Analysis + Opinion | 2015

 

Analysis + Opinion

December 15, 2015

The origins of intolerance in America

John TirmanHuffington Post

In the last few weeks, the alarming rise of vitriolic anti-immigrant, xenophobic rhetoric from the right wing has alarmed a large segment of the American people, but equally disturbing is how much support these noxious views are getting from the public. 

Analysis + Opinion

December 9, 2015

Is it fascism? Obloquy run amok

John TirmanHuffington Post

The Donald Trump outrage of the week—that Muslims of all kinds should be barred entry to the United States — has rightly earned nearly universal rebuke.

Analysis + Opinion

November 27, 2015

Climate leadership: Paris and the paradox of the US role

John TirmanHuffington Post

One of the standard tropes of American politics is about global leadership. The automatic assumption on nearly all pressing issues is that we lead, and one of the charges typical of presidential campaigns is that the other candidate doesn’t, can’t or won’t lead. 

Analysis + Opinion

November 20, 2015

Contain ISIS

Barry R. PosenThe Atlantic

The Paris attacks have naturally prompted calls for a stronger response. But restraint is the better course of action.

Analysis + Opinion

November 17, 2015

In Syria, politics can be more effective than military action

Roger Petersen New York Times

Playing politics entails costs, but bombing only promises stalemate and 'boots on the ground' involves untenable risks. 

Analysis + Opinion

November 15, 2015

Why Paris?

John TirmanWBUR: Cognoscenti

The attacks in Paris on Friday can be grasped in a number of ways none of them fully satisfying while they usher in another round of recrimination.

Analysis + Opinion

October 15, 2015

The Iran deal comes with costs

John TirmanBoston Globe

For those of us who lobbied for a nuclear restraint agreement with Iran, the accord that was finally finished in mid-July and has now gone into effect is a sterling victory. 

Analysis + Opinion

October 8, 2015

The human cost of war

John TirmanForeign Affairs

The wars that the United States has waged in the Middle East have generally led to yet more interventions. Among the many reasons for the record of poor outcomes is the United States’ failure to account for the human costs of war.

Analysis + Opinion

August 3, 2015

Science and the republicans' annulment of the Enlightenment

John TirmanHuffington Post

Increasingly, scientists are engaged in acquiring, synthesizing, and applying knowledge for the benefit of humankind, directly immersing themselves in the practice of informing policy and educating the public.

Analysis + Opinion

June 1, 2015

The failure of neoliberalism

John TirmanBoston Globe

The tens of thousands of migrants around the world who are frantic enough to take unsafe boats or sit atop fast-moving trains to get to Europe or America are telling us something vital about the global economy. 

Analysis + Opinion

March 20, 2015

How Iran became the Middle East's moderate force

Mansour SalsabiliNational Interest

Iran is a rational actor whom America should embrace.

Analysis + Opinion

February 26, 2015

Putin’s war of words, decoded

By Elizabeth Wood The Washington Post

On Feb. 20, 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin handed out medals in a special ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of World War II, the war Russians know as The Great Patriotic War. 

Analysis + Opinion

February 17, 2015

The Pentagon’s bloat

Benjamin H. FriedmanBoston Globe

Accounting tricks and self-interested politicians ensure that US military spending will remain immune from any real ‘hard choices’.

Analysis + Opinion

February 10, 2015

Just say no: America should avoid these wars

Barry R. PosenNational Interest

The bipartisan U.S. foreign-policy establishment seems to only know how to generate new wars. None end well.

Analysis + Opinion

February 9, 2015

US social science and international relations

Stephen Van EveraWar on the Rocks

In the eloquent essay that kicked off “The Schoolhouse” series, my colleague Frank Gavin pointed to a number of issues that affect and infect graduate education in international affairs, particularly at the PhD level. 

Analysis + Opinion

February 6, 2015

Does the Islamic State believe in sovereignty?

Richard A. NielsenThe Washington Post

The Islamic State claims that its attempt to assert exclusive political control over wide swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria is legitimate, but its brand of sovereignty is very different from the existing international norms. 

Analysis + Opinion

February 5, 2015

Breaking discipline and closing gaps? The state of international relations education

Francis J. GavinWar on the Rocks

Over 20 years ago, esteemed political scientist Alexander George published Bridging the Gap: Theory and Practice in Foreign Policy, which identified a growing divide between academics and policymakers interested in foreign policy and international affairs. 

Analysis + Opinion

January 21, 2015

How Obama fell short on cybersecurity

Joel BrennerPOLITICO Magazine

Under the president’s proposals, we’ll remain America the vulnerable.