Dr. Adam Levine, Faculty Fellow and Director of the Humanitarian Innovation Initiative, comments on Brown student Khaled Almilaji's move to Canada after being stranded in Turkey for months due to President Trump's travel ban.
In the News
As the VA starts mental health care for 'bad paper' veterans, critics say it's not enough (Costs of War Project cited)
Following the Department of Veterans Affairs announcement that it would offer mental health support to "bad charges" veterans, a new report from the Costs of War Project says it's not enough.
Trump meets India's leader, a fellow nationalist battling China for His favor (comments by Ashutosh Varshney)
Ashutosh Varshney, director of the Center for Contemporary South Asia, commented what a recent visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House on Monday might accomplish.
Tuition-free college a partial win for Rhode Island governor (comments by Wendy Schiller)
Wendy Schiller, political science professor, said Gov. Gina Raimondo's scaled down version of a tuition-free college proposal that drew national attention is still a positive outcome for Raimondo.
Why we need four years of Trump (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "Our country's long-term interest will be best served if Trump remains in office until 2021."
Healthcare backlash hits Republicans hard on generic ballot, polls find (Taubman Center poll cited)
The second in a series of polls conducted by the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy is cited.
Support for Trump in R.I., confidence in Congress flagging, Brown University poll finds (Taubman Center poll cited)
The Taubman Center's second poll in a series shows support for President Trump is declining in Rhode Island.
The battle over Medicaid (comments by Jim Morone)
Political scientist Jim Morone commented on the public support of Medicaid, which was expanded under Obamacare to cover more people and is currently facing deep financial cuts.
Sociologist Michael Kennedy in RIOT Material, "I have been waiting for President Trump to depart from this approximation of high communism, but in recent weeks, he only moves closer to this system-destructive disposition."
Rose McDermott recommends the best books on the Psychology of War (interview)
Rose McDermott, professor of international relations, joins Five Books to recommend books pioneering the field of 'political psychology.'
The Dangers of Arming Autocrats (Costs of War Project mentioned)
The Costs of War Project is mentioned in an article on arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
The politics of President Trump's first term (interview with Wendy Schiller)
Political scientist Wendy Schiller joined a discussion about President Trump's first 150 days in office and how recent controversies might be affecting his agenda and, more importantly, his ability to govern.
What Gertrude Bell's Letters Remind Us About the Founding of Iraq (written by Elias Muhanna)
Faculty Fellow Elias Muhanna in The New Yorker, "This task, along with her advocacy for Arab self-determination at the Cairo Conference of 1921, is one of the reasons why historians, biographers, and filmmakers have crowded around her, particularly since Iraq has again become a focus of geopolitical contestation.
Saudi Arabia is destabilizing the world (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "Saudi Arabia has been working for decades to pull Indonesia away from moderate Islam and toward the austere Wahhabi form that is state religion in Saudi Arabia."
Timothy Edgar co-authors a piece for Lawfare Blog, "There has been some suggestion that, by sharing the details of presidential communications, Comey violated "executive privilege." Executive privilege is a rather murky concept, but it doesn't really apply to this situation."
Jeff Colgan on The Liberal Order (interview)
Jeff Colgan speaks with radio host Roland Hunt about his Foreign Affairs article "The Liberal Order is Rigged."
The End of the Line (written by Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro)
Visiting scholar Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro in Folha de S.Paulo, "It is intolerable for us to accept a government committed to corruption in order to avoid economic shocks."
Peter Andreas on His Rebel Mother (interview)
Peter Andreas joins KCRW's Morning Edition to discuss his memoir, Rebel Mother: My Childhood Chasing the Revolution.
Trump's Wall Is Already Built (interview with Peter Andreas)
Professor Peter Andreas joins Daniel Denvir on The Dig Podcast to discuss U.S.-Mexico border militarization.
How the Rhode Island Innovative Policy Lab (RIIPL) Works (interview with Justine Hastings)
Justine Hastings, Economics Professor and Founding Director of RIIPL, joins Andy Feldman's Gov Innovator Podcast to discuss the Lab and some of its projects.
Why Trump's boost to military spending may not deliver "jobs, jobs, jobs" (Costs of War Project cited)
The $54 billion increase in military funding that President Trump has proposed in his 2018 budget would create many more jobs if it were spent on areas like education, infrastructure and clean energy, according to a study released last week by the Costs of War Project.
My foreign policy mixtape (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer wrote an op-ed about troubling foreign policies and the music that comes to mind when he thinks about specific issues.
JFK: A Profile in Pain (interview with Rose McDermott)
Rose McDermott, International Relations professor and author of Presidential Leadership, Illness and Decision Making, joined the Painopolis Podcast to discuss John F. Kennedy's debilitating pain and how he covered it up.
Invite Your Neighbors Over for a Barbecue This Weekend (written by Marc Dunkelman)
Public Policy Fellow Marc Dunkelman in The New York Times, "Intimate and arms-length relationships may be comfortable and easy to maintain, but we hurt ourselves by making strangers of the people who live nearby."
CLACS Director Jessaca Leinaweaver, "Food is about more than calories, nutrition and ketchup. Food can be a metaphor for ideological matters such as a free market or public services, rights to access, and of course, income and privilege."
Flynn takes the Fifth as Russia probes continue (interview with Tim Edgar)
Senior Fellow Timothy Edgar discusses why former national security adviser Michael Flynn has decided to take the Fifth Amendment and is refusing to cooperate with the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. election.
Trump's Budget Puts Lives at Risk (co-authored by Cathy Lutz)
Catherine Lutz in US News, "Our safety as a nation depends as much or more on a healthy, well-educated population as it does on the force of arms. Given this reality, the new budget's sharp reductions in programs that address the needs of low-income families and individuals are blows to our nation's basic security."
There's Less than Meets the Eye in Trump's Saudi Arms Deal (Costs of War Project cited)
The Costs of War Project is cited in an article explaining President Trump's new arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
Iranian President Rouhani won reelection. Here's how reformists got him there. (written by Ali Kadivar)
Postdoctoral Fellow Ali Kadivar in The Washington Post's Monkey Cage Blog, "While campaigns provide a seasonal outlet for pro-reform electorates to push their agendas, the online space has proven a more constant arena for Iranian citizens to express and spread their demands."
Why so many students hate history – and what to do about it (Choices Program mentioned)
The Choices Program is mentioned in an article about students' negative feelings toward history, and how teachers can fix such opinions.
An article about the role of automation in U.S. manufacturing cites an op-ed co-authored by Jeff Colgan.
Iran's Women Set to Vote in Elections (comments by Narges Bajoghli)
Postdoctoral Fellow Narges Bajoghli in Teen Vogue, "You see very lax forms of covering the head, which you would think is something very superficial, but women have fought for this very hard, even as the government has reacted."
New allies for a new world (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "Atlantic nations have dominated the world for the last 500 years. That long historical moment is now ending."
Thanks to Mom, the Marxist Revolutionary (written by Peter Andreas)
Political Science professor Peter Andreas in The New York Times, "My mother's diaries made clear that she saw being a good mother and good revolutionary as the same thing, that there was no tension between the two and that those who thought otherwise just didn't get it."
In Afghanistan, Trump is poised to re-escalate a hopeless war (Costs of War Project cited)
Watson's Costs of War Project is referenced in this article on how few Americans are focused on the war in Afghanistan.
Mothers and Sons (Peter Andreas featured)
Peter Andreas' new memoir, Rebel Mother: My Childhood Chasing the Revolution, is featured in The New York Times.
Who says you need tax breaks for retirement saving? (John Friedman quoted)
An article about how auto-enrollment and payroll deduction can be powerful ways to avert America's retirement crisis includes quotes from John Friedman, associate professor of economics.
My Mother the Radical (written by Peter Andreas)
Peter Andreas talks to Brown Alumni Magazine about his new book, Rebel Mother: My Childhood Chasing the Revolution.
Emily Oster, associate professor of economics, gives suggestions on the best ways for a couple to split expenses when one partner earns significantly more than the other.
In his latest essay, Watson Institute senior fellow Chas Freeman wrote about the prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
People love to hate Congress. This new book reminds us why we should treasure it. (written by Eric Patashnik)
Public Policy program Director Eric Patashnik reviews David R. Mayhew's new book The Imprint of Congress.
Old debts come due in North Korea (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer wrote an op-ed about decisions made in Washington that have led to nuclear escalation with North Korea.
Scientists find their voice (comments by Deborah Gordon)
Senior Fellow Deborah Gordon comments on scientists finding their voice to stand up for what they know is right.
With New Research 'Lab,' D.C. Aims Big for Better Public Policy (comments by Justine Hastings)
Economist Justine Hastings comments on the trend of cities turning to social scientists and research labs to help answer and shape public policy.
Growing Up A Revolutionary (interview with Peter Andreas)
Political science professor Peter Andreas discusses his new book Rebel Mother: My Childhood Chasing the Revolution with WNYC's Leonard Lopate.
Trudeau's reward for courting Trump is a trade war over lumber (comments by Richard Boucher)
Richard Boucher, Watson Institute Senior Fellow, comments on the relationship between Canada and the U.S. now that President Trump has placed steep tariffs on Canadian lumber.
Syria chemical attack unsettles Iran's chemical weapons survivors (written by Narges Bajoghli)
Postdoctoral Fellow Narges Bajoghli in Al Monitor, "When the news of the chemical attack in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun came in on April 4, Ali texted his close friend Taghi to come over after work."
America's misadventures in the Middle East (written by Chas Freeman)
Senior Fellow Chas Freeman examines the United States' role in the Middle East.