In the News

This release highlights a new paper by Heidi Peltier, directory of the Costs of War project's "20 Year of War" research series, a collaboration between between the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and Boston University's Pardee Center.

Peter Andreas in People, "Calling it a 'wall' — rather than a barrier or a fence — has had enormous symbolic importance, so much so that it is fair to say that the very idea of the wall itself has divided the country more than divided the U.S. and Mexico..."

In this interview, Peter Andreas delves into the specific relationship between drugs and war - explaining how each substance in his new book, Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs, affected soldiers in combat.

Director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary South Asia, Ashutosh Varshney, and three other Brown University professors were among hundreds of signatories on a letter seeking the immediate resignation of JNU Vice Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar and the formation of a non-partisan panel to investigate the incident.

Additional news coverage for Peter Andreas' new book, Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs.

Professor of International Studies and Political Science Peter Andreas penned this article about how alcohol was promoted as essential to the war efforts in the 1940s.

Citing his new book, Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs, Watson faculty member Peter Andreas details the heavy use of methamphetamine in Japan during war.

This opinion piece references tweets by Ashutosh Varshney, director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary South Asia at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

Drawing from his new book, Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs, Watson faculty member Peter Andreas details drug use in historical warfare.

This piece discusses Peter Andreas' new book, Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs, which examines the role of psychoactive and addictive drugs in discussions of war.

Senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Chas Freeman, weighs in on the recent turmoil between the United States and Iran.

Drawing on estimates and data from the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs' Costs of War project, this article explores the ways in which perpetual conflict affects countries on a monetary scale.

Richard Arenberg in The Hill, "Not only has the process been accelerated, but increasingly the minority in the Senate has been cut out of the process. This encourages a president to appoint more partisan and idealogical judges. Until recently, most federal judges were confirmed by voice vote in the Senate: 98 percent of George H.W. Bush's nominees to Circuit Court were confirmed by voice vote..."

Director of the Brazil Initiative James Green provided commentary on the agenda of Brazil's President, Jair Bolsonaro.

Chair of Political Science Wendy Schiller provided commentary about the political implications of Rhode Island losing a seat in the House of Representatives.

Professor of Economics and International and Public Affairs Emily Oster discusses her data-driven approach to parenting outlined in her book, "Cribsheet."

Stephen Kinzer, senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, penned this column detailing the effects that US-led wars have had on Christians in the Middle East.

Postdoctoral Fellow Sahana Ghosh co-authored this piece on The Conversation, "Those committed to justice and fighting fascism must recognize and reject the linked logics of weaponized citizenship in Kashmir and Assam."

Senior fellow at the Watson Insitute for International and Public Affairs penned this opinion piece regarding the role and involvement of the United States Senate in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial.

Watson faculty member Michael Kennedy joins Jim Ludes and G. Wayne Miller on an episode of "Story in the Public Square," providing a sociological perspective on the current national narrative.

In this article, faculty member at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Ashutosh Varshney, provides an anaylsis on the recent religious restrictions in India's citizenship laws.

Stephen Kinzer, senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, penned this column offering recommendations for timely and relevant books to gift to those on your Christmas list.

Richard Arenberg, senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, joined Dan Yorke to discuss the next steps in the articles of impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Chair of Political Science Wendy Schiller provided commentary in this article about public opinion surrounding impeachment.

Visiting Professor of the Practice of Political Science Richard Arenberg appeared on this radio segment to discuss the direction in which Trump's impeachment process is headed.

Chair of Political Science Wendy Schiller appeared on this podcast to discuss the history of impeachment in the House and Senate.

Stephen Kinzer, senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and Neta Crawford, director of the Watson Institute's Cost Of War Project discuss a blockbuster investigative series from The Washington Post involving the Bush and Obama administrations with WGBH host Jim Braude.

In this letter to the editor, Professor of Social Science, Anthropology and Italian Studies David Kertzer responds to a previous editorial and argues that the amount of financial aid available — and not the preference for alumni children in admissions — is the biggest factor in a school's economic diversity.

Drawing on estimates and data from the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs' Costs of War project, a team from the New York Times assessed how much the United States spent on different aspects of the war in Afghanistan and whether that spending achieved its aims.

This opinion piece by Professor of International Studies and Political Science Peter Andreas argues that Trump's plan to define Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations is ill-conceived and could have dire geopolitical consequences.

Deborah Gordon, senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, provided commentary on the Spanish oil company Repsol SA's newly announced goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

In this article, faculty member at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Ashutosh Varshney, provides an anaylsis on the recent political events in Maharashtra, India.

Richard Arenberg, a visiting professor of the practice of political science, interviews on WPRI.

Deborah Gordon, senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs provided commentary for this story.

Richard Arenberg, a visiting professor of the practice of political science, provided commentary for this story.

Marc Dunkelman, senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, wrote this article examining the history of New York's Penn Station and the role government played in the legacy of crowded commutes.

Stephanie Savell, faculty fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs discusses the Costs of War Project and U.S. military deployments around the world in this interview with C-Span.

Aileen Teague, postdoctoral research associate at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, provided commentary in this article about Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's new "hugs, not bullets" policies on the drug war and violence plaguing Mexico.

This piece discusses Stephen Kinzer's new book, Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control, which examines the career of Sidney Gottlieb - the scientist who ran the CIA's damaging and possibly lethal experiments in drug-induced mind control.

Emily Oster, professor of teaching excellence, economics, and international and public affairs — and author of "Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting" — spoke with "Orange is the New Black" actress Danielle Brooks in this Netflix Family series debunking common myths and misconceptions about pregnancy and childbirth.

Timothy Edgar, senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, appeared on Dan Yorke State of Mind to discuss the latest on Trump's impeachment inquiry.

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Michael Kennedy, Brown University Professor of Sociology and International and Public Affairs, joins Dan Yorke to discuss the impeachment hearings into President Donald Trump.

J Brian Atwood, senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, penned this column explaining how presidents have broad authority to condition the release of assistance packages, but they still have to follow the law.

Cited in CNBC, "The report, from Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs at Brown University, also finds that more than 801,000 people have died as a direct result of fighting. Of those, more than 335,000 have been civilians. Another 21 million people have been displaced due to violence."

Cited in Digital Journal, "The two reports were prepared by the Costs of War Project at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. Catherine Lutz, Costs of War co-director and a Brown Professor who authored the projects' report on deaths said: "These reports provide a reminder that even if fewer soldiers are dying and the U.S. is spending a little less on the immediate costs of war today, the financial impact is still as bad as, or worse than, it was 10 years ago."

Aileen Teague, postdoctoral research associate at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, penned this op-ed on why abruptly terminating drug-war-related policies, at least in the near term, is not the answer to reducing violence in Mexico.

Cited in The Washington Examiner, "Brown University's Costs of War Project has unveiled its annual report on the budgetary costs and obligations the United States has incurred from the global war on terror. The report estimates that the federal government has spent $5.4 trillion thus far on our post-9/11 conflicts."