2016 In the News

The recently published The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition, edited by Elias Muhanna, is reviewed by NPR.

With the chamber set to decide later this week whether former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff is guilty of corruption charges, professor James Green comments on the political upheaval in South America's largest economy.

Economics professor Justine Hastings comments on the work of the Rhode Island Innovative Policy Lab, which will examine traffic stop data in Rhode Island to determine if racial disparities exist.

"Reflecting on his recent book, Globalizing Knowledge, Michael Kennedy examines the affinities and interconnections between interdisciplinarity and efforts by scholars and institutions to shape global knowledge cultures."

Ashutosh Varshney writes about the political issue of cow protection in India and how if not handled carefully could create divisiveness within the country's population.

Ashutosh Varshney comments on an article about the relationship between Pakistan and India as they head into their respective independence days.

Chris Lyddon of Radio Open Source talks to Ambassador Chas Freeman about his fear of a "vexxing drift of politics" globally including Brexit, and the upcoming US election.

Citing recent political developments in Nicaragua, Watson Institute's Stephen Kinzer explains why dynastic regimes often end with tumultuous, sometimes bloody, overthrows.

Stephen Kinzer speaks with Conor Sanchez of Va Pue Magazine about his time in Nicaragua and his book Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua.

Peter Andreas speaks with Bill Kilby of VICE to discuss black markets in America.

In Spring 2016, GPD trainees and sociology graduates Diana Graizbord and Jamie McPike were looking for ways to contribute to the Watson Institute's mission. Drawing on their international experience in making qualitative research speak to policy reform efforts in Mexico and India, they designed a new senior seminar in applied public policy entitled Engaged Research/Engaged Publics: The Science and Craft of Applied Policy Research.

A new study by Rose McDermott, Professor of International Relations, suggests that individuals with aggressive tendencies are more likely to support aggressive foreign policy positions.

Stephen Kinzer, Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs, joined Andrew Stewart to discuss American foreign policy and the upcoming presidential election.

Jeff Colgan, Richard Holbrooke Associate Professor of Political Science, co-authored a new study on the abandoned hazardous waste left beneath a U.S. military base built within the Greenland Ice Scheet in 1959. Due to the rapid progression of climate change, the waste could soon reenter the environment and harm nearby ecosystems.

With Congress in recess and many people on vacation, national politics are supposed to hit a late-summer lull. That may no longer be the case, according to Wendy Schiller, professor of political science.

With third hand accounts suggesting Donald Trump might use nuclear weapons if given provocation, scholars discuss why world leaders have stayed away from the destructive power of nukes. Nina Tannenwald, professor of international relations, said a global taboo developed throughout the world following remarks by Harry Truman in 1948, which as a result delegitimized the use of nukes as appropriate military weapons.

Stephen Kinzer in The New York Times, "A worsening strategic landscape could lead Mr. Erdogan to reshape his policies in Syria and elsewhere in the region."

Ashutosh Varshney, professor of international studies and political science, writes an op-ed about what he observed during his travels to parts of China and the simmering debate about the political leanings of China's growing middle class.

Emily Oster in TIME, "But the new prenatal screening tests are a game changer. They represent a significant technological breakthrough because the key to identifying problems or genetic risks is being able to see the baby's DNA."

Michael Kennedy, professor of sociology, comments on an article about the volatile nature of elections and voters' assessment of political responsibility following tragedies.

Wendy Schiller discusses Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention.

Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in the Boston Globe, "The lesson of South Sudan is that crashing into other countries often leads to tragedy — even if we do it with policy instead of guns."

Tim Edgar comments on the Republican Party platform's cyber agenda that was released this week, coinciding with the start of the GOP Convention.

Wendy Schiller, professor of political science, comments on news of House Majority Leader John DeSimone's failure to pay his property taxes and owing the city more than $18,000.

Rose McDermott, professor of international relations, discusses the biological influences that interact with environmental factors to shape ideology across the political spectrum in cultures around the world.

As legislators grapple with how to address and define cyberattacks that could be considered acts of war, cyber conflict expert Timothy Edgar comments on the difficulty of attributing such attacks.

Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in the Boston Globe, "If the coup fails, no one knows what comes next. If it succeeds, the same is true. Many Turks welcomed the coup of 1980 because it ended a period of violent chaos, but it was followed by a wave of brutal repression."

Nina Tannenwald, director of the International Relations Program, writes an op-ed about the ongoing violence between Palestinians and settlers in the Jewish-only settlement of Kiryat Arba.

Postdoctoral Fellow Jordan T. Camp discusses his edited volume Policing the Planet: Why the Policing Crisis Led to Black Lives Matter, with his co-editor Christina Heatherton, and Chuck Mertz on WNUR 89.3FM in Chicago.

The Watson Institute's Cost of War Project is cited on BBC Business Matters.

Stephen Kinzer, senior fellow at the Watson Institute, wrote an op-ed about the call to increase bombing efforts in Syria, citing failed efforts to reform Iraq and Afghanistan with the same strategy.

Andrew Schrank and Michael Piore co-author an article about Puerto Rico's debt problem and the approval of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act. They argue that unless Puerto Rico adopts a new development structure, the country is likely to experience the same crisis down the road.

Political economist Mark Blyth comments on the role of the Federal Reserve System in the aftermath of the United Kingdom's vote to exit the European Union just as currencies around the world drop.

Emily Oster in Quartz, "Tipping may not lead to good service on your first visit at a new restaurant, but I can pretty much guarantee that not tipping will result in bad service on your second and all further visits."

Stephen Kinzer, senior fellow at the Watson Institute, writes an op-ed about NATO's outdated structure and suggests the need to pull back from its noble mission.

Infants that are one month to one year of age have a higher mortality rate in America than in other developed nations, according to a paper co-authored by Emily Oster.

Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer talks to Sue O'Connell on NECN about Brexit and the terror attack in Turkey.

Mark Blyth discusses Britain's exit from the EU and the fallout that followed.

Glenn Loury, professor of social science and economics, comments on the need to reform the criminal justice system in America which imprisons thousands of people without dealing with the underlying causes.

Ashutosh Varshney, professor of political science and public affairs, writes an op-ed about the major forces that have pushed Donald Trump into becoming the presumptive presidential Republican nominee.

Following the announcement of the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, Watson Institute senior fellow Timothy Edgar commented on how the Brexit could impact the cyber security space and pending policies.

Steven Kinzer, discusses in an op-ed how Britain's decision to quit the European Union is in a part an expression of self-defeating insularity, but it also a stern rebuke to arrogant elites who failed to listen to ordinary citizens. He goes on to say that Europeans are angered by the way the EU's European Commission, run by unelected bureaucrats, makes decisions, and sees a chance for the EU to change course.

Marc J. Dunkelman, visiting fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, presents on the TEDx stage and gives his take on why some deem Washington as "broken."

Assistant professor of sociology and public affairs, Jayanti Owens, discusses her new study that suggests early behavioral problems negatively impact high school and college completion rates for boys more than girls.

Timothy Edgar, Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, responded to the LA Times' question about whether watch lists, and the no-fly list in particular, should be used to deny Americans the right to purchase firearms.

Mark Blyth discusses Britain's "Brexit" campaign on WNYC's On the Media podcast (segment beings 44 minutes into the episode).

In News Is My Business, Deepak Lamba-Nieves' report is cited, "For too long, and mistakenly, Puerto Rico's industrial policy has been limited to the concession of tax incentives to attract foreign capital."

Stephen Kinzer, senior fellow at the Watson Institute, offered his opinion on the dueling foreign policy speeches delivered by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.