J. Brian Atwood in The Hill, "The leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion on abortion has the political pot boiling over, but to what end? Whatever the result, American democracy is unlikely to be the beneficiary."
In the News
Podcast: India Might Be Entering the Stage of Pogroms Now (interview with Ashutosh Varshney)
Ashutosh Varshney on The Wire podcast, "I have studied communal riots of the 1990s, but this current violence in India is very different."
The Refugee Opportunity (written by Dany Bahar)
Dany Bahar in Foreign Affairs, "If the world really cares about rebuilding Ukraine, its goal must be for Ukrainian refugees to integrate as much as possible in other countries—not the opposite."
Facebook whistleblower kicks off William R. Rhodes '57 Lecture Series on Ethics of Capitalism
Frances Haugen told an audience of Brown students, faculty and staff that algorithms governing social media are the root of technology's challenges — and that social media can be a positive force to keep people connected.
The Foreign Service, Diplomacy, and the US-China Fight for Primacy: An Interview with Chas Freeman
The Brown Political review interviews Ambassador Chas Freeman.
Germany's epic 'rupture in time' (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Stephen Kinzer in Globe Ideas, "Younger Germans, however, are largely divorced from those experiences and impulses. They feel culturally and emotionally tied to the United States and want their country to play a robust role in NATO. For them, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a defining moment."
Data that parents collect about their babies has limits (interview with Emily Oster)
Emily Oster in the Washington Post, "Sometimes our data is very limited or it's just very difficult to answer questions — or the answer is kind of different for everybody,"
Eric Patashnik in Vox, "It's possible this could have some influence on vote choices in the midterms, but the impact will be at the margin,"
In this interview, Jeff Colgan discusses how the United States plans to help Europe diminish its reliance on Russian natural gas.
Politics never trumped my 40-year friendship with Madeleine Albright
J. Brian Atwood reflects on his friendship with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
US fighting Russia 'to the last Ukrainian': veteran US diplomat (interview with Chas Freeman)
In Ukraine, the Biden administration is fighting Russia "to the last Ukrainian," Ambassador Chas Freeman says.
US military aid to Ukraine guarantees more suffering and death (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Stephen Kinzer in the Boston Globe, "Our escalation in Ukraine will fuel counter-escalation. That intensifies a confrontation between two nuclear-armed powers."
Nigeria's 419: an Interview with Daniel Jordan Smith (interview with Daniel Smith)
Daniel Smith explains how Nigerians understand corruption, its place in their national culture, and Nigerians' efforts to fight it in an interview on Under The Table Podcast.
Through research collaboration, Brown scholars aim to improve experiences of refugees
Researchers at Watson's Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies are working with the Refugee Dream Center in Providence to assess Afghan refugees' needs and improve military-civilian partnerships across the globe.
Biden's China Policy: A More Polite Trump – Amb. Chas Freeman
Ambassador Chas Freeman discusses his time as President Nixon's translator during his 1972 trip to China.
Electoral democracy vs constitutional democracy: Post-poll lessons
Ashutosh Varshney discusses BJP's massive victory in four state elections, including UP, the biggest and most vital, he argues. Varshney asks whether India's electoral democracy, vibrant and free, is coming increasingly in conflict with India's Constitution.
Dany Bahar on Forward, "The story of modern Israel exemplifies the tremendous gains that Ukrainian refugees could bring to their host nations if they are given the chance to do so."
We shouldn't be even this close to nuclear war (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Stephen Kinzer on the real threat of a nuclear war and what it would take to avoid it.
Ukrainian Refugees and Their Hosting Communities Are in Desperate Need of Funding (written by Dany Bahar)
Dany Bahar on the refugee crisis in Ukraine, "In the few days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, over 1.7 million Ukrainians—including children, women, elderly—have already fled their homes, seeking refuge in other nations."
Now Is as Good a Time as There'll Ever Be to Leave Your Pandemic Bubble (comments by Emily Oster)
Professor of Economics Emily Oster offered commentary on how parents of young children can navigate relaxed COVID-19 restrictions.
A group of professors from Brown University including Tony Levitas and Michael Kennedy are teaming up to help those fighting in Ukraine against Russia.
There's a reason Putin can be so aggressive: Oil. (co-authored by Jeff Colgan)
Jeff Colgan co-authored this article in Monkey Cage on the roots of Russia's aggression.
India Avoids Condemning Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, Despite U.S. Pressure (written by Prerna Singh)
Associate Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs Prerna Singh offered commentary on the relationship between Russia, China and India.
My Ukraine Is Not Yet Lost (an essay by Omer Bartov)
Omer Bartov penned this essay Ukraine, "...the fate of Ukraine will determine that of the rest of Europe and have a major effect on the rest of the world, including the United States."
Chas Freeman is interviewed in RT about President Nixon's historic visit to China.
How the US brought China and Russia together (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Stephen Kinzer in the Boston Globe, "Shifting our approach to our two major rivals would require putting aside issues that many in the United States and beyond consider vital."
Lyle Goldstein in The Week, "Unquestionably, the Ukraine armed forces are badly overmatched by Russian military might."
Watson event discusses increasing student debt, private finance's control of universities
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Main lesson from Nixon's historic visit is to focus on common interests: Chas Freeman
Monday marks the 50th anniversary of US president Richard Nixon's historic visit to China. Recalling this breakthrough trip, Chas W. Freeman Jr, who was a lead translator for Nixon during the visit, said the biggest lesson we should learn from the trip is that China and the US "could set aside ideology in the interest of cooperating to common ends."
Ambassador Chas Freeman who served as President Nixon's lead interpreter and former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, discusses Nixon's historic visit to China which took place 50 years ago.
Chas Freeman on Nixon, China, and 'the week that changed the world'
Ambassador Chas Freeman on his trip to China as President Nixon's interpreter in 1972, "It was an almost unprecedented instance of American initiative and statecraft,"
Brown sociologist weighs in on tensions at the Russia-Ukraine border (interview with Michael Kennedy)
Professor of Sociology Michael Kennedy provided historical background on Russia's relationship with Ukraine and explained how the current crisis could unleash major conflicts across the globe.
Nixon in China (interview with Chas Freeman)
Chas Freeman joins Chris Lyddon on Radio Open Source to discuss President Nixon's visit to China to meet with Mao Zedong which took place 50 years ago this month.
Putin Has a Big Piece of Leverage Over Europe. Here's How to Take It Away. (Written by Jeff Colgan)
Jeff Colgan in Politico, "Energy crises — whether their causes are natural or geopolitical — shouldn't become excuses to backpedal on climate goals."
U.S. Security Assistance to Burkina Faso Laid the Groundwork for a Coup (written by Stephanie Savell)
Stephanie Savell in Foreign Policy, "...Burkina Faso's war on jihadis obscures the government's failure to alleviate poverty or fix state corruption, which are the deepest drivers of the militant movement."
How uptick in anti-Christian violence threatens Indian democracy (commentary by Ashutosh Varshney)
Director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary South Asia Ashutosh Varshney offered commentary on Hindu nationalism and second-class citizens in India.
Climate panel invites experts on gender, migration, climate change
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What If TV Isn't Bad for Us? (Interview with Emily Oster)
Emily Oster discusses her study on the effects of screen time on the Freakonomics podcast.
Bloomberg Daybreak: January 27, 2022
Professor of Political Science Wendy Schiller discusses how President Joe Biden will handle a Supreme Court vacancy.
Faculty at Brown earn prestigious awards, distinctions
Jayanti Owens was recently was selected as a 2020 William T. Grant scholar. With a $350,000 award, Owens will develop different aspects of an ongoing project investigating what drives racial and ethnic disparities in school discipline.
The looming challenge of Mexico
Stephen Kinzer penned this column arguing that despite the crises of the moment in places like Taiwan, Ukraine, and Iran, whatever happens there will pale in significance for Americans compared with what happens in Mexico.
How Did We Fail So Badly? Ashish Jha and Emily Oster on America's Covid Response
Emily Oster joins the New York Times' Sway podcast to discuss how America is doing in the fight against Covid-19.
Democrats Pursue Legislative Wins in Challenging Election Year
Wendy Schiller provided commentary on what Democrats need to do to push through key legislation and keep control of the House of Representatives in 2022.
Divorce is hard. Here's how you can help those going through one.
This article mentions a 2013 longitudinal study headed by Rose McDermott that found if people in your close social network divorce, the risk of your marriage ending greatly increases.
Learning loss far greater for students in districts that went fully remote, new study finds
Professor Emily Oster's research is cited, "...economist Emily Oster and her co-authors found that learning loss was far worse in districts that kept classes fully remote, and that declines in reading scores were greater in districts serving predominantly poor and non-white students."
Alexander-Scott resigns as head of R.I. Department of Health (commentary by Wendy Schiller)
Wendy Schiller commented on the potential instability in Rhode Island health care leadership as Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott resigns from her role as director of the RIDOH.
Prerna Singh penned this article on subnational politics in India.
Reworking Pakistani identity (Prerna Singh cited)
This article cites Prerna Singh's work on sub-nationalism in India as it compares to achieving positive civic outcomes in the Middle East.