Jim Walsh

Dr. Jim Walsh is an expert in international security and a Research Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Walsh's research and writings focus on international security, and in particular, topics involving weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. Dr. Walsh has testified before the United States Senate on the issue of nuclear terrorism and chaired the Harvard University International Working Group on Radiological Terrorism. Among his current projects are two series of dialogues on nuclear issues, one with representatives from North Korea and one with leading figures in Iran. He has traveled to both countries and has testified before the Senate on Iran's nuclear program.

Since 2001, Dr. Walsh has given some 700 media interviews, including more than 300 appearances on CNN. His comments and analysis have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times , the Times of London, the Christian Science Monitor and numerous other publications. He has appeared on the CBS Evening News, NPR, PBS, Fox, MSNBC, the Discovery Channel, MTV, Al Jazeera, and outlets in more than a dozen countries (including Iran and North Korea). His film credits include Testament (Paramount Pictures, 2004), Meltdown (FX channel, 2004), and Fortress Australia (Australia Broadcast Corporation, 2002).

Dr. Walsh served as editor for the book series, Terrorism: Documents of International & Local Control and his writings have appeared in several scholarly journals including Political Science Quarterly, the Nonproliferation Review, International Studies Review, and Contemporary Security Policy. His most recent publications include “Iran's Nuclear Program: Motivations, Consequences, and Options” in Terrorist Attacks and Nuclear Proliferation: Strategies for Overlapping Dangers (Academy of Political Science, 2007), “The Nuclear Weapons Danger” in A Muslim-Christian Study and Action Guide to the Nuclear Weapons Danger (Islamic Society of North America and the Churches' Center for Theology and Public Policy, 2007), “Learning from Past Success: The NPT and the Future of Non-proliferation” for the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission chaired by Hans Blix (2006).

Before coming to MIT, Dr. Walsh was Executive Director of the Managing the Atom Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He was also a visiting scholar at the Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, one of the country's three nuclear weapons labs. Previously, he was named a Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar by the United States Institute for Peace and won the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship from the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. Dr. Walsh received his Ph.D from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Selected Articles

Talking to Terrorists: Pretense and Posturing
Jim Walsh, "Why believe it this time?" Op-Ed, Boston Globe, December 7, 2007.
"Iran and the Nuclear Issue: Negotiated Settlement or Escalation?" Testimony before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information & International Security Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, July 20, 2006.

Media Appearances

February 13, 2007, National Public Radio, "Morning Edition" "Talks Aside, Nuclear Might Likely to Spread"
October 10, 2006, National Public Radio, "On Point," "North Korea's Nuclear Test"
August 24, 2006, National Public Radio, "On Point," "Nuclear Iran"
August 22, 2006, KCRW, "To The Point" "Iran Responds to UN Demands"
July 7, 2006, National Public Radio, "Morning Edition," "N. Korean Short-Range Missile Threat Overlooked"
July 5, 2006, National Public Radio, "Morning Edition," "North Korea Seeks U.S. Attention with Missile Tests"
April 11, 2006, BBC News, "The World," "Iran Interview "
March 15, 2006, National Public Radio, "Morning Edition," "China Displays Independence in Relationship with Iran"