Balancing Neutrality and Action on Politically Relevant Issues

The speaker values neutrality and avoiding partisanship, standing for facts rather than opinions and ideologies. However, there is tension when deciding whether to take a stand on politically relevant issues. Some people criticize the speaker for not commenting, citing a clear violation of their values, while others argue that the lack of systematic data should prevent the speaker from commenting. To navigate this tension, the speaker chooses to speak on issues only when they can bring social science research and evidence to bear, such as speaking about Iran in the context of research on successful peaceful protests.