaiz examines the May 2025 crisis between India and Pakistan “to provide a comparative analysis of why and how variations in crisis narratives matter for what could come next.” Read more via @StimsonCenter’s @SAVoices 👇🏽 @bpervaiz

@MIT_CIS recently held its final lunch of the semester to celebrate the work and expertise of this year’s fellows, including the fellows at SSP and the Center for Nuclear Security Policy. Thank you, fellows! We’re excited to see your continued contributions to security studies!

On April 15, SSP had the honor of presenting former Commander, US Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Service General Timothy D. Haugh with the General James Doolittle Award. In a discussion with SSP Director M. Taylor Fravel, General Haugh spoke about a range of issues related to intelligence, cyber, emerging technologies, and national security. Named after General James Doolittle, the Doolittle Award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement of US air power.

In a new paper, Mariana Budjeryn examines the global nuclear order after the Cold War, specifically asking why “did only Russia emerge as the only possessor of Soviet nuclear weapons in the post-Soviet space?” Read the full article via @jststs. @mbudjeryn

⏰Reminder: @mbudjeryn, Center for Nuclear Security Policy Senior Researcher, joins a panel of experts to explore Chernobyl’s enduring legacy. Hosted by @CarnegieEndow. In person and online: carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/04… 🗓️May 7, 2026 🕘9:00-10:15am ET 📍1779 Mass Ave, Washington DC

In the meantime, catch up on the conversation with our archived seminars: youtube.com/playlist?list=…

Thank you, Heidi Urben, for your important discussion on assessing internal accountability in the US military during this week’s Wednesday Seminar. With that, it’s a wrap on Wednesday Seminars for the semester! Wednesday Seminars will return in the fall.

Mariana Budjeryn, Center for Nuclear Security Policy Senior Researcher, joins a panel of experts to explore Chernobyl’s enduring legacy. Hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Register now for this in-person and online discussion. 🗓️May 7, 2026 🕘9:00-10:15am ET 📍1779 Mass Ave, Washington DC @mbudjeryn @CarnegieEndow