Op-Eds

Schar School News October 2021

What the ‘Majority Minority’ Shift Really Means for America

What Were We Thinking? Selected Schar School Op-Eds (August 2021)

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 16:54:11 +0000

What Were We Thinking? Selected Schar School Op-Eds (August 2021) Andrew J Schappert Mon, 08/30/2021 - 12:54

In This Story

From the New York Times:

Stoking fears of white decline reinforces the myth that this whiteness always included all who now identify with it — as if the Irish had never been demonized, as if Italians had never endured discrimination, as if Jews had never been excluded. Through a historical lens, being white in America today is like belonging to a once-exclusive social club that had to loosen its membership criteria to stay afloat.

—Justin Gest

From CNN:

The Census Shows the GOP Base is Shrinking Fast. So Why Does Its Power Seem So Secure?

The diversification of America is unquestionable. But because the US population is moving into regions where the GOP continues to hold control, Republicans will be able to delay and minimize the political representation of ethnic minorities -- at least until 2030.

—Justin Gest

From Asia Times:

Why Afghanistan’s Security Forces Collapsed So Quickly

At the pivotal turning point in 2014, U.S. experts estimated that half of the recruits to the armed forces were illiterate. The U.S. had to launch a program to teach reading and writing to the troops before it could address other essential skills for the defense of the country.

—Ellen Laipson

From the Hill:

After the Fall of Kabul, Will There Be More Islamist Revolutions?

This does not bode well.

—Mark N. Katz

From the Washington Post:

Virginia Is the Proving Ground for the GOP’s ‘Big Lie’ and Anti-Vaccine Platforms

If Youngkin doesn’t somehow get off this Trump crazy train, he likely will be consigning the whole Virginia GOP ticket to yet another crushing defeat.

—Mark J. Rozell

From the Cipher Brief:

Remembering a True Leader Through CIA Crisis and Controversy

Were aspects of the program unpleasant? Of course, John has said so, in fact describing some of the techniques as “terrifying,” But he also has reminded us of the tenor of the times—no one in America—the President, Congress, the American people—would forgive CIA if it hadn’t done everything within the law to prevent another 9/11-style attack from happening. Period.

—Gen. Michael V. Hayden

From Inkstick Media:

The Coming Tsunami of Illicit Antiquities from Afghanistan

As Islamist extremists, they place no value on preserving their country’s long pre-Islamic past. They are all too happy to facilitate and profit from the illicit export of Afghanistan’s rich archaeological resources. Their fundamental position, demonstrated in March of 2001 when they blew up the Bamiyan Buddhas, is that the largest remains of pre-Islamic culture in Afghanistan should be destroyed in place, while smaller artifacts, such as statues, coins, jewelry, and ceramics should be sold to foreigners to raise funds.

—Louise Shelley and Ambassador Michael Gfoeller

Political Violence at a Glance:

Can the Taliban Stabilize Afghanistan?

In fact, in a forthcoming study, I find that in over half of rebel victories, new governments collapse into infighting, are overtaken by military coup d’états, or suffer major defections by ex-rebel soldiers.

—Philip A. Martin

From Bloomberg Tax:

Misperceptions About the Social Security Earnings Test Need to Be Corrected

The earnings test appears to impose a severe penalty on Social Security recipients who continue to work by adding a 50% tax to the other taxes they already face on their wages. However, the reality is quite different.

—Sita Slavov and Alan Viard

From Defense One:

Taiwan Wants Paladins. Congress Should Say No

Paladins are a bad idea. They are outdated, based on a design that dates back to the Vietnam War. They are also expensive. Taiwan will spend $750 million on 40 howitzers. That is before training, maintenance, and ammunition costs are factored in. Worst of all, Paladins will be sitting ducks in a shooting war.

—Michael Hunzeker and PhD Student Brian Davis

From Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists:

Why the FDA Should Quickly Authorize Kids’ COVID-19 Vaccines

Raising a vaccine’s safety bar much higher for children’s vaccines doesn’t correspond to the intent of a policy based on risk-benefit analysis; the United States is missing the chance at a timely pandemic response when it comes to quickly authorizing pediatric vaccines.

—HyunJung Kim (PhD ’20)

From the Hill:

Cuomo Dynasty Ends; Search for ‘Tough Liberal’ Persists

Andrew Cuomo defied his base by defending abusive behavior that is no longer tolerated. Cuomo tried to challenge the believability of his accusers. But they turned out to be tougher than he is.

—Bill Schneider

From Lawfare:

Afghanistan, Policy Choices, and Claims of Intelligence Failure

But the reality is we lack reliable answers to many—most, in fact—of these questions. Some of them may only be known, if ever, after 40 more years—when the printed President’s Daily Briefs from this presidential term are declassified (assuming that a practice established in the Obama administration for declassifying PDBs continues). Even then, unless and until Joe Biden opens his mind and soul, we are unlikely to understand if he internalized the core judgments in any intelligence documents or briefings.

—David Priess

From Sam Magazine (Finland):

The Real News Story from America

Contrary to what news reports might lead one to believe, the gap between the political parties today is quite modest.

—Ed Rhodes

From American City and County:

Is It Finally Time to Acknowledge Broadband as a Utility?

This advocacy was successful in that today there are currently 18 states with restrictive legislation against municipal broadband networks in the United States. At one point there were as many as 21. What has changed however is that since 2003, the significance of broadband in everyday life has increased exponentially, and the pandemic only magnified the issue with too many Americans having been left out of the digital evolution.

—Alan Shark

From the Taipei Times:

Comparisons to Afghanistan Fail

The Chinese side will continue its bluster and intimidation, attempting to capitalize on Afghanistan’s fall and painting the US as a declining power. Yes, the U.S. is reducing its footprint in the Middle East, but the stated purpose is specifically to focus better on new threats posed by state actors such as China and Russia.

—Gerrit van der Weiss

From the National Interest:

The Collapse of Afghanistan Could Mean Trouble for America’s Enemies

But while there will be many who engage in recriminations over what went wrong and whether a better outcome could have been achieved, Washington will have to deal with the situation that emerges no matter how undesirable it is. The likelihood that conflict will develop between the Taliban and other U.S. adversaries may present opportunities that the United States can take advantage of. But it can only do so if it recognizes both the opportunities and the dangers of navigating conflicts between U.S. adversaries.

—Mark N. Katz

From the Washington Post:

Virginia Women May Be the Key Voters in November

Though Virginia will be a first test of how malignant Trump’s legacy remains now that he is out of the White House, it will also be a barometer of whether Cuomo’s fall, brought on by his alleged sexual harassment of female subordinates, weakens women’s support for Democrats generally.

—Mark J. Rozell

Topics

Schar School News August 2021

What Were We Thinking? Selected Schar School Op-Eds (July 2021)

Andrew J Schappert — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 17:13:02 +0000

What Were We Thinking? Selected Schar School Op-Eds (July 2021) Andrew J Schappert Thu, 07/29/2021 - 13:13

In This Story

From Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists:

How to Make Sure the Labs Researching the Most Dangerous Pathogens Are Safe and Secure

The history of lab accidents and lab-worker infections is disturbingly long, and the possibility that an incident could spark an outbreak cannot be discounted. Nor should policymakers ignore the potential that malevolent actors might misuse research coming out of BSL-4 labs. Worryingly, there is no authoritative international body tracking the number of BSL-4 labs or one mandated to provide research oversight. A stronger biorisk management program is urgently needed.

— Gregory D. Koblentz, Joseph Rodgers, Minh Ly and Filippa Lentzos (King’s College London)

From Smerconish.com:

Trump Was a Symptom, Not the Disease—and It’s Become a Global Pandemic

Yet for many, it remains a puzzle as to why.

—Jack A. Goldstone

From the Conversation:

Political Frustration in Northern Ireland Has Heightened Tension Around ‘Marching Season’

As a scholar who works at the intersection of religion and politics, I share the concerns of those who see the potential for impending violence. The fear is occasions like the July 12 marches provide an opportunity for these frustrations to boil over into unrest, especially given recent political developments.

—Ger FitzGerald

From Asia Times:

Why the U.S. Should Focus More on North Africa

Yet in more recent decades, as US focus in the Arab world became concentrated in the Gulf region or on Arab-Israeli peace, North Africa has felt the decline of American attention and interest.

—Ellen Laipson

From the Washington Post:

A Political Tirade in Search of a Target Hits Virginia’s Higher Education

The latest salvo fired by the Republican Party of Virginia’s chairman at a University of Virginia professor needs to be called for what it is: political malfeasance and an assault on higher education.

—David Ramadan

From the Washington Post:

Glenn Youngkin’s Rookie Mistake

Retail Politics Rule No. 1: Never lower your guard around people you don’t personally know and trust.

—Mark J. Rozell

From the Hill:

Confronting China on Trade

Speaking of consensus, rather than incensing our allies on trade as the Trump administration often did, the U.S. should revive the Trilateral Commission with the EU and Japan in developing an effective response to China. This would allow a more coordinated and forceful way to address China trade issues.

—Kenneth A. Reinert

From WOLA:

Peru Has a New President, But Fujimori’s Election Lie Imperils Democracy

Fujimori did not say anything about the fact that now that her loss is official, prosecutors are likely to seek a date to initiate the trial against her, in which she faces charges of money laundering, leading a criminal organization, and obstruction of justice. She faces a possible prison term of 31 years. Her husband, U.S.-born Mark Vito, also faces criminal charges for corruption.

—Jo-Marie Burt

From the Atlantic Council:

Will Russian Forces Really Leave Libya?

But can Moscow maintain a military presence in Libya when it has agreed that armed groups and militias in Libya should be dismantled? Yes, it can.

—Mark N. Katz

From the Hill:

Authoritarianism: It Can Definitely Happen Here

What saved the country was the deep conviction among military leaders that the military should stay out of politics.

—Bill Schneider

From DAWN:

The Living Legacy of the Arab Spring

But let's consider an alternative, and in our view, more persuasive interpretation. The Arab uprisings should not be evaluated solely on their immediate political outcomes, but on more incremental shifts that reflect the evolving attitudes and adaptive approaches of rising generations demanding change.

—Ellen Laipson and Mona Yacoubian

From Russia Matters:

Russia, the United States, and the Counterrevolutionaries: A Trilateral Chess Match in the Middle East

Regardless, what is certain is that regional actors will continue to exploit these tensions however possible in order to advance their own agendas.

—PhD Student Jon Hoffman

From the Washington Post:

Virginia’s Fall Election Will Illuminate How Changed Voting Laws Affect Turnout

The GOP has yet to prove wholesale election fraud to justify the hundreds of restrictive bills it is pushing nationally. Stranger still, a careful look at last year’s results and voting trends deflates the party’s political rationale for making voting harder.

—Mark J. Rozell

From the Hill:

Biden’s High-Wire Political Challenge: Deliver Infrastructure and Please the Base

President Biden is trying to be bipartisan and partisan at the same time. It will be a neat trick if he can bring it off.

—Bill Schneider

From Defense One:

Israel’s Drone Swarm Over Gaza Should Worry Everyone

Local, national, and international law enforcement agencies should also search for indicators of terrorists seeking drone swarm capabilities, such as large drone purchases and known extremist work to develop or modify drone control systems.

—Policy Fellow Zak Kallenborn

From Lawfare:

The Rift Between Turkey and Israel Continues to Deepen

Perhaps more than anything else, what concerns Turkey the most about this competition is its rapid expansion to Turkey’s strategic underbelly: the eastern Mediterranean corridor. Diplomatic, economic and military relations between Greece, Israel and the Arab states of the CRB have grown exponentially as part of the broader struggle to shape the post-2011 regional order.

—PhD Student Jon Hoffman

Topics

Schar School News August 2021

What Were We Thinking? Selected Schar School Op-Eds (June 2021)

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 14:55:36 +0000

What Were We Thinking? Selected Schar School Op-Eds (June 2021) Andrew J Schappert Tue, 07/06/2021 - 10:55

In This Story

From the Kansas City Star:

Before Desegregation, Black Kansas City High Schools Dominated Science Awards

What we learned shocked me to my core. With the prejudice of the times, I remembered clearly assuming that Kansas City’s Black schools had to be inferior to the white schools. Now I could not avoid the conclusion that, in all probability, those Black students received an educational experience superior to mine—and mine got me into Harvard.

—Frank T. Manheim

From The Conversation:

Fifty-Nine Labs Around the World Handle the Deadliest Pathogens—Only a Quarter Score High on Safety

The vast majority of countries with maximum containment labs do not regulate dual-use research, which refers to experiments that are conducted for peaceful purposes but can be adapted to cause harm; or gain-of-function research, which is focused on increasing the ability of a pathogen to cause disease.

—Gregory Koblentz and Filippa Lentzos (King’s College London)

From the Moscow Times:

Depoliticizing Russian Gas in Europe

Nord Stream 2 has sparked bitter controversy. Biden’s waiver has stirred howls of protest from Congress, but it is unlikely to override the action. Now, policymakers may be wise to focus on finding compromises that protect essential interests of all key stakeholders.

—Richard Kauzlarich and William Courtney

From the Guardian:

Whether Covid Came from a Leak or Not, It’s Time to Talk About Lab Safety

In addition, gain-of-function research with coronaviruses, and other zoonotic pathogens with pandemic potential, is likely to increase as scientists seek to better understand these viruses and to assess the risk they pose of jumping from animals to humans or becoming transmissible between humans.

—Gregory Koblentz and Filippa Lentzos

From the Washington Post:

Peru’s Military Says Shining Path Insurgents Kill 16 Civilians. Others Are Not So Sure.

The campaign to blame the Shining Path for the Vizcatán killings—and Castillo by association—seems aimed at using long-standing public fears of terrorism in Peru for political advantage. The politics of fear may pay off for Fujimori: In the run-up to the final vote Sunday, public opinion polls put her neck and neck with Pedro Castillo.

—Jo-Marie Burt

From the Hill:

The National Security Risks of the U.S. Drought

The security risks of the drought are high, but not yet inevitable. Assessing and understanding these risks is the first step toward tackling them. Rapid action to scale up funding for adaptation and resilience measures should follow, as should efforts to build climate competence across domestic security practitioners in the U.S. military, the Department of Homeland Security, and others.

—Erin Sikorsky

From the National Interest:

What U.S.-Soviet Strategic Arms Talks Reveal About the Iran Nuclear Deal

How the Biden administration, Congress, and American policy analysts, in general, think about these questions should be informed about a similar situation that occurred during the 1970s when the United States was pursuing the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties (SALT) with the Soviet Union at the same time as Moscow and its allies were intervening militarily in the Third World.

—Mark N. Katz

From Asia Times:

Diplomacy Is Back in Middle East, With or Without U.S.

Other countries may be taking up the slack where they see a vacuum of leadership, or they may take the initiative, knowing that their interests in a particular conflict are quite different from America’s. Will the Biden administration try to reverse the trend with its “We’re Back” message?

—Ellen Laipson

From the Hill:

Israel, Democrats, and the Problem of the Middle East

But without any discernible peace process, the two-state solution seems to have become less and less realistic. Given ongoing settlement activity and annexations, Israel appears to be moving closer and closer to a one-state outcome.

—Bill Schneider

From the Washington Post:

The Virginia GOP’s Diverse Ticket May Present a Problem for Democrats

Even before McAuliffe secured his party’s nomination, he began depicting Youngkin as a Donald Trump loyalist in a state that has soundly and repeatedly rejected the former president. Though a potent weapon in the past, can it generate a turnout large enough to win with Trump out of office and a GOP ticket now headed by an unthreatening, well-funded candidate?

—Mark J. Rozell

From WOLA.org:

After June 6 Elections, Peru’s Democracy Hangs in the Balance

A losing candidate attempting to steal an election by asserting fraud without any evidence may sound all too familiar.

—Jo-Marie Burt and John Walsh

From the National Interest:

How Would Brezhnev Have Assessed Putin’s Foreign Policy?

Brezhnev might point out, though, that when he was in charge, the Soviet Union came to be the sole external power with influence in Syria, whereas Putin has to share influence there with Iran, Turkey, and even the United States.

—Mark N. Katz

From the Washington Post:

Glenn Youngkin’s Difficult Pivot

Youngkin’s attempted pivot is complicated by Trump. It is one thing for a GOP nominee in the general election to soften his or her rhetoric on hot-button issues to win over moderate swing voters, but it is something entirely different to be with Trump for months and then take the former president’s base voters for granted after.

—Mark J. Rozell

From the Cipher Brief:

The Cost of Inaction in Myanmar

As much as Beijing has a stake in Myanmar, the global community also needs China’s cooperation to effectively end the crisis.

—Master’s of Public Policy Student Christopher Kernan-Schmidt

From the Hill:

Who Benefits—Buyer or Seller—from Gas Pipelines and Dependency Relationships?

They fear that if Germany imports more gas via the Baltic Sea pipeline, Russia can reduce its gas exports to Europe via Ukraine and Ukraine will lose the transit revenue it now earns from Russian gas. The theory continues that Moscow then would have greater leverage to cut off gas sales to Kiev if it doesn’t need Ukraine’s pipelines to export gas to Europe.

—Mark N. Katz

From the Hill:

The Wild Card That Might Save Democrats in the Midterms

The odds don’t look great for Democrats in next year’s midterm elections. There’s a good chance that Republicans will win control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. That could mean the virtual end of the Biden presidency.

—Bill Schneider

From DAWN.org:

Why the U.S. Should End Its Unconditional Military Aid to Israel

It's time for the United States to fundamentally reassess this relationship, and recent events show why—morally, legally and strategically. Besides violating existing U.S. laws that are supposed to bar Washington from providing security assistance to countries that commit human rights abuses, military aid to Israel serves little to no strategic purpose for the United States.

—PhD Student Jon Hoffman

Topics

Schar School News July 2021

What Were We Thinking? Selected Schar School Op-Eds (May 2021)

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 14:10:31 +0000

What Were We Thinking? Selected Schar School Op-Eds (May 2021) Andrew J Schappert Tue, 06/01/2021 - 10:10

In This Story

From the Washington Post:

Why Do Some Muslim-Majority Countries Support China’s Crackdown on Muslims?

In 2019, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt were among 37 countries that signed a letter to the U.N. Human Rights Council praising China’s “contribution to the international human rights cause” — with claims that China restored “safety and security” after facing “terrorism, separatism and extremism” in Xinjiang.

—PhD Student Jonathan Hoffman

From the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists:

Was a Flying Killer Robot Used in Libya? Quite Possibly

Many people, including Steven Hawking and Elon Musk, have said they want to ban these sorts of weapons, saying they can’t distinguish between civilians and soldiers, while others say they’ll be critical in countering fast-paced threats like drone swarms and may actually reduce the risk to civilians because they will make fewer mistakes than human-guided weapons systems.

—Zak Kallenborn

From the Conversation:

Biden’s Budget: Why Investing in Innovation Is Crucial to Reach U.S. Climate Goals

My research career has been devoted to innovation policy, and I served on the White House staff under President Barack Obama. I’ve seen how smart public policies and savvy federal investments can help accelerate the innovation process.

—David Hart

From the Hill:

The Troubling Persistence of Trumpism

There’s only one way Republicans can be persuaded to abandon Trumpism. Democrats have to whip them in elections, beat them so badly that Republicans reach the point where they say, “We can’t go on like this.”

—Bill Schneider

From the Washington Post:

Opinion: Glenn Youngkin’s Blank Slate May Give the Virginia GOP a Fighting Chance

His most delicate dance, however, is with the legacy of Trump and a GOP voting base militantly loyal to him.

—Mark J. Rozell

From the Hill:

One Cheer for Political Polarization: It Freed Biden on Israel

And that means that Joe Biden can stand up to Israel more than any president since Harry Truman.

—Jeremy Mayer

From the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute:

What is AMLO’s Morena Party?

This type of party is more useful to solve the problems of party leaders or founders than to solve fundamental social problems.

—Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera

From Asia Times:

Israel-Palestine May Be Test Case of Declining U.S. Influence

President Joe Biden’s initially cautious and quiet response to Israel’s bombing campaign against Gaza is only the latest evidence of the erosion of American leverage over Israeli actions.

—Ellen Laipson

From Virginia Mercury:

Virginia’s GOP Gambles on Creative Ranked-Choice Voting for 2021 Nominees

For all of the talk now about the GOP still being under the spell of Donald Trump, unable to extricate itself from the failed ex-president and all the political baggage he carries in increasingly blue Virginia, the decision to use RCV signals perhaps an emerging realization by party leaders that it is time to look to the GOP’s future.

—Mark J. Rozell

From the Atlantic Council:

Experts React: What’s Next After the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire?

Although it wants to see the conflict come to an end, Moscow is not going to risk rupturing its multifaceted relationship with Israel—involving trade, deconfliction in Syria, and the warm Putin-Netanyahu relationship—for the sake of Hamas.

—Mark N. Katz

From Cyber Security Intelligence:

Running Out of Cyber Gas

Now, I know the idea was to get the information out to everyone so they could patch and counter accordingly. However, as some of us feared, it also limned out an attack mode for the bad guys. And the bad guys are not stupid—they are students of our vulnerabilities, they are increasingly sophisticated to a front-line nation state degree, and by our sharing we are educating them.

—Ronald Marks

From the Hill:

It’s Joe Manchin vs. the Progressives on Infrastructure

But instead of criticizing him, they might want to learn a hard truth from the senator, who knows how to use his one vote to protect his constituents.

—Mark J. Rozell

From Just Security:

Want to Compete with China? Deliver on Climate Security for the Indo-Pacific

To reestablish itself as the partner of first resort in the Indo-Pacific, the United States should use its logistical, technological, and scientific skills to help these countries prepare for and prevent the climate security risks they fear. U.S. forces in the region already help to build the capacity of allies and partners to defend themselves against State threats.

—Erin Sikorsky and Caroline Baxter

Topics

Schar School News June 2021