Ellen Laipson op-ed in World Politics Review on Iran’s nuclear deal
Iran has had the chance to change how it engages with the outside world as a result of the nuclear agreement it signed with world powers a year ago, and also as a key player in the crises that haunt the Middle East. But there’s little sign that Tehran wants to take a new tack […]
Richard Cincotta quoted in The Washington Post on youth in the Muslim world
JAKARTA, Indonesia — In early August, when leaders of several dozen Muslim countries gathered in Jakarta for an annual economic conference, some of the speakers acknowledged that things aren’t looking good for their global community. Chaos continues to grip their heartland in the Middle East, they noted, and anti-Muslim politicians are drawing unprecedented support in Europe, the […]
Ellen Laipson op-ed in World Politics Review on Syria
Syria’s horrific crisis is now generating new insights into the fault lines and even falsehoods of international cooperation. Diplomatic efforts to find some minimal common ground to tamp down the war have repeatedly fallen short, as the external actors care more about preventing each other’s gains than saving Syria. It reminds us that old-fashioned, formal […]
Gordon Adams interviewed in Deutsche Welle on US policy and Syria
On August 20, 2012, President Obama called the use of chemical weapons by Syria’s Assad regime a “red line.” Four years on with the Syrian war still raging, DW asked three scholars to assess Washington’s Syria policy. -snip- Gordon Adams: The Obama policy has not reversed the trend in Syria. But it could not change […]
Ellen Laipson op-ed in World Politics Review on the Olympics
So far, the Olympic Games in Rio are off to a good start. No major disasters have occurred, despite serious worries about security and environmental conditions. But the games—and particularly the downsides like excessive costs, corruption and imbalances of power and influence—have raised questions of politics and economics that bear many similarities to some of […]
Ellen Laipson interviewed for On Point on the failed military coup
The failed military coup in Turkey has led to a government crackdown that’s purged more than 60,000 people from their jobs – judges, police, academics, reporters, military members. The Turkish president says he’s simply protecting his country, but US officials say that’s no way for a democracy to react. Meanwhile, Turkey claims a Turk living […]
Ellen Laipson op-ed in World Politics Review on the Next President’s Goals for Afghanistan
The most recent suicide bombing in Kabul over the weekend, claimed by the so-called Islamic State, contrasts with the near absence of debate over Afghanistan in the U.S. presidential campaign to date. President Barack Obama’s decision to slow down the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country may be enough to delay a difficult debate […]
Failed Coup Is a Victory for Erdogan, but Not for Turkey’s Democracy
By: Ellen Laipson Turkey’s elected government survived last weekend’s failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but there’s no reason to think that Turkey’s democracy will be strengthened by the outcome. Erdogan is responding to the threat by rounding up all his enemies, real and imagined, and pushing for new powers that will set […]