In the News

Mark Blyth told NPR’s Marketplace that factors from climate change to labor shortages and tariffs could be driving a sharp rise in U.S. wholesale vegetable prices.

In The Hill, J. Brian Atwood warns that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s directive for U.S. diplomats to avoid commenting on the fairness of foreign elections marks a dangerous retreat from America’s decades-long role in promoting democracy worldwide.

In the Masters of Scale podcast, Mark Blyth discusses outdated economic models, misconceptions about China, Democrats’ messaging struggles, recession forecasting challenges, and higher education’s reliance on federal funding.

John Friedman told The New York Times, "If you’re just trying to admit the students who were most academically prepared, you would in fact end up tilting a lot toward white students and toward richer students, because those are the ones who have had access to the schools that would get them prepared."

Watson experts Lyle Goldstein and Stephen Kinzer reflect on the legacy of nuclear weapons 80 years after Hiroshima, weighing in on whether deterrence is the true outcome of the atomic age.

Mark Blyth comments on signs of an economic recession and the latest U.S. jobs report in an interview with ABC News.

In an interview on the TLDR podcast, Mark Blyth explains how the U.S. is reshaping the global economic and political order and what it could mean for Canada.

In Vox, Lyle Goldstein says Chinese scholars are now openly discussing limited nuclear war, framing it as a response to similar conversations in the United States.

In The Print, Ashutosh Varshney writes that Trump’s tariff threats to India reflect a return to power-based foreign policy, exploiting trade imbalances for political leverage, while India’s economic and strategic dependence on the U.S. limits its ability to push back.

Stephanie Savell told The Intercept, “What many people don’t know is that the United States’ post-9/11 counterterrorism operations actually contributed to and intensified the present-day crisis and surge of violent deaths in the Sahel and Somalia.”

In an article for the U.S. Naval Institute, Lyle Goldstein argues the United States should renew naval cooperation with Russia to promote maritime stability, strategic balance and humanitarian readiness despite ongoing tensions over Ukraine.

In UnHerd, Lyle Goldstein argues that the U.S. is beginning a significant and necessary shift in its Taiwan policy—publicly reining in Taipei to reduce the risk of war with China and prioritize broader strategic interests under an “America First” framework.

In Asia Times, Lyle Goldstein writes that former President Trump’s approach to the Philippines signals a shift toward defusing U.S.-China tensions by prioritizing trade and counterterrorism over military alliances and confrontation.

In the Boston Globe, Stephen Kinzer writes that the Department of Homeland Security’s promotion of “American Progress” reflects a sanitized, nationalistic view of U.S. expansion.

Salon cites a report from the Costs of War Project that found the U.S. spent $23 billion on Israel’s military operations and related U.S. operations in the region during the first 12 months of the conflict in Gaza.

John Friedman told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the American Dream has weakened, with children today having only about a 50 percent chance of surpassing their parents’ standard of living due to uneven economic growth and declining social mobility.

In an interview with the Firewall podcast, Marc Dunkelman discussed the central problem in American governance.

In a recent Bloomberg Opinion article, John Friedman noted that the data confirm a measurable decline in economic opportunity for white working‑class communities.

Ashutosh Varshney writes in The Print that new voter ID rules in Bihar risk weaponizing citizenship to disenfranchise the poor and marginalized.

Lyle Goldstein told NPR that China is producing naval architects at roughly 100 times the rate of the U.S., giving it a major edge in shipbuilding expertise, though the U.S. still leads in submarine technology.

In an interview with PBS NewsHour, Lyle Goldstein discussed tariffs and the Trump administration’s overall approach to Asia.

A report by the Climate Solutions Lab, cited by The Cool Down, found that permitting can add $3,800 to $4,500 to the cost of installing a typical rooftop solar system in New Jersey.

Lyle Goldstein argues in Stars and Stripes that despite flaws and risks, the U.S. should stay in AUKUS to strengthen undersea warfare and share Pacific defense burdens against China.

On Converging Dialogues, Mark Blyth explains the politics and history of inflation, from Fed policy to global cases like Turkey and Argentina.

John Friedman comments for The Boston Globe, “When you have innovators and entrepreneurs and leaders coming from a broader range of potential backgrounds, you get more innovation.”

Omer Bartov comments for The Guardian, "What the IDF is doing in Gaza is demolishing it. Hundreds of buildings are being bulldozed every week. This is not a secret, but mainstream media coverage has been insufficient.”

The Guardian reports that a new Costs of War study finds the Pentagon gave $2.4 trillion to private arms firms from 2020 to 2024, fueling war and weapons manufacturing.

Stephanie Savell comments for Common Dreams, "This is not an arsenal of democracy—it's an arsenal of profiteering."

Craig Spencer writes in The New York Times that there is a moral imperative to expand access to global health care.

Lyle Goldstein writes in The National Interest that Trump’s new foreign policy embraces spheres of influence over interventionism, which could reduce great power conflict if managed carefully.

Lyle Goldstein comments for Associated Press, “President Lai’s series of recent speeches appear almost designed to set up a new cross-strait crisis, perhaps in the hopes of building more support in Washington and elsewhere around the Pacific."

The Washington Post recently cited “Why Nothing Works,” a new book by Marc Dunkelman.

In an interview with The Print podcast, Ashutosh Varshney discusses Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York mayoral Democratic primary race.

Jennifer Hadden writes in Foreign Affairs that the post–Cold War boom in NGOs has ended as rising repression, public skepticism, and shrinking funding push power back to states.

In Real Clear Defense, Lyle Goldstein writes that Asia-Pacific allies skipping the NATO summit signals a rational shift away from U.S. defense demands and may help rebalance regional security.

In The Hill, J. Brian Atwood writes that Trump’s strike on Iran exceeded his constitutional authority and shows how Congress has abdicated its war powers.

In The Print, Ashutosh Varshney writes that Zohran Mamdani’s upset win over Andrew Cuomo signals a rise of Left populism in New York with possible national and global implications.

In an interview with the Macro Musings podcast, Mark Blyth discusses his new book, Inflation: A Guide for Users and Losers, the concept of angrynomics, and new ways to look at price controls and demographic decline.

In The New York Times, Marc Dunkelman explains why connecting with voters who have lost faith in the political system is important.

In The Atlantic, Mark Blyth argues that the world economy is undergoing a major reboot like the 1930s, and that the future of capitalism depends on which new governing ideas societies choose to adopt.

Lyle Goldstein comments for Asia Times, "I am more concerned that this further erodes norms both with respect to attacking nuclear infrastructure as well as encouraging the dangerous practice of preventive war in general."

In Asia Times, Lyle Goldstein writes that while China may benefit geopolitically from U.S. entanglement in the Middle East, Beijing continues to exercise military restraint and prioritize diplomacy in the region.

In an interview on the Ideas Podcast, Prerna Singh discussed the roots of group-based hatred and ways to break cycles of division.

A recent Al Jazeera article cites a report from the Costs of War Project on U.S. aid to Israel.

In an interview on the Making Peace Visible podcast, Stephanie Savell discussed whether massive U.S. defense spending is actually making the country safer.

In a column for Bucks County Beacon, Stephen Kinzer argues that Trump’s bombing of Iran, driven by Israeli influence, will further destabilize the Middle East and increase the likelihood of Iran pursuing nuclear weapons.

Marc Dunkelman comments for Rhode Island PBS, “The remarkable thing looking at the Washington Bridge project is that here we are, a few years out, and it’s still unclear who is ultimately responsible for this debacle."

In an interview with Rhode Island PBS, Marc Dunkelman discussed his book Why Nothing Works, examining how government lost the capacity to tackle major infrastructure projects.