In the News
News media from around the world rely on the expertise of Watson School faculty and researchers to help make sense of current world affairs and public policy issues. On this page, you will find articles that cite research done at the Watson School, opinion pieces by our faculty, interviews, podcasts and more.
In the News
News media from around the world rely on the expertise of Watson School faculty and researchers to help make sense of current world affairs and public policy issues. On this page, you will find articles that cite research done at the Watson School, opinion pieces by our faculty, interviews, podcasts and more.
VOA News
Interview with Dr. Lyle Goldstein
In an interview with VOA News, Lyle Goldstein reflects on the summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A recent Bloomberg article cites data from the Iran War Energy Cost Tracker, created by researchers at the Watson School’s Climate Solutions Lab.
Lyle Goldstein tells the South China Morning Post that Turkmenistan's proximity to the war in Iran and Russia's strained arms industry are pushing the country toward Chinese air defenses.
In the Tennessee Lookout, Jeff Colgan suggests that policymakers must balance immediate needs with long-term solutions.
In Time magazine, Jeff Colgan discusses how the G7's release of oil and fuel products could affect American consumers.
In Mother Jones, Heidi Peltier of the Costs of War Project says the true scale of the military budget is much larger than reported.
In an interview with CNBC, Suresh Venkatasubramanian discussed the need for regulation and independent oversight of AI.
The Boston Globe cites the Climate Solutions Lab's energy tracker, which shows diesel prices surging to record highs since the war involving Iran began, with Rhode Island's average reaching $6.33 per gallon.
Prerna Singh co-authored an opinion piece for The Conversation on how a "10-year cycle of hate" explains deteriorating relations between the U.S. and Canada.
Lyle Goldstein tells The Hill that if war between the U.S. and China is unlikely, trade in lower-end weapons between the two countries becomes conceivable.
South China Morning Post
China’s next carrier could be its longest – what are Beijing’s plans? (comments by Lyle Goldstein)
Lyle Goldstein told the South China Morning Post that China's next aircraft carrier could be larger and nuclear-powered, but would still depend on a growing fleet of supply ships.
John Friedman told Inside Higher Ed that traditional campuses give students classroom tools and ambitious peers that an industry-taught academy may struggle to replicate at scale.
In ThePrint, Ashutosh Varshney writes that AI's rapid rise carries both promise and peril, and that political choices, not just technology, will determine how nations like India manage its benefits and disruptions.
Wall Street Journal
The tech elite is funding an alternative to college (comments by John Friedman)
John Friedman told The Wall Street Journal that while access to top industry leaders is a benefit of alternative programs, traditional colleges offer proven track records, experienced faculty and exposure to students with diverging career paths.
Lyle Goldstein discussed what to expect from this week's summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in an interview with Forbes Newsroom.
In Politico, Suresh Venkatasubramanian offered commentary on the implications of AI models going rogue.
In South China Morning Post, Lyle Goldstein said analyst H.I. Sutton's theory that the Shanghai vessel is a submarine-drone mothership is "quite plausible."
The New Republic reports that Jeff Colgan estimates American households have paid an average of $826 more on gas since the start of Trump's war on Iran than they would have without the conflict.
Stephen Kinzer writes in the Boston Globe that Iran's historical resilience, religious traditions, and fraught relationship with the U.S. make it far better equipped to withstand American pressure than the Trump administration expected.
In Webull, Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan said the Federal Reserve must eventually raise rates, warning that delay will only make inflation more stubborn and harder to fix.
Lyle Goldstein tells Military Times a Chinese military article shows Beijing's concern that U.S. drone and small-unit strategies could threaten its submarines and undersea operations near its home waters.
Suresh Venkatasubramanian, a professor of data science and computer science, offered commentary in this HuffPost article.
Suresh Venkatasubramanian told Politico that few would disagree AI systems should be developed carefully, but "the devil is in the details."
John Eason tells the Los Angeles Times that a prison town's economic fortune hinges more on when the facility was built than where, with early gains in income and home values fading within about a decade.
In the Chicago Tribune, Lyle Goldstein writes that Trump should build on the "constructive stability" framework established with China at their prior summit.
Mark Blyth joined RTE's "The Business" podcast to discuss President Donald Trump's visit to Ireland.
Real Clear Defense
Seeking a New Normal on the Korean Peninsula (written by Lyle Goldstein)
Lyle Goldstein wrote in RealClearDefense that the U.S. should reduce troop levels in South Korea while maintaining a narrower alliance focused on deterring North Korean nuclear first use.
Lyle Goldstein told the South China Morning Post the US Navy is overstretched, particularly its surface forces, straining resources amid the US-Iran war and prompting the Pentagon to offload some missions to the Coast Guard.
In Mother Jones, Jeff Colgan called the US-Venezuela oil deal "petro-imperialism," a direct seizure of another country's resources under threat of force.
Lyle Goldstein told the South China Morning Post that spreading the anti-submarine mission across more platforms could be valuable, given the limited number of specialized aircraft like the P-8.
In the Christian Science Monitor, John Friedman said the new tax is unlikely to solve the state's housing crisis and that low-income housing tax credits "do not substantially increase the supply of low-income housing."
Lyle Goldstein told The New York Times that expanded use of the Northern Sea Route will strengthen ties between China and Russia.
In an article for The Print, Ashutosh Varshney writes that Hindu nationalism seeks Hindu supremacy through the subordination of Muslims rather than their expulsion or extermination.
A recent CNN article cites research from the Climate Solutions Lab finding the Iran war has cost U.S. consumers an extra $100.9 billion in gasoline and diesel expenses since late February, or about $770 per household.
In a recent USA Today article, Lyle Goldstein said Trump's skepticism toward alliances is pushing the world toward a "complex multipolarity" rather than a single new order.
Lyle Goldstein told Stars and Stripes that China has spent more than two decades developing military laser technology and may be cooperating with Russia as both countries advance drone capabilities.
In a CNN article, Climate Solutions Lab research cites $97 billion in extra gas and diesel costs for Americans, or over $740 per household, since the Iran war began.
In Defense News, Lyle Goldstein examines a Chinese military assessment of the proposed Trump-class battleship, highlighting concerns over its cost, technological risks, vulnerability and potential impact on U.S. naval strategy and shipbuilding.
Jeff Colgan told the Financial Times that Americans are feeling the pinch of higher gas and diesel prices and predicted voters will render their verdict on it in November.
Washington Monthly
After the closures (John Friedman's research cited)
This opinion piece includes a mention of research by John Friedman showing that children from families in the top 1% of the income distribution are more than twice as likely to attend an Ivy Plus institution.
In an article that ranks Brown No. 25 among U.S. universities, John N. Friedman argues that universities should focus on career advancement and economic outcomes for their students.
This story cites findings from the Costs of War project that U.S. boat strike campaigns in Venezuela, the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific have cost $4.7 billion.
This opinion piece references the Costs of War Project, which found that at least one-third of the more than $14 trillion in total Pentagon spending from 2001 to 2020 went to private contractors.
This article cites research from The Costs of War project.
Robert Blair offered commentary for this article on U.S. deportations to Liberia.
Lyle Goldstein offered commentary for this article on how the war in Iran affects U.S. efforts to deter China.
Research by the Costs of War project is cited in this article on U.S. attempts at regime change in the Middle East.
In this op-ed, Lyle Goldstein argues that Secretary of State Marco Rubio's claim that Iran instituting tolls in the Strait of Hormuz will lead China to do the same in Asian waters is misleading.
Video interview with Lyle Goldstein on the message sent by President Trump's announcement that the U.S. would substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea.
This article references the book "Big House on the Prairie" by John Eason and cites research from the Justice Policy Lab, which Eason directs.
Jeff Colgan, director of the Climate Solutions Lab at Brown, provided commentary in this article.
The Boston Globe
Marco Rubio got it wrong (op-ed by Stephen Kinzer)
In this op-ed, in response to a speech by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Stephen Kinzer argues that anti-imperialism should not be conflated with communism or anarchism.
This article references previous commentary from Lyle Goldstein.
Providence Business News
Reimagining philanthropy as ‘a strategic investment’ (op-ed by David Cicilline)
This opinion piece by David Cicilline, a senior fellow in international and public affairs at the Watson School, mentions that the Annenberg Institute worked with the Rhode Island Foundation’s Blue Ribbon Commission to facilitate the development of recommendations for improving the state’s school funding formula.
Dany Bahar provided commentary in this article.
Englewood Review of Books
Israel – What Went Wrong? (Omer Bartov book review)
This book review focuses on Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies Omer Bartov’s book, “Israel: What Went Wrong?”
The American Conservative
Do Hegseth's reforms to military universities go far enough? (commentary by Lyle Goldstein)
Lyle Goldstein offered commentary for this op-ed on military academy reform.