What Were We Thinking? Selected Schar School Op-Eds (September 2022)

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From Foreign Policy:

The World’s Militaries Aren’t Ready for Climate Change

Although many governments acknowledge the security risks that climate change poses, this summer’s scramble to manage climate threats suggests few are moving quickly enough to take action.

—Erin Sikorsky

 

From TIME:

The Quagmire in Ukraine Is Making Russia a Less Valuable Ally to Others

If so, it is doubtful that a post-Putin leader will be able to restore Russia’s influence in the face of a rising China and India, a permanently hostile Ukraine, and a post-Soviet space where conflict only seems likely to increase.

—Mark N. Katz

 

From Brookings:

President Trump and the Shallow State

Political appointees are expected to be the most loyal advocates of a president’s policy agenda, riding herd on the many bureaucracies of the executive branch. Yet Trump’s appointees in the White House, cabinet, military, and intelligence community refused to carry out many of the president’s directives to an extent unprecedented in the modern presidency. 

—James Pfiffner

 

From Inkstick Media:

Farsi Twitter Mobilizes in Response to Mahsa Amini’s Killing

The collective rejection of the veil serves as a great unifier and helps protestors feel they are not alone in resisting the government’s unjust laws and practices. This sense of solidarity is demonstrated through a common slogan chanted at street protests: “Don’t be afraid, we’re all together.”

—TraCCC Analyst Layla M. Hashemi

 

From La República:

Remember and Repair: Unfinished Business

Created by the government of Valentín Paniagua, the CVR worked for two years to fulfill its mandate to investigate the causes and consequences of the political violence that plagued Peru between 1980 and 2000 and make recommendations so that such atrocities would never happen again.

—Jo-Marie Burt

 

From the Washington Post:

Ranked-Choice Voting Might Be Virginia’s Future

In some elections, it has made it difficult for candidates on the far left or right, who could muster a plurality, to win a majority.

—Mark J. Rozell

 

From the Atlantic Council:

Why U.S. Allies in the Middle East Aren’t Taking Sides in the Ukraine War

If President Vladimir Putin fails there, those regimes are looking at a return to decades past, when Russia was less active in the region and therefore unable to support them against either the United States or its regional allies.

—Mark N. Katz

 

From Real Clear Policy:

Second Thoughts on Automatic-Enrollment Retirement Plans

To be clear, nothing in this research suggests that we should have no policies to boost retirement saving. On the contrary, such policies could benefit middle-aged workers. But the idea that more retirement saving is always better—regardless of age and circumstance—needs to be challenged.

—Sita Slavov

 

From the Defense Post:

Russia Is Running Out of Missiles. That’s Bad News for Ukraine.

The answer to this question is, unfortunately, less accurate missiles and more cannon artillery. This means an increase in accidental civilian casualties due to prolonged indiscriminate bombardment.

—Master’s Student Christopher Gettel

 

From the Washington Post:

Youngkin and Hogan Chart Diverse Paths to Possible 2024 GOP Primary Runs

The big differences in the two: Youngkin, barely more than half way through his freshman year in elective office, has a broad and elastic constituency within the GOP, and thus a credible path to a presidential nomination, whereas Hogan, having built a significant policy record in two terms as chief executive, has little chance to top a GOP primary field. 

—Mark J. Rozell

 

From the National Interest:

How Pakistan Is Using Technology to Save Lives

Despite its meager resources and chronic economic problems, including rising import bills and increasing inflation, Pakistan has managed the Covid-19 pandemic relatively well. It returned to normalcy relatively quickly by employing a multi-pronged policy centered around an effective communication strategy, thanks to its high mobile phone use.

—Muhammad Salar Khan and Farah Latif

 

From the Hill:

‘False Spring’ of Hope in Ukraine?

Putin is now looking for ways to jump over his enemies. In my opinion, Putin is now at his most dangerous.

—Ronald Marks

 

From Africa Up Close (Wilson Center):

Evolving U.S.-Africa Relations Since the Russia-Ukraine War

Lastly, advancing positive narratives can optimize confidence, credibility, and how both populations think about each other as the war progresses. 

—Pearl Matibe

 

From New York Daily News:

Will Russia Lose? Will Putin Fail?

The prospect of a Russian military collapse may seem far-fetched, but it is something that has happened before.

—Mark N. Katz

 

From the Hill:

This Is Not Your Normal Midterm Election

In other midterms, the opposition party has typically been the angrier party. This year, the president’s party is angrier.

—Bill Schneider

 

From the Arab Center:

Gauging Gulf Responses to President Biden’s Middle East Diplomacy

Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain interpreted Biden’s Middle East venture in a more subtle and nuanced manner than did Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

—PhD Candidate Jon Hoffman

 

From the Hill:

As Democrats Struggle, Biden Finds His Political Voice

President Biden is nowhere near those peaks of popularity. But he has something else going for him: the Trump threat.

—Bill Schneider

 

From Leuven Transitional Justice:

The All-Out Assault Against Guatemala’s Post-Conflict Justice Efforts

Since the peace accords, Guatemalan courts have handed down 28 sentences in 23 cases of conflict-era state-sponsored human rights violations, with more than 75 retired military officials, ex police officers and members of the civil defense patrols (PACs) sentenced. 

—Jo-Marie Burt