From the New York Times:
As Population Growth Slows, Populism Surges
If there is one country that has been in the vanguard of both demographic decline and the political exploitation of the frustrations it engenders, it is neither Japan nor any of the countries just discussed. Rather, it is a country whose population began to shrink 15 years before Japan’s; a country whose leader declared in a 2006 address to the nation that the demographic crisis was “the most acute problem” facing his land; a country in which the battle between the rural “narod” (the common people) and the urban intelligentsia was a defining feature of political life for most of a violent century. That country is, of course, the Russian Federation, and the leader who expressed this concern is Vladimir Putin.
Associate Professor Philip Auerswald (with Joon Yun)
From the Detroit News:
It is far more difficult for Trump to be confident, especially since his desire to withdraw troops flies in the face of the bipartisan consensus about the American presence in the greater Middle East. If Trump stays the course, then the entire foreign policy establishment takes part of the blame if things don’t go well. But if Trump withdraws American troops against the advice of his advisers, then he alone will pay the political price if things go wrong.
Associate Professor A. Trevor Thrall and Schar Public Policy PhD graduate Eric Goepner
From RealClear Defense:
In Defense of the Low Yield Nuclear Trident
First, the claim that low-yield nuclear weapons can make a president’s trigger finger itchier is simply unsupported by history. Despite reportedly having thousands of low-yield sea, air, and land-based nuclear weapons throughout the 1960s and 1970s, U.S. presidents did not seem any more inclined to begin a nuclear war or escalate a nuclear crisis… Again, if the total number of non-strategic nuclear weapons was linked to the possibility of war, the United States and Russia should be having the most peaceful political relations in decades, since the number of U.S. and Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons is likely at its lowest since the 1960s.
Matthew Costlow, Public Policy PhD student
From the Daily Caller:
NAFTA Is the Lynchpin of U.S. Energy and National Security
[U.S. Trade Representative Robert] Lighthizer’s resistance to ISDS’ inclusion in a new NAFTA is nonsensical—these provisions are fully aligned with the Trump Administration’s goal of putting U.S. interests first. He would be wise to prioritize the rule of law, as the U.S. has championed it around the world for decades.
Distinguished Visiting Professor Richard Kauzlarich
From The Hill:
Senators Should Be Unanimous in Their Support of Haspel for CIA Chief
Gina Haspel is one of the most qualified individuals ever nominated to serve as CIA director. With decades of experience in critical human intelligence operations in Cold War and counterterrorism efforts, she has acquired intimate knowledge applicable against today’s revived Russian threat.
Her counter-terror work and leadership at stations abroad also provided her critical understanding of the broader CIA mission — including analytic, scientific, technical and support operations — and how CIA integrates with elements of the U.S. intelligence community to produce finished intelligence for U.S. officials.
Larry Pfeiffer, Director of the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy and International Security
From World Politics Review:
Is Democracy Really Dead in the Arab World?
But the Arab Spring looks more like a long-playing drama that has not reached the final act. The lasting impact of these protest movements is still inside the heads of young Arabs, who have been discovering more diverse ways of expressing themselves through social media and other forms of activism online. And while there are no formal political outlets in many Arab countries, from Morocco to Iraq, gradual change is occurring in how citizens can find their voice and make demands of the state.
Ellen Laipson, Director of the Master’s in International Security Program
From the Virginian-Pilot:
Corey Stewart hurts the Virginia GOP
As a devoted Trump acolyte, Stewart has offered up his own batch of racially tinged statements, embracing the southern “Lost Cause,” defending Confederate Civil War monuments and appearing repeatedly with the white nationalist organizer of the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville… As far as Stewart is concerned, he’s climbing a mountain toward victory. But, based on recent history, it appears he actually is digging a ditch for the Virginia GOP.
Mark J. Rozell, Dean
From Brookings’ FixGov:
Trump’s lies corrode democracy
All of Trump’s lies that contradict commonly accepted facts challenge the fundamental principles of the Enlightenment, which are premised on the belief that there are objective facts discoverable through investigation, empirical evidence, rationality, and the scientific method. From these premises, it follows that political discourse involves making logical arguments and adducing evidence in support of those arguments, rather than asserting one’s own self-serving version of reality. Senator Patrick Moynihan’s admonition is apropos: “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
University Professor James Pfiffner