2018 In the News

Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer makes his government and foreign relations predictions for the new year.

Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "If Trump sticks to his peacemaking guns — if he indeed withdraws American troops from Syria and scales back American ambitions there — the next step should be to apply the same approach to the entire Middle East."

A recent study by the Costs of War Project, which estimates that the U.S. has spent nearly $6 trillion on wars post-9/11, is cited in an article on the U.S. military's activity in 2018.

Political Scientist Wendy Schiller offers comments on Nancy Pelosi's political experience and influence in Washington. "She has the political force of character, and she has the temperament and the strategic instincts that come with being very experienced in the Democratic Party leadership."

Senior Fellow Deborah Gordon comments on U.S. oil, saying "We're giving away oil that is potentially much lower-emitting oil, and we're importing oil that is very carbon-intensive."

This explainer piece on the implications of Qatar's departure from OPEC was written by Jeff Colgan, an associate professor of political science.

This column by Stephen Kinzer argues that one of the most important and overlooked factors fueling Central Americans' desire to leave their home countries for the United States is gender-based violence.

James N. Green, Director of the Brazil Initiative, comments on a bill pending in Brazil's National Congress that would go as far as to bar the use of "gender" in teaching, saying "with the election of Bolsonaro and a more conservative Congress, there is a possibility the bill might get traction."

James N. Green in Inside Higher Ed on a bill pending in the National Congress would go so far as to bar the use of the term "gender" in teaching: "...with the election of Bolsonaro and a more conservative Congress, there is a possibility the bill might get traction."

Nina Tannenwald comments on the current state of U.S.-Russia relations saying, "I think there's going to be no dialogue on arms control with Russia as long as John Bolton is the National Security adviser."

Nina Tannenwald joined a panel with Foreign Affairs for a discussion on nuclear weapons and prevention of their spread to other nations.

Senior Fellow Timothy Edgar received the 2018 Chicago-Kent College of Law/Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize for his book, Beyond Snowden: Privacy, Mass Surveillance, and the Struggle to Reform the NSA. The Prize "honors exemplary works of scholarship exploring the tension between civil liberties and national security in contemporary American society."

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Senior Fellow and President Emerita of BakerRipley, Angela Blanchard, in the Houston Chronicle, "Houston was welcoming the world — albeit haphazardly and without much self-awareness. Families were arriving daily from places gripped by misery and struggle."

Associate Professor Jeff Colgan joined St. Louis' KTRS After Show to discuss the impact of oil and the United States' reliance on Saudi oil.

Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "As a new Congress prepares to take office, incoming members are challenging the status quo on health care, climate change, tax policy and other domestic issues. Few, however, have shown much interest in world affairs."

A new study recently released by the Costs of War Project estimates that the United States has spent $5.9 trillion on wars following 9/11.

Senior Fellow Richard Arenberg offered commentary on the upcoming vote for House speaker, saying "The opposition is banking on this being a 'change election.'"

Neta Crawford, Boston University professor and Co-Director of the Costs of War Project, joined NPR's Morning Edition to discuss the recent study that estimates the U.S. has spent $5.9 trillion on wars following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Middle East Studies concentrator Rhea Stark '19 has won a 2019 Rhodes Scholarship, one of the highest academic honors in the nation, which provides all expenses for two or three years of graduate study at the University of Oxford in England.

Senior Fellow Timothy Edgar offered commentary on the midterm election results on WPRI's Dan Yorke State of Mind.

Political scientist Wendy Schiller joined NBC 10 News to discuss the results of the midterm elections.

Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "In one way, though, Bolsonaro is scarier than any of those other political thugs. He is not only a provocateur who thrives by turning people against each other, but also a product of the darkest period in modern Latin American history."

This article cites research from the Costs of War Project saying, "These various post-9/11 foreign policy failures have cost our debt-riddled nation at least $1.5 trillion in direct costs... and more than $5 trillion in ancillary costs—such as interest and future veterans expenses—according to a 2017 analysis by the Watson Center at Brown University."

Senior Fellow Richard Arenberg comments on the upcoming plans of the current Congress, before the new Congress is sworn in in January. "Democrats have no incentive to agree to funding that they have steadfastly oppose except in the context of a broader immigration policy agreement."

Political economist Mark Blyth joined WBUR's Radio Open Source with Christoper Lydon to discuss the results of the midterm election.

A new report published by the Cost of War Project estimates the death toll in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq after the 9/11 attacks between 480,000 and 507,000 people.

Chas Freeman, Senior Fellow and former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, joins Monocle's The Foreign Desk to discuss the dozens of vacant ambassadorships under the Trump administration.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren stopped by Brown last night for the Taubman Center's Governor Frank Licht '38 Lecture series, speaking on the central question of "Who does government work for?"

Professor of Political Science Wendy Schiller said she believes Elorza's landslide victory is evidence that voters are pleased with the direction in which Providence is headed. "It matters how people view the progress of the city more than the actions of campaigning."

Political scientist Wendy Schiller said politicians usually hang on to leftover campaign money "until they figure out what the next steps are in their political life."

Political scientist Wendy Schiller offered commentary on Nancy Pelosi's political legacy and future, saying "Everything about the rules of the game, about achieving power, has changed out from under her."

Professor of Political Science Wendy Schiller joined Bloomberg's morning show to discuss midterm election results.

Marc Dunkelman, Fellow in International and Public Affairs, said the decline in neighborly interactions across North America is due in part to the rise of digital communication.

Professor Omer Bartov said he saw similarities between contemporary Republicans' campaign posters of Jewish opponents holding fistfuls of cash and famous Nazi posters from the 1940s. "Much of the rhetoric is about how the left is going to destroy everything, destroy the economy, bring this invasion of barbarians — all of this was very much part of fascist and Nazi xenophobia."

Senior Fellow Richard Arenberg in USA Today, "At its best, which many Americans still remember, the Senate was the place where the parties came together, through extended debate and super-majority requirements, to find common ground to move our contentious, diverse nation ahead."

Professor Ross Cheit was awarded the prestigious Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Trust Award for inspiring a former student to make a difference in his or her community.

James N. Green, Director of the Brazil Initiative, sat down with Democracy Now! to discuss what President-elect Jair Bolsonaro means for the future of Brazil. "...the Bolsonaro government... is probably going to be implementing a series of extremely reactionary changes to the country..."

Associate Professor Jeff Colgan joins PRI's The World to discuss the lawsuit filed by New York's attorney general that alleges that Exxon Mobil defrauded its shareholders by downplaying the threat of climate change to its business.

Sociologist Michael Kennedy in RI Future, "Even before the last week's violence, I expected the Democrats to take back the House. This last week makes that anticipation almost a sure thing."

Professor Wendy Schiller predicts incumbent Gina Raimondo will narrowly win in the upcoming gubernatorial elections, "People who thought there was a chance to beat [Raimondo] are more discouraged than they were a couple weeks ago and are going to be angry at Fung."

Senior Fellow Chas Freeman sits down with CGTN's Anand Naidoo to discuss U.S.-China relations.

This weekly "polling roundup" quoted public policy professor Eric Patashnik, who said that "it is already clear that Republicans have made it even harder for their party to govern if they manage to retain control of both chambers and take another stab at dismantling Obamacare."

In their first of a two-part event series, DNC Chair Tom Perez '82 and former RNC Chair Michael Steele discussed the state of politics and the U.S. and the upcoming midterm elections.

Brazil Initiative's Director, James N. Green, comments on the possibility of Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing candidate, winning Brazil's presidency. "The goal of Bolsonaro is to overturn every single victory social movements have achieved since the return to democracy and every single victory workers have won over the last 80 years."

Professor of Political Science Wendy Schiller predicted that if independent gubernatorial candidate Joe Trillo gets more than 6 percent of the vote, the election will favor incumbent Gina Raimondo.

This article cites research by Professor Peter Andreas who found that the auto industry and economies of border towns, such as San Diego, were devastated by post-9/11 crackdowns at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Senior Fellow Richard Arenberg comments on what's at stake during the upcoming midterm elections, "Even some Republicans may no longer continue to support his most objectionable actions."