By Graham Allison
Welcome to the Power & Policy blog, being launched today by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School.
The purpose of this online forum is to advance policy-relevant knowledge about the exercise of American power in the world today. We are pleased to have an exceptional team of contributors with decades of experience thinking about, and executing, U.S. foreign policy. Power & Policy aims to illuminate the role of American power through disciplined policy analysis and prescription.
In the weeks that follow, each contributor will address specific policy issues, helping to define the problem, clarify policy objectives, and distill the facts and assumptions used to estimate advantages and cons of policy alternatives. The blog also will invite guest contributions and encourage reader comments, aiming to generate a robust conversation on these critical issues.
Through this undertaking, we hope to provoke new ideas, sharpen arguments, and gain a deeper understanding of the exercise of power, and America’s unique role in the world.
I recall that in Belfer’s title there is “Science” as in “Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs” — will this blog also cover the scientific/technical aspects of Power and Policy? How about “Power, Policy and Science”?
I understand that Science is often annoying but it really informs all our policy decisions: climate change, defense, cybersecurity, clean energy, computational finance.
You would do well to emphasize Science.
My $0.02.