Op-Ed

Now is the time to prepare for the next election emergency

March 9, 2021 Michael Caudell-Feagan and Charles Stewart III The Hill

The 2020 election has rightly been judged as well-managed, despite the enormous challenges posed by casting and counting millions of votes in the midst of a deadly pandemic and national lockdown. Election officials nationwide provided access to early voting and mail-in ballots and managed to keep poll workers and voters safe during an intense election with record turnout.  They did a remarkable job but the outcome could have been much, much different.

China and India are pulling back from the brink. They’ve created a buffer zone and started talks.

March 3, 2021 M. Taylor Fravel The Washington Post

Each side had deployed thousands of troops along the contested border.

India’s farm protests turned violent last week. But why are farmers protesting in the first place?

February 5, 2021 Saksham Khosla and Aidan Milliff The Washington Post

New laws have rattled a crucial political bloc.

A Summary of the 2020 Election: Survey on the Performance of American Elections

January 22, 2021 Charles Stewart III Medium

This post reviews at a very high level some of the findings from the 2020 SPAE. MEDSL has published a longer summary of the initial findings, which may be downloaded from the lab’s website.

Censure won't remove Trump, but it would hold him accountable. And cause big problems for Republicans.

January 11, 2021 Charles Stewart III WBUR

President Donald Trump’s presidency has been unprecedented in so many ways that it’s unsurprising that it’s ending in a constitutional crisis. While there’s surely not a consensus, it’s clear that most of official Washington, including many Republicans, considers Trump to be unsuited to hold office. The question is what to do about it.

Europe can defend itself

December 4, 2020 Barry Posen The International Institute for Strategic Studies

Could Europe dispense with the services of the US military? And could it cope on its own with Russia’s querulous foreign policy and revived military? Barry Posen argues that Europe is better placed to defend itself militarily than many, including the IISS, have portrayed it to be. 

So, Did ‘Bad Things Happen’ With the Election in Philadelphia?

November 19, 2020 Nathaniel Persily and Charles Stewart III The New York Times

Despite President Trump’s message, the evidence shows no signs of fraud.

The 2020 Election Meltdown That Didn’t Happen, Even Amid the Covid Pandemic

November 6, 2020 Nathaniel Persily and Charles Stewart III The Wall Street Journal

Administrators and ordinary citizens came together to make a fair, safe and secure national vote possible.

Keep calm and let the election officials carry on

October 27, 2020 Charles H. Stewart III and Michael Caudell-Feagan The Hill

The enormous interest in the 2020 election is plagued by anxiety that election officials are not ready for the tidal wave of mail-in and drop-off ballots already coming in and the crush of in-person votes to be cast and counted. Although we can’t say how the system will acquit itself on Nov. 3, we do know that local officials are better prepared to weather the storm than they were 20 years ago.

Doomsday Scenarios Abound, But The Next President Will Be Decided By The Voters. Not The Courts, Not Congress

October 20, 2020 Charles Stewart III WBUR

Actually, We Will Know a Lot on Election Night

September 24, 2020 Nathaniel Persily and Charles Stewart III The Wall Street Journal

Most states begin processing their presidential ballots before Nov. 3, and local officials have been preparing all summer for a surge in mail ballots.

With Six Weeks to the Election, Six Ways to Protect It

September 20, 2020 Nathaniel Persily and Charles Stewart III The New York Times

The pandemic presents a huge challenge, but we can still ensure a safe and accessible vote this November. Here are six ways to make that happen.

How likely is it that your mail-in ballot won’t get counted?

August 25, 2020 Charles Stewart III The Washington Post

It’s riskier than voting in person.

The Uninteded Consequences of the Pandemic on Belarus’ Presidential Elections

August 5, 2020 Volha Charnysh The Italian Institute for International Political Studies

Unearthing the stories of yesterday’s George Floyds

July 17, 2020 Melissa Nobles The Boston Globe

When we call the victims’ descendants to share our findings, they tell us ‘I never thought I’d get this call.’ The scars remain, and luckily, because we have found documents, so does proof.

Risk for “Us,” or for “Them”? The Comparative Politics of Diversity and Responses to AIDS and Covid-19

May 14, 2020 Evan Lieberman The Social Science Research Council

Does the global pandemic open new South China Sea opportunities for Beijing? Not really.

May 7, 2020 M. Taylor Fravel The Washington Post

China is just continuing its longtime strategy.

Europe has kept down pandemic unemployment -- and the U.S. hasn’t. Here’s why.

April 24, 2020 Anke Hassel and Kathleen Thelen The Washingont Post

The U.S. approach has problems that go deeper a lack of funding.

Do Pandemics Promote Peace?

April 23, 2020 Barry R. Posen Foreign Affairs

Why Sickness Slows the March to War

How Digital Contact Tracing Slowed Covid-19 in East Asia

April 15, 2020 Yasheng Huang, Meicen Sun and Yuze Sui Harvard Business Review

As Covid-19 steamrolls across international boundaries, public health officials are paying close attention to countries that are flattening the curve, slowing the spread of infection. Can other countries emulate their success?

Courting War

March 3, 2020 Barry Posen Boston Review

Despite claims to the contrary, the Trump administration wants regime change in Iran and is risking a full-scale war in order to get it.

Mike Pompeo criticized China for not respecting its neighbors’ territorial integrity. What’s the story?

February 21, 2020 M. Taylor Fravel The Washington Post

Coronavirus: Japan Sends Final Evacuation Flight

February 12, 2020 Mina Pollman The Diplomat

On Monday, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi announced that the Japanese government would send a fifth chartered flight to Hubei province this week to evacuate Japanese nationals and their family members.

Analysis: Iraqi Protesters Will Likely Push Forward Despite Violence

February 7, 2020 Marsin Alshamary PRI's The World

The Saving Grace of the Iowa Caucus Debacle

February 5, 2020 Charles Stewart III Wired

A technical fiasco in a small state, early in the season, minimizes the consequences. The question is how election officials will respond as the stakes rise.