The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is the hub of Harvard Kennedy School's research, teaching, and training in international security and diplomacy, environmental and resource issues, and science and technology policy.[4]
History
1970s
During the Cold War, Harvard biochemist Paul M. Doty was deeply concerned about the tense relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. Doty collaborated with Soviet scientists who shared his worries about the potential for nuclear escalation. In the early 1970s, Doty recognized a significant gap in academic offerings—universities were not providing courses on arms control and international security, crucial for preparing future experts in these fields. Motivated by this, Doty envisioned a program at Harvard dedicated to research and education in arms control and related issues at the intersection of science and international affairs.[5]
In 1973, Doty subsequently founded the Belfer Center[6] as the Program for Science and International Affairs within Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences.[7] Following a grant from the Ford Foundation soon after, the program was re-established as the Center for Science and International Affairs, becoming the first permanent research center at the newly formed School of Government.
1980s
Throughout the early 1980s, the Belfer Center intensified its focus on arms control and disarmament, with a growing emphasis on the militarization of space. Its researchers also delved into the security implications of competition over energy resources, highlighted by a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored workshop on energy and security. Additionally, they began exploring the challenges and opportunities presented by technological advancements.
1990s
The Belfer Center played a pivotal role in efforts to dismantle and secure the hazardous nuclear, chemical, and biological remnants of the Soviet Union. The Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Act, a direct result of its work, became one of the most significant national security initiatives since World War II. Belfer supported the transition to a cooperative security order in the post-Cold War era, strengthened institutions within newly independent states, and worked to prevent nuclear terrorism.
In 1997, following further endowment, the center was renamed as the Robert and Renée Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in honor of Robert A. Belfer, founder of Belco Oil & Gas Corporation.[8]
2000s
Following the September 11th attacks, they became an immediate resource for terrorism-related information and analysis for policymakers and journalists. Belfer Center experts were appointed to high-level security positions in the U.S. government and played leading roles on the 9/11 Commission.
2010s
In 2015, President Barack Obama appointed Ash Carter the 25th U.S. Secretary of Defense. A leading voice in national and international security, Secretary Carter spent his career at the Belfer Center and in public service, where he leveraged his expertise at the intersection of science and technology, global strategy, and policy. His appointment underscored the center's significant influence on U.S. defense and security policy.
2020s
Drawing on their historical focus on mitigating global security threats through rigorous research and policy recommendations, the Belfer Center emerged as a necessary voice in shaping the understanding of the war in Ukraine. In October 2022, they hosted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marking one of his first U.S. engagements following the Russian invasion, further underscoring its pivotal role in global affairs.
In 2023, the Belfer Center celebrated its 50th anniversary.[9]
Board of Directors
The Belfer Center Board of Directors benefits from the experience of Harvard-affiliated scholars and senior-level staff, who guide their activities and mission to advance research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world.
Nancy Gibbs, Lombard Director, Shorenstein Center and Visiting Edward R. Murrow Professor of the Practice of Press, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Susan Hockfield, Professor of Neuroscience and President Emerita, MIT
John P. Holdren, Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Juliette Kayyem, Belfer Senior Lecturer in International Security, Harvard Kennedy School
Robert Lawrence, Albert L. Williams Professor of International Trade and Investment, Harvard Kennedy School
Henry Lee, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Jennifer Lerner, Thornton F. Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy and Management, Harvard Kennedy School
Fredrick Logevall, Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Zoe Marks, Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Tarek Masoud, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations, Harvard Kennedy School
J. Michael McQuade, Director of the Program on Emerging Technology, Scientific Advancement & Global Policy
Steven Miller, Director, International Security Program, Harvard Kennedy School; Editor-in-Chief, International Security
Rana Mitter, S.T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia Relations, Harvard Kennedy School
Venkatesh Narayanamurti, Benjamin Peirce Research Professor of Technology and Public Policy, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Harvard Kennedy School
Meghan O'Sullivan, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Samantha Power, Anna Lindh Professor of the Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Practice, Harvard Law School (on leave)
Carmen Reinhart, Minos A. Zombanakis Professor of the International Financial System, Harvard Kennedy School (on leave)
Meg Rithmire, F. Warren McFarlan Associate Professor in the Business, Government, and International Economy, Harvard Business School
Eric Rosenbach, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Anthony Saich, Daewoo Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Dan Schrag, Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology and Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, Harvard University
Robert Stavins, A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy & Economic Development, Harvard Kennedy School
Lawrence Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Harvard Kennedy School; President Emeritus, Harvard University
Roya Talibova, Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman Assistant Professor of International Relations
Stephen Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School[10]
Former Members
Lewis M. Branscomb, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Corporate Management
The Belfer Center has an international advisory board of prestigious senior business leaders and former government officials who care deeply about - and financially support - its mission to advance research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world.
Paul Volcker, Former United States Chairman of the Federal Reserve[11]
Controversies
In 2012, the Stanton Foundation provided funds for a paid Wikipedian in residence at the Belfer Center. This became controversial due to links between the Belfer Center and the Stanton Foundation (the directors of each are a married couple) and public concerns about conflict-of-interest editing on Wikipedia.[12] The center is organized into subgroups with specific areas of focus.[13][14]
A 2021 investigative report by student group Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard found that many of the center's climate initiatives were funded in part by fossil fuel companies, and that the center had allegedly taken several steps to cover up that fact.[15][16][17]
References
^"About". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
^"Natalie Colbert". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
^"Belfer Center - About". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Harvard. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
^Science News Staff (17 October 2011). "Super Science Suggestions: House Panel Lays Out Spending Preferences". Science Magazine. Retrieved Sep 14, 2014. ...Laura Diaz Anadon, a chemical engineer and director of the energy technology innovation policy group at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government....
^Jesse Jenkins (April 6, 2013). "Energy Facts: How Much Water Does Fracking for Shale Gas Consume?". The Energy Collective. Retrieved Sep 14, 2014. ...how much water does shale gas consume per unit of energy produced...a 2010 paper by ...Laura Diaz Anadon... of Harvard's Belfer Center has data on exactly that question ...
