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.
Stephanie Savell offered commentary on the conflict in Iran and comparisons to the war in Iraq.
Jeff Colgan spoke to Mother Jones about petro-imperialism, the role of oil in recent U.S. military actions, and the national security advantage of solar and wind power.
Heidi Peltier provided commentary on the cost of the war in Iran on U.S. taxpayers
Lyle Goldstein offered commentary in this article on how China might target U.S. military assets in Asian countries in the event of a Taiwan Straight conflict.
Stephanie Savell offered commentary in this article about the cost of U.S. military actions in Iran.
Ashutosh Varshney offered commentary on this article about Indian Prime Minister Modi's lack of influence over events in the Iran-U.S./Israel conflict.
Lyle Goldstein offered commentary in this article about Chinese Defense Chief Dong Jun's remarks that stressed prudence as the Xi-Trump summit looms, suggesting no imminent military action on Taiwan.
This article cites a recent report by the Costs of War project at the Watson School that estimates more journalists were killed in Gaza since the war began 2023 than during World Wars I and II combined.
Issues in Science and Technology
Can industrial policy still do big things (written by Andrew Schrank)
A year after he left office, President Biden’s industrial policy is widely considered a failure. But the tools his administration developed are still in play and have defied a long-standing consensus about what is possible. In this paper, Andrew Schrank reevaluates the impact of "Bidenomics."
Neta Crawford, co-director of the Costs of War project at the Watson School, noted that military activity contributes significantly to global emissions each year.
The Berkshire Edge
The other side: War once more (Costs of War research cited)
This commentary cited the Costs of War estimates that over 185,000 Iraqi civilians were killed during the Iraq War.
The New York Times
Dreams of a monarchy (op-ed by Stephen Kinzer)
In this op-ed, Stephen Kinzer discusses the hope among some that Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah who was deposed in 1979, could return to power and forge a pro-American regime in Tehran.
Scientific Sense Podcast
Prof. John Friedman of Brown on Opportunity Insights (interview with John N. Friedman)
John N. Friedman spoke to Gill Eapen about Opportunity Insights for the Scientific Sense podcast.
RealClear World
Taiwan’s defense budget dilemma (op-ed by Lyle Goldstein)
In this op-ed, Lyle Goldstein explains how the Taiwan legislature's recent refusal to increase defense spending reveals fissures on the island regarding its approach to China. He argues Americans need to be clear-eyed and realistic about Taiwan, and urges cautious deliberation over bombast and bromides.
The News International
US has doled out $21.7bn military aid to Israel since Oct 2023 (Costs of War research cited)
This story on U.S. aid to Israel cited research from the Watson School's Costs of War Project.
Jeff Colgan was interviewed by a CBC reporter about the relationship between the Iran conflict and global oil markets.
This article cites data from a recent report by the Costs of War project at the Watson School on U.S. military aid and arms transfers to Israel.
This op-ed mentions an article written by Ieva Jusionyte in the wake of the Dec. 13 shootings, in which she discussed the difficulties in coming to terms with the tragedy, even as a scholar of gun violence.
This article cites a recent report by the Costs of War project at the Watson School that estimates the military’s operations in Iran cost between $2 billion and $2.25 billion in 2025.
In this article, Jeff Colgan placed the U.S. attack on Iran in the context of other instances of U.S. aggression against an oil-producing states.
This opinion piece cites data from a 2023 report by Brown’s Costs of War project.
In this op-ed, Stephen Kinzer places Donald Trump's military action against Iran in the context of a long list of failed interventions in the Middle East.
In this article, Ieva Jusionyte offered commentary on how lax American gun laws mean weapons are readily available to buy and smuggle south of the border.
Montana Free Press
The first-in-the-nation TikTik ban that wasn’t (commentary by Timothy Edgar)
Timothy Edgar offered commentary on data and privacy concerns about TikTok.
Ieva Jusionyte offered commentary in this article about the killing of cartel boss "El Mencho" and how violence in Mexico is fueled by U.S. guns and money.
Lyle Goldstein offered commentary on concessions the Trump administration might make to an arms package for Taiwan as the administration seeks to strike a trade deal with China.
The American Conservative
On Taiwan and Japan, Chinese belligerence backfires (commentary by Lyle Goldstein)
Lyle Goldstein offered commentary for this article about how Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi turned China's hard-line stance on Taiwan into a major political victory for her party.
This article references a report by researchers at the Climate Solutions Lab
Heidi Peltier provided commentary in this article on the cost to U.S. taxpayers to rebuild Venezuela's oil industry and military presence there to stabilize the country and make it a safe enough investment.
Dany Bahar discussed the evidence on refugees’ economic integration, and which policies help most with Giovanni Peri (U.C. Davis).
In this op-ed, Lyle Goldstein argued that amid a bleak overall foreign policy picture, Trump’s decisive move back to ‘strategic ambiguity’ on Taiwan is part of a welcome shift toward moderation vis-a-vis China.
Responsible Statecraft
Trump vs. his China hawks (commentary by Lyle Goldstein)
Lyle Goldstein offered commentary on the dynamics between China hawks and those advocating a more pragmatic approach within the Trump administration.
Lyle Goldstein offered commentary in this article on the politics of increased defense spending in Taiwan.
Lyle Goldstein commented on the CH YH-1000S, an unmanned vehicle that is considered capable of supplying combat troops, which completed its maiden flight over the weekend.
Ashutosh Varshney provided commentary in this article.
This analysis includes commentary from Mark Blyth.
Pod Save America
Why are Democrats afraid of power (interview with Marc Dunkleman)
Marc Dunkleman discusses how Democrats — once they regain power — can make government work again with "Pod Save America" host Jon Lovett.
Responsible Statecraft
Spheres of influence for me, not for thee? (contribution from Lyle Goldstein)
Lyle Goldstein addresses spheres of influence and what happens when American interests collide with China's 'near abroad.'
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Controlling global oil — the backstory (interview with Jeff Colgan)
Jeff Colgan discusses the history of the politics and history behind supplying and denying oil.
Center for International Maritime Security
Leading the digital fight: How the Navy's IW community must innovate to win (co-written by Adam Reiffen)
Watson Military Fellow Adam Reiffen co-authored this piece on the need for the U.S. Navy to innovate in the realm of informational warfare.
U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings
Why the US and South Korea will not jointly construct nuclear submarines (written by Lyle Goldstein)
In this op-ed in USNI Proceedings, Lyle Goldstein explains why a proposed partnership between the U.S. and South Korea to build nuclear submarines is not moving forward.
John N. Friedman and his Opportunity Insights co-director, Raj Chetty, argue that elite universities are powerful pathways to leadership and economic success, yet admissions policies that favor wealth over academic merit limit socioeconomic diversity and undermine true meritocracy.
Omer Bartov provided commentary in this article.
In this op-ed for The Print, Ashutosh Varshney analyzes how the global order is changing and what India should do regarding economic issues.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
How aid groups are dealing with slashed USAID funding (commentary by Jennifer Hadden)
Jennifer Hadden offered commentary on U.S. foreign aid cuts to NGOs.
U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings
Russian and Chinese Threats to Greenland and the New Arctic Sea Routes Are Low (written by Lyle Goldstein)
In this op-ed in USNI Proceedings, Lyle Goldstein argues that while China-Russia cooperation in the maritime domain warrants monitoring, the naval threat to the Arctic and Greenland posed by this quasi-alliance is minimal.
In this article in The Guardian on power struggles within the Chinese military, Lyle Goldstein noted that China recently unveiled powerful new weapons and still has the capability to make a move against Taiwan.
Mark Blyth offered commentary on the emergence of BlackRock's Rick Rieder as a Federal Reserve frontrunner.
Lyle Goldstein commented that the corruption charges against Zhang Youxia, long seen as Xi Jinping’s closest military ally, raise questions about the stability of China's military leadership.
Lyle Goldstein offered commentary on China’s use of diesel submarines
Timothy Edgar offered commentary on TikTok's algorithm
Good Authority Podcast
Can climate policies survive the return of Trump? (interview with Jeff Colgan)
Jeff Colgan and Federica Genovese discuss what Trump's second term means for the ongoing global effort to combat climate change.
Mark Blyth commented on Donald Trump's approach to the Davos summit.
Mark Blyth offered commentary on the World Economic Forum.
Catherine Lutz offered commentary for this analysis of U.S. threats to seize Greenland.
Catherine Lutz offered commentary in this analysis of a new presidential executive order to curb arms industry stock buybacks.
In this broadcast interview, Mark Blyth spoke about the Department of Justice’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and the trending politics of central banks around the world.
Jennifer Hadden co-authored this column about U.S. foreign aid cuts to NGOs.