In the News

In wake of recent events, The Choices Program introduced a new Teaching with the News lesson entitled "History in Dispute: Charlottesville and Confederate Monuments."

A new report by Noah Coburn of the Costs of War Project sheds light on the human rights violations immigrant contractors experience in Afghanistan.

Mark Blyth in the Financial Times, "If US politicians really care about the future of their country they will invest more, not less, in the Chomsky trade. If they want to hand global technological leadership to China, they should keep going down the path they have chosen."

The Costs of War project cited in the Washington Post, "This is in addition to about $212.6 billion in direct spending to care for war veterans since 2001, when terrorists' attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon triggered U.S. military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. That figure is an estimate by Neta C. Crawford, a political-science professor at Boston University and co-director of the Costs of War project at Brown University."

Deborah Gordon on the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, "There is no doubt that a rapid rise in the earth's temperature will impose high costs on not only our environment and health but also our economic and physical security. In recognition, most nations have committed to significant mitigation efforts. But will these collective efforts be enough?"

Catherine Lutz in Common Dreams, "Each of these three nations' leaders saw Guam with its US military presence – so far from the United States, so close to them – as a danger and a provocation."

If nuclear weapons were around when America's founders framed the Constitution, they would have certainly taken precautionary measures to limit the president's power to start a nuclear war, according to Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer.

Ashutosh Varshney in the Financial Times, "As India completes 70 years of its independence, the nation's democracy is becoming Janus-faced. Its electoral vibrancy is not in doubt, but the polity's performance between elections is acquiring profoundly illiberal traits."

An article by faculty fellow Elias Muhanna is cited in a piece that describes the music of Mashrou' Leila, a Lebanese indie rock band. Last year, Muhanna noted how the group used poetry from Sappho and Walt Whitman in the lyrics.

Children whose parents belong to the top 1 percent of the income ladder are 77 times more likely to attend an Ivy League university, according to a new paper published in the National Bureau for Economic Research. The paper is co-authored by John N. Friedman, an associate professor of international and public affairs, and economics.

Sociology professor Michael Kennedy in RIOT Material, "We need recognize the times in which we live and articulate a vision that moves us beyond not just this present, but also that past which got us here."

In a story that examines whether President Trump's tweets violate Twitter's terms of service, senior fellow Tim Edgar comments on the likelihood of Twitter banning him.

Article by Rose McDermott, professor of international relations, who posits that the growing ability to choose our dating partners based partly on their political ideology, via dating websites and apps, may lead to an increasingly polarized body politic, with fewer chances for compromise.

Commentary by columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. on shifting relationships among Americans, particularly in neighborhoods, focuses on work by Marc Dunkelman, a Watson Institute fellow who wrote "The Vanishing Neighbor" in 2014.

An op-ed by senior fellow Stephen Kinzer argues that despite new waves of anti-Russia sentiment in the U.S., Russia does not threaten any vital American interest.

Ashutosh Varshney, professor of political science, wrote an op-ed about Nitish Kumar's pragmatic choice to enter an alliance with the BJP political party in India and how it might influence other alliances.

Elias Muhanna in The New Yorker, "Mashrou' Leila, the biggest alt-rock band in the Middle East, was formed in 2008 by several students at the American University of Beirut. The group's early songs—ironic, grungy jams about the nettlesome oppression of bourgeois Lebanese society—made them famous in Beirut's indie scene."

Wendy Schiller, chair of political science, joins Bloomberg radio to discuss why established Republicans don't want to work for Trump.

Political Science Professor Wendy Schiller joins Bloomberg Surveillance to discuss Trump's agenda and how the Republican Party can move forward.

Wendy Schiller comments on a potential reason why Gov. Gina Raimondo's approval rating is lower than Charlie Baker, the Republican governor of Massachusetts.

Across cultures, women are bombarded with different messages about what's ok to eat during pregnancy. Emily Oster, professor of economics and author of "Expecting Better," said she didn't find any evidence that would suggest drinking alcohol would harm a fetus.

A new paper co-authored by Brown economist John Friedman examines the key findings of the Equality of Opportunity Project, which exploits a unique data set to assess the contributions that individual colleges make to intergenerational social mobility.

This feature on the origins of "beef lynchings" and the political turmoil that has ensued in India after the death of a Muslim boy includes a perspective by Ashutosh Varshney, professor of political science.

Anthropologist Sarah Besky in The Hindu, "Understanding Gorkhaland requires understanding its underlying histories. In many ways, the Gorkhas of Darjeeling have yet to taste the liberation of India's Independence."

Stephen Kinzer wrote an op-ed about the probable re-election of Rwandan leader Paul Kagame and the challenges he will undoubtedly face in the next seven years.

Observations by Brown economist Emily Oster are mentioned in a feature about how breastfeeding has become a status symbol in American culture.

Vazira Fazila-Yacoubali Zamindar discusses the mystery of a 2,000 year-old bronze box, the Kanishka casket, that was said to hold the remains of the Buddha himself.

Jessaca Leinaweaver in TRTWorld, "International adoptions have decreased annually from their global apex in 2004, when 22,989 children were adopted internationally by US parents, according to a new report from the US State Department. Last year, 5,372 visas were issued; a mere 23 percent of the total from 2004."

Wendy Schiller commented on Gov. Gina Raimondo's re-election chances after a tumultuous week that saw the governor featured in the New York Times, but also mentioned in poll tagging her as one of the "most unpopular governors" in the country.

Sociologist Michael Kennedy in RIOT Material, "Trump's political foolishness is not meant to clarify a problem; it is designed to mark enemies so that his supporters can enjoy a righteousness regardless of evidence to the contrary."

Jeff Colgan in Duck of Minerva, "Even if Trump never becomes a dictator, he could do an awful lot of damage to US democracy, and potentially pave the way for an autocrat in the future."

Nina Tannenwald in The Washington Post's Monkeycage Blog, "The non-nuclear countries obviously knew that the treaty would not immediately cause nuclear states to give up their arsenals. So why did they put so much effort into it?"

Wendy Schiller, professor of political science, comments on a possible reason why Republican Sen. Jerry Moran hasn't backed the GOP healthcare bill.

During an interview that aired Thursday on the Christian Broadcasting Network, President Trump described his disdain for military spending in the Middle East citing a figure on the high end of Brown's Costs of War report.

Public Policy professor Eric Patashnik is mentioned in an article about conspiracy theories.

To understand how President Trump rose through the political ranks, one has to step back and see how globalization benefitted the wealthiest not only in the U.S. but throughout the world, Brown economist Mark Blyth discussed during CBS News' The Takeout.

The appointment of Yogi Adityanath's to rule India's most populous state "invests a certain amount of power in Yogi Adityanath that cannot be easily taken away," said Ashutosh Varshney, professor of political science and international studies.

Senior Fellow Brian Atwood comments on President Trump's proposed plan to cut USAID funding by 30% and fold it into the State Department.

In a recent GQ interview, Mark Blyth discussed a range of topics that included the rise of "alt-work," his thoughts on universal basic income, and the legacy of the baby boomers.

Professor Ashutosh Varshney joins RN Drive to discuss the rise of populism in the West and in the developing world.

Ashutosh Varshney in The Indian Express, "Is India's past, so marked by communal riots, transmuting itself into an era of lynching? Of immense political significance, this question is now squarely in front of us all."

Economist John Friedman commented on the financial strain Brightline might experience if it moves forward with a rail service project in South Florida.

Stephen Kinzer writes about his colleague Sahin Alpay, one of more than 200 Turkish journalists and other media workers now languishing in jail.

Starting July 1, Susan Moffitt will lead the A. Alfred Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, a research center at the University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

Comments made by Ashutosh Varshney on the historical leadership of India are featured in an op-ed about Yogis Naraharinath and Adityanath.

A study co-authored by Bryce Millett Steinberg found India's monsoon season may not be a boon for everyone. The study suggests that with torrential rains, school children are often stuck at home and turned into farmers.

On the 150th anniversary of Canada's independence, Brown political scientist Jeff D. Colgan wrote about Canada's newfound popularity on the global stage and what it must do to maintain its position.

Ashutosh Varshney, professor of political science, comments on the accuracy of news articles in gathering data, which organizations are using to determine whether lynchings in India are on the rise.