In the News

Margaret Weir comments on an article about liberals turning to cities to enact policy changes."Historically, especially for groups that want more government action and more generous social and economic policies, they could go to the federal government and achieve those things," Ms. Weir said. "That has become more difficult. It's a reflection of the loss of power at the federal level."

Stephen Kinzer in the Boston Globe, "Obama's proposed "modernization" increases our vulnerability, not our security. The first and most obvious reason is that it will certainly lead other countries to seek equivalent arsenals of their own."

Emily Oster, associate professor of economics, answers questions about everyday problems from readers as part of Quartz' Ask Emily section.

Jeff Colgan in Sputnik News, "The whole world is one big global market, and importers just take whatever is the cheapest oil, after factoring in transportation costs and quality differentials."

Jim Morone comments on the likelihood of Bernie Sanders becoming the Democratic nominee over Hillary Clinton, despite his recent surge in polls.

Stephen Kinzer in Politico, "Extremist politicians in Iran stoke the conflict. This is an election year in Iran as well as in the United States, and these militants, like their counterparts in the United States, denounce any negotiation as a sellout."

Timothy Edgar, senior fellow at the Watson Institute, comments on the exclusion of the cybersecurity topic during President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

Michael Kennedy, professor of sociology, comments on the content of a new comic book called Titanember.

Glenn Loury, professor of economics, comments on an article about affirmative action as the U.S. Supreme Court gets ready to roll back on preferential treatment during the admissions process.

Stephen Kinzer, senior fellow at the Watson Institute, discusses the ramifications of Turkey's " wildly adventurist policy toward the Syrian conflict" and the recent bombing in Istanbul.

Emily Oster, associate professor of economics and international and public affairs, comments on the behavior of people as the Powerball jackpot reached unprecedented levels.

"Named in honor of Nobel Prize winner and former CREF trustee Paul A. Samuelson, this prestigious award is presented by the Institute annually to recognize an outstanding research publication that can help advance Americans' lifelong financial wellbeing. The winner is chosen by an independent panel of judges – consisting of Institute Fellows and previous award winners – and receives a $10,000 cash prize."

Peter Andreas addresses the familiarity of El Chapo to the international drug trade, and how his capture will leave the public looking for someone new to blame.

Jeff Colgan comments on the idea of Saudi Arabia's national oil giant, Aramco, going public in the wake of record low oil prices.

Stephen Kinzer, senior fellow, wrote an op-ed about the United States losing its global power and influence in the years ahead. "In the new world, our mightiest weapon, military power, will be steadily less valuable. A skill we have not developed, coalition-building among nations, will become the key to world power," Kinzer wrote.

Watson Fall '15 visitor Michal Luczewski comments on the politics in Germany and Russia in order to illuminate the ways in which the politics of history might be engaged in Poland. He concludes by quoting Watson's Michael Kennedy: "Solidarity is something too precious to leave to just the Poles."

Stephen Kinzer in Politico, "Detesting a country, however, is not reason enough to push it away. Diplomacy has nothing to do with affection. It is about advancing national interests."