In the News

According to sources, President Donald Trump has called U.S. involvement in Afghanistan a "total disaster." The Costs of War project estimates that at least 970,000 American veterans are disabled as a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

International Relations student Ethan Fecht in The Washington Post's Monkey Cage Blog, "...there's another weapon being deployed. Russia has begun laying the groundwork for an online influence operation aimed at turning U.S. public opinion against such a strike. How would this Twitter campaign unfold?"

Political economist Mark Blyth joined WNYC's On the Media to discuss the collapsing of the Lehman Brothers and the 2008 financial crisis.

Associate Professor of Economics John Friedman offered commentary on Brightline's expected acquisition of a private rail project on the Las Vegas Strip. "...Friedman concluded Brightline would be unable to service its debt burden on the Miami train system, in a study funded by a citizens group opposed to the rail line."

Political scientist Wendy Schiller said of Rhode Island's third-party gubernatorial candidate Joe Trillo that "people seem to know him, they seem to want to hear from him, and he's really gaining some popular support."

Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "Beginning in January, the House of Representatives will count four young women of color among its members. All have crashed through daunting barriers and see themselves as representing the downtrodden."

Political scientist Wendy Schiller said a percentage of people affected by pension reform in Rhode Island "won't forgive" Gov. Gina Raimondo, while others simply "don't like a woman at the helm."

James N. Green, director of the Brazil Initiative, offered commentary on right-wing Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, saying "He represents the possibility that the conservative forces of the armed forces don't need to take power because he will act on their behalf."

The Costs of War Project is cited in an article that suggests the global extremism threat has grown since 9/11. "A Brown University study puts the price tag at more than $4 trillion if costs like the medical care of wounded veterans are taken into account."

Economist John Friedman said the dream of faring better than one's parents has been dwindling every year since the 1960s. "Friedman is working with Ohio State and more than 300 other colleges nationwide to find out what's helping people advance and holding them back."

Senior Fellow Timothy Edgar in Lawfare Blog, "While the digital age is well underway, the justices have only begun to grapple with its implications—for privacy, freedom of speech, and new forms of digital control. Kavanaugh's vote will be for an internet based not on openness and freedom, but on surveillance and control."

After backlash and protest from the invitation of Steve Bannon to The New Yorker's fall festival, the magazine withdrew his invitation. Professor Ashutosh Varshney argues that, though he finds them disturbing, Bannon's views should be heard and challenged. "Though deeply disturbing and wrong, this view shouldn't – and can't at this moment— be brushed aside."

Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "We should be looking for ways to restrict competition in outer space, and to share whatever resources exist there. That will enhance our ability to give every American a decent life — and limit our ability to blow up our planet."

Senior Fellow Richard Arenberg in Newsmax, "Senators, searching for a fitting way to honor Senator John McCain could do no better than to act that way."

Leading political candidates are skipping out on public debates this year, which Professor Wendy Schiller says is "unfair to the voters."

Former RNC chair Michael Steele has been named a senior fellow at Brown's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

In the final part of the series, Senior Fellow Chas Freeman discusses U.S.-China military cooperation in the 1980s, and shares his take on the "three T's" – Tibet, Taiwan, and Tiananmen.

In the second part of his conversation with SupChina, Senior Fellow Chas Freeman discusses how he became interested in China, his diplomatic career, and his experience as chief interpreter during Richard Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972.

This past month, the Humanitarian Innovation Initiative (HI2) hosted over 100 experts and officers from across the globe for a two-day workshop "designed to support civilians and militaries working together to develop solutions to some of the world's most deadly crises."

Professor Wendy Schiller offered perspective on issues and candidates in the Rhode Island gubernatorial race. "I think there is a broader perception among younger Democrats that government is not working well enough in providing essential basic services..."

In the first episode of a multi-part podcast series, Senior Fellow Chas Freeman discusses grand strategy and the current "strategy deficit" in U.S.-China relations.

Colleges have long offered a pathway to success for just about anyone -- but new research shows that they're not doing enough to help students from poor families achieve the American dream. Economist John Friedman said children of well-to-do families are likely to stay that way, while children of poor families are likely to stay poor -- and "I think that's led to a real feeling that the American dream is slipping away from them."

Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer inThe Boston Globe, "Sitting in a distant capital, political leaders set out to assure that their favored candidate won an election against rivals who scared them. They succeeded... The year was 1996."

This roundup of new biographies mentions Professor David Kertzer's "The Pope Who Would Be King," which details the exile, intrigue and double-dealing that marked Pius IX's papacy.

"During this Global Policy Experience students will explore the way that public policy issues in South Africa are deeply informed by debates about how to overcome South Africa's apartheid past."

Research by the Costs of War Project is cited in an article about the lack of anti-war messaging.

In a conversation with Professor Ashutosh Varshney, author Walter Andersen speaks of the changing nature of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, how it was influenced by its different sarsangchalaks and the challenges that lie ahead of the organisation.

This article about the implications of the Supreme Court ruling on union membership focuses on its impact on teachers. It notes that economist John Friedman and his colleagues found that students of good teachers are less likely to experience teenage pregnancy, more likely to go to selective colleges, and end up earning more money as adults than students from comparable backgrounds who had worse teachers.

An analysis of U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan argues that it is part of a long-term strategy to gain regional influence and access to resources. The article cites the Costs of War Project, which estimates that more than 100,000 people have died in the war in Afghanistan and about 200,000 people have died in the war in Iraq.

Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "Roman history teaches us that even the most powerful of empires cannot survive indefinitely if it insists on waging endless war in distant lands."

Democratic candidate for governor Matt Brown faces high financial hurdles in his race to unseat Gov. Gina Raimondo this year. Professor Wendy Schiller said financial struggles in August of an election year can "indicate there isn't a groundswell of support."

A team of university economists, among them Professor Glenn Loury, said Asian-American applicants to Harvard whose grades and test scores were in the top one percent fared worse in "personal" ratings from the school than white applicants in the top 50 percent.

Senior Fellow J. Brian Atwood joined WPRO to discuss President Trump's indication that he would consider turning over a former U.S. ambassador to the Russians for questioning.

In an article on the world's fastest-growing major economy, Professor Ashutosh Varshney has drawn a striking analogy between contemporary India and the United States in the late 19th century, a time similarly characterized by a heady cocktail of growth, inequality and corruption.

Richard Arenberg, Visiting Lecturer in Political Science, joined The Midday Briefing on SiriusXM's News & Issues to break down the Helsinki Summit and how the United States should move forward with Russia.

The Mega Millions jackpot is now $493 million ahead of Tuesday's draw at 11 p.m., the fifth largest jackpot in history. A study by economist Emily Oster found that the lottery jackpot only becomes "progressive" -- meaning high earners spend more on tickets than low earners -- when the jackpot is at least $806 million.

Ashutosh Varshney discusses James Crabtree's book The Billionaire Raj and how India is living out the same "gilded age" as America did in the 1800s.

Public Policy concentrator Michael Fuller '19, shares his experience this summer participating in the first Brown in Tulsa Kaiser Fellowship Program.

This article features amusing archived documents from the Cold War period that scholars have come across during their research. Professor Jeff Colgan chose a 1975 report by The Church Committee that revealed a play related to Fidel Castro's beard.

The WomenStats Project links the status of women to the security and behavior of countries, offering insights into women's lives all over the world. The database helped uphold a ban on polygyny in Canada when Professor Rose McDermott submitted empirical research that used WomenStats numbers to the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Senior Fellow Timothy Edgar joined The Dan Yorke Show to discuss the 2018 Helsinki Summit, describing it as one of the worst days for a U.S. president in history.

Anthony Levitas in The Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, "The fact that Ukraine's constitution does not yet reflect the reality of governance throughout the country is troubling."

Earlier this year, the U.S. tried to weaken a World Health Organization proposal encouraging the benefits of breastfeeding. Economist Emily Oster pointed out that it's "impossible to disentangle" the most commonly cited benefits of breastfeeding, such as higher IQ and lower obesity rates, from socioeconomic factors.

Professor Ashutosh Varshney in The Indian Express, "A true meritocracy would place equally meritorious students from rural or urban settings, richer or poorer provinces, on an equal footing...China modifies the principle in the opposite direction. Its quota system gives preference to the privileged."

An online survey of 1,000 people conducted by the Taubman Center showed that one in five distrust the federal government and that Democrats hold a nine-point lead heading into the midterm elections.

In an article on India's capital, Ashutosh Varshney, Director of the Center for Contemporary South Asia, calls the country an improbable democracy -- poor, impossibly heterogeneous and multicultural, and heavily reliant on its colonial history.

More female candidates than ever are running for political office in Rhode Island this year. Political scientist Wendy Schiller said the establishment party's endorsement controversy and recent pushback against pay equity, abortion rights and new sexual harassment laws has received stinging national media attention, and outrage among far-left-leaning voters could spur big wins for progressive candidates.

Progressive political candidates motivated by Bernie Sanders' insurgent run against Hillary Clinton in 2016 are advocating for Medicare for all as part of their platforms. Professor Eric Patashnik said that the political viability of the idea will ultimately depend on its details -- such as whether the program would eliminate the private-insurance system altogether.