HKS in the News April 16, 2012

1. Retirement Bliss May Turn to Blues for Some Boomers (Wise) CNBC

2. Iran nuclear talks: Why there's hope for progress this time (Walt) The Christian Science Monitor

3. McMahon spreads wealth to Conn. Republicans (King) Associated Press

4. The bitter truth about Iran (Frelich) The Jerusalem Post (Israel)

5. Women’s Rights: Is Equality under threat in some Arab countries? (Budson) Congressional Quarterly Global Researcher

Retirement Bliss May Turn to Blues for Some Boomers

CNBC

April 13

Quoted: David Wise

Topic: Retirement planning

Will the old thirtysomething gang still be showing up for work at seventysomething? That could be the case for many of their real-world contemporaries if they hope to enjoy financially secure retirements. …

Some researchers believe most Baby Boomers are indeed wealthy enough to maintain their pre-retirement consumption, notes David Wise, an economist at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Wise, however, says it’s instructive to look at the real financial status of elderly retirees near the end of life. “When you look at it that way it doesn’t look as favorable,” he says. …

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Iran nuclear talks: Why there's hope for progress this time

The Christian Science Monitor

April 13

Quoted: Stephen Walt, Belfer Center

Topic: Iran nuclear talks

Stephen Walt was also cited in The Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee)

… The New York Times quoted unnamed US officials last week stating that one of their opening positions in the talks was that Iran had to agree to not just halt 20 percent enrichment, but also close down and dismantle Fordow. Iran immediately pointed out that Fordow is monitored by the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, and that closing the facility was a non-starter. …

If that were the P5+1 opening bid, it might be a “good way to sabotage” the talks, wrote Harvard University professor Stephen Walt in an analysis for Foreign Policy this week.

“Remember: Iran has invested millions to build a protected underground enrichment facility, which is what any sensible government might do if it were constantly being threatened with a preventive strike,” wrote Prof. Walt. “It would be an extraordinarily humiliating climb-down for them to agree to shut the facility down at this point and then dismantle it.” …

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McMahon spreads wealth to Conn. Republicans

Associated Press

April 13

Quoted: David King

Topic: Political campaign contributions

David King was also quoted in The Scotsman (Scotland) discussing GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney

Former wrestling executive Linda McMahon has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Republican town committees, the state Republican Party and various local candidates while she pursues a seat in the U.S. Senate, according to a review of state election records by The Associated Press. …

David King , a lecturer in public policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, said the donations amount to smart politics.

"It's very wise and not widely done," said David King, a lecturer in public policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. "That pays off in terms of loyalty and boots on the ground when it comes time to getting folks out to the polls. Favors beget favors. It's uncommon for people to contribute to local party organizations so every little dollar helps and every dollar is remembered." …

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The bitter truth about Iran

The Jerusalem Post (Israel)

April 15

Commentary by: Charles Frelich, Belfer Center

Topic: Sanctions on Iran

As the Iranian nuclear program nears its critical stages and the possibility of military action becomes more realistic, highly respected observers – even former senior Israeli officials – have come out strongly against this. US President Barack Obama has made his preference for continued sanctions and diplomacy clear. The US and EU talks with Iran on Saturday did not provide a clear indication of whether Iran is serious about wanting a last- minute deal. The inveterate optimism of diplomats aside, the only clear outcome is a further time gain for Iran, until the next round on May 23. …

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Women’s Rights: Is Equality under threat in some Arab countries

CQ Global Researcher

April 3

Quoted: Victoria Budson, Women and Public Policy Program

Topic: Women’s rights in Arab countries

… While the plight of a Yemeni woman who was forced to marry at a young age and a mother trying to break through the glass ceiling in an industrialized country may seem worlds apart, one common strand runs through the lives of all women, says Victoria A. Budson, founding executive director of the Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Women are “never free” without economic independence, she says. “If they don’t have that, they can’t freely move in and out of marriages or define what their own life looks like." …

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In the HKS TV Studio

Nazila Fathi, Shorenstein Center

Voice of America, 4/13

Topic: Iranian News Stories

Lant Pritchett

BNN, 4/13

Topic: World Bank nomination

Broadcast Notes

Jeffrey Seglin, Shorenstein Center

RTÉ News (Ireland), 4/14

Topic: Standards for media organizations

John Park, Belfer Center

MSNBC “The Dylan Ratigan Show,” 4/13

Topic: North Korean missile launch