Op-Ed

Governing for our descendants

May 9, 2023 Lily L. Tsai Dædalus

“There’s been an increasing recognition that over the last few decades the economy and society have become incredibly focused on the individual, to the detriment of our social fabric,” says Lily L. Tsai, the Ford Professor of Political Science at MIT.

Japan’s NATO Outreach Bears Fruit

July 7, 2022 Mina Pollmann The Diplomat

Prime Minister Kishida’s emphasis on unity with NATO over Russia paid off with recognition of China as a challenge to NATO’s interests and security.

Hypotheses on the Implications of the Ukraine-Russia War

June 7, 2022 Barry Posen Defense Priorities

How will the war in Ukraine shape international politics? In this discussion, Posen concludes that states must prepare to defend themselves. In the heady aftermath of the liberal West’s victory over the Soviet empire, and the apparent triumph of the U.S.-led, liberal world order, many believed that interstate war would become a thing of the past. States now face strong incentives to reembrace tried and tested tools of self-preservation developed in earlier times.

Sanctioned Behavior

June 3, 2022 Erik Sand War on the Rocks

Erik Sand makes an interesting argument: The effect of sanctions and economic isolation may not be to lead directly to war termination, but rather to pressure a regime, such that they choose riskier strategies than they would without the sanctions in place. Sand joins us on this week’s episode of Horns of a Dilemma to discuss his article, and how this effect may apply to the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.

Boots on the Ground, Eyes in the Sky

May 30, 2022 Erik Lin-Greenberg and Theo Milonopoulos Foreign Affairs

Days after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an emotional address to the European Parliament, pleading for support. That same day, Ukraine’s vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, took to Twitter to announce a more targeted—but no less urgent—plea to the executives and corporate board members of commercial satellite companies.

Republicans want to hand-count paper ballots. That’s less accurate.

May 28, 2022 Charles Stewart III The Washington Post

Professor Charles Stewart III provides evidence that hand counting paper ballots is less accurate than using ballot scanners to tabulate results. “Computers — which ballot scanners rely on — are very good at tedious, repetitive tasks,” writes Stewart. “Humans are bad at them. And counting votes is tedious and repetitive.”

Can Russia and the West Survive a Nuclear Crisis in Ukraine?

May 13, 2022 Barry Posen The National Interest

The two sides have not managed a bilateral nuclear crisis in a very long time, and one does not really wish to find out if they can easily recover their Cold War vintage crisis management skills.

The Promise of South African Democracy

May 6, 2022 Evan Lieberman, Professor of Political Science and Contemporary Africa Project Syndicate

Although South Africans' increasing frustration with their government is borne out in public polling, critics who describe the country as a failed state completely miss the mark. Considering where South Africa started in 1994, its progress has been nothing short of remarkable.

Here’s what Western leaders need to remember about Zelensky’s emotional appeals

March 21, 2022 Roger Petersen Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

The war in Ukraine is fought with bullets, bombs, and rockets—and also with images and words. At the center of this conflict, President Volodymyr Zelensky has strategically deployed the latter to trigger emotions among his fellow Ukrainians, Russian foes, and Western supporters.

Ukraine Presents a Moral Crisis, Not Just a Military One

February 28, 2022 David Miliband The New York Times

Miliband, a distinguished MIT Political Science alumnus and former Center for International Studies fellow, pens a powerful guest essay: "With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the military balance of power in Europe is up for grabs. The moral balance is also at stake. The West needs to show that it can live up to its values — as well as defend itself."

The Role of Courts in American Political Economy

February 7, 2022 Brian Highsmith and Kathleen Thelen Law and Political Economy

The Law and Political Economy (LPE) Project brings together a network of scholars, practitioners, and students working to develop innovative intellectual, pedagogical, and political interventions to advance the study of political economy and law.