The participants of the conference on America’s Role in the World®, the country’s premier nonpartisan foreign policy conference, have been reporting the news or asked to comment on news stories on a range of topics, from national security to the role of diplomacy to COVID-19 to the climate crisis. Here are some of the places you can find their most recent work:
Former US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, who talked with journalist Susan Glasser during the conference, has written or been interviewed on a wide range of foreign policy issues, including the state of diplomacy, the political ramifications of COVID-19 around the world, and the current administration’s relationship with the State Department. His pieces are collected at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he is president.
“Burns: Pandemic ‘an opportunity’ for authoritarian leaders,” in CNN
“A Moment to Renew American Statesmanship,” in The Wall Street Journal
“The Damage at the State Department Is Worse Than You Imagine,” in The Atlantic
“The Demolition of US Diplomacy,” in Foreign Affairs
“An End to Magical Thinking in the Middle East,” in The Atlantic
“Trump’s Bureaucratic Arson,” in The Atlantic
“The US-India Relationship Is Bigger Than Trump and Modi,” in The Atlantic
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, who received the inaugural Richard G. Lugar Award and was widely praised for defending the work of diplomats during her testimony in the impeachment trial of President Trump, has written about the need for active diplomacy, a strong State Department, and principled leadership. Her own speech at the conference on America’s Role in the World® dealt with similar themes, in addition to the challenges to democracy in Ukraine and her long career in the State Department.
“Marie Yovanovitch: These Are Turbulent Times, But We Will Persist and Prevail,” in The Washington Post
Senator Todd Young has advocated for Hoosiers in the CARES Act, which seeks to help individuals, small businesses, healthcare workers, and patients amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also written about the lessons of COVID-19 in terms of foreign and domestic policy.
“Sen. Todd Young: Time to Invest in America,” in the Washington Examiner
In the Senate, he has recently joined other senators in calling to end the forced labor of Uyghurs in China, support child care during the pandemic, and sustain broadband in rural areas, considering the pressure the pandemic is putting on rural broadband systems.
Participants in the panel on Climate Change and the American Public have written or appeared in numerous news articles recently.
Emily Atkin continues to write her newsletter about the climate crisis, HEATED, with recent entries about the effect of COVID-19 on the oil industry and climate protests, and certain governors’ decision to ban reusable grocery bags given the scientifically questionable possibility that they might carry the coronavirus. Atkin has also just started a podcast about the relationship between COVID-19 and the climate crisis.
Isabella Fallahi’s work on international climate activism has drawn significant coverage.
“How Greta Thunberg and Other Climate Activists Are Taking Their Campaign Online,” in Vogue
“This Is What It Looks Like When Teens Fight Climate Change,” in Elle
“Teen Activists Couldn’t Ignore the ‘Morbid Symbols’ All Over the UN’s Climate Conference,” in VICE
“How Generation Z is Leading the Climate Movement,” in Waging Nonviolence
Janet McCabe’s environmental expertise has been useful in many local contexts as governments weigh how to respond to pollution and climate change.
“Indiana University Experts Testify on State Lead Contamination,” in Indiana Environmental Reporter
“2019 Women of Influence: Janet McCabe,” in Indiana Business Journal
Participants in the panel on Security Challenges in the 2020s have also been very active.
Lara Jakes has continued to write extensively about the US’s foreign engagement for The New York Times, including several pieces about COVID-19 and diplomacy.
“Trump’s ‘Disaster Diplomacy’ Has So Far Had Few Results,” in the Times
“At Least 13,500 Americans Need Help Getting Home, State Dept. Says,” in the Times
“Coronavirus Drives the U.S. and China Deeper Into Global Power Struggle,” in the Times
“China Announces That It Will Expel U.S. Journalists,” in the Times
Kelly Magsamen has lent her expertise to a number of news stories related to US relations with Iran and how to use the Department of Defense in the fight against COVID-19.
“Former National Security Official on Repercussions of Soleimani Strike,” interview on NPR
“How to Avoid Another War in the Middle East,” op-ed in Foreign Affairs
“Beyond Human Toll, Coronavirus Could Shake Up Global Politics,” in The Straits Times
“Making Automakers Churn Out Ventilators Won’t Be So Easy, Manufacturers and Former Officials Say,” in The Washington Post
“How the Pentagon Should Get into the Coronavirus Fight at Home,” op-ed in Defense One
Nicholas Rasmussen has commented on numerous news stories, as well, particularly regarding intelligence, national security, and domestic terrorism.
“Former Intelligence Chiefs: Trump’s Removal of Experts Is Deeply Destructive to Our Nation’s Safety,” op-ed in The Washington Post
“Full Rasmussen: ‘Absolutely None of My Time’ in Government Was Spent on Domestic Terrorism,” interview on MSNBC
“The President’s War on Intelligence: Yes, It’s Worse Than You Think,” op-ed in Just Security
“Right-wing Extremism and Domestic Terror,” interview in Asia and the Pacific Policy Society
Frank Rose has written a number of blog posts for the Brookings Institution, including on the topics of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, New START, and China and arms control.
US-China relations have been on the front page for weeks, and contributors to the conference’s panel on that topic have been very active.
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian has reported extensively on Uyghur concentration camps in Xinjiang, including on a trove of leaked documents about the Chinese Communist Party’s decisions regarding arresting and sentencing, in addition to other topics of US-China relations.
“Exposed: China’s Operating Manuals for Mass Internment And Arrest By Algorithm,” for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Her reporting for China on Axios is robust and has recently covered such topics as the fraying of DC’s bipartisan China consensus, the use of bots to disseminate Chinese propaganda in Italy, and Chinese businesses recovering from the COVID-19 downturn. Her regular newsletter, Axios China, gives a very useful overview of US-China relations in the news.
Adam Liff has written a number of reports and blog posts for the Brookings Institution, including on Beijing’s “gray zone” coercion and Japan’s constitution.
Daniel Twining has contributed his expertise on democratic values and trade agreements in a number of contexts.
“India, US May Iron Out Differences in Bilateral Trade Agreement During Trump Visit: Experts,” in India West
“IRI’s Twining: Our Agenda Is a Strong and Healthy Democracy in Georgia,” interview in Civil Georgia
“Democracy, Dictatorship, and American National Security in the 21st Century,” essay in The Ripon Forum
“America’s Security Is Still Tied to the Fate of Freedom,” in The American Interest
“The World Watches as Tunisians Vote,” op-ed in The Hill
With November just around the corner, panelists on Presidential Elections and US Foreign Policy have had a lot of material to work with.
Whit Ayres has used his extensive knowledge of polling data to comment on the state of the presidential candidates’ campaigns in the context of COVID-19.
“How the Coronavirus Changed the 2020 Campaign,” in The New York Times
“Inside Trump’s Risky Push to Reopen the Country Amid the Coronavirus Crisis,” in The Washington Post
“Americans See Trump’s Virus Response Through Partisan Lens,” in ABC News
“Day One of a Campaign Transformed: Biden the Likely Nominee, Coronavirus the Dominant Issue,” USA Today
Geoffrey Garin of Hart Research Associates has produced a report of their 2019 polling results, with some quite interesting findings about Americans’ views on political figures, their voting intentions, and their opinions about American democracy.
Allison Stanger has discussed her book about whistle-blowers and published a number of articles on the topic.
“Whistle-Blowers Are the Last Defense Against Global Corruption,” in The Atlantic
“America Needs Whistle-Blowers Because of People Like This,” in The Atlantic
As a correspondent for 60 Minutes, Bill Whitaker has reported recently on possible vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, the social researcher and popular author Brené Brown, and the effect of climate change on winter sports and cultural traditions in the Netherlands.
Theodore Megremis
Excellent conference again.