I think before MIT or anyone else decides to support or oppose any regime, they should ask themselves, "What are the reasonable alternatives?" But first, an as

I think before MIT or anyone else decides to support or oppose any regime, they should ask themselves, "What are the reasonable alternatives?" But first, an aside - I wish I could remember the name of the YouTube video that described the UK as a theocracy - because the Queen is also the "pope" of the Church of England. A lot of people - MIT and myself included - fall into the trap of comparing places like Saudi to a theoretical perfect state which we'll call Utopia. The pitfalls of such comparisons I leave as an exercise to the reader. But let's talk about MIT's overall contribution to the advancement of human rights. How many of their grads have gone on to work for the NSA? How many of their Chinese students now find employ with the Chinese government? How many government contracts for intrusive surveillance or weapons of mass destruction has MIT taken over the years? Answer: Classified. But probably a lot.