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Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- November 10, 2009, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
On November 10, the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at Brookings hosted co-authors Kongdan Oh and Ralph Hassig for a discussion of their new book The Hidden People of North Korea: Everyday Life in the Hermit Kingdom. Drawing on decades of scholarship and experience, the speakers discussed aspects of life in North Korea and the ways in which the outside world can reach everyday North Koreans so that they can make decisions based on truth rather than propaganda.
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Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:30:00 GMT
Event Information:
- October 27, 2009, 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
On October 27, the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies hosted a presentation by Kim Kwangjin of his report on North Korean succession and human rights issues. Mr. Kim defected from North Korea in 2003, and was previously manager of North Korea’s Northeast Asia Bank in Singapore and representative of the Korea National Insurance Corporation. This discussion also featured Roberta Cohen of Brookings and Bruce Klingner of the Heritage Foundation.
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Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT
China’s legal system has recently come under close scrutiny after the controversial detainment of famous lawyer Xu Zhiyong in July of 2009. Cheng Li and Jordan Lee argue that while the Chinese government does fall short in its acceptance of politically sensitive cases, the nation’s strong foundation in law-based policies and recent incremental legal system developments could pave the way for advanced reform.
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Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Suzanne Maloney testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on recent developments in Iran after the June 12 election and resulting protests across the country. Maloney addressed the current internal political crisis, the efficiency of additional international sanctions against Iran and offered suggestions for U.S. policy going forward.
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Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Though many believe China's drive toward democracy stagnated after the People's Liberation Army put down the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations, Cheng Li argues otherwise. Li notes that while the political system is still constrained by party monopoly on power, lack of an independent judiciary and media censorship, China is making significant progress on the democratic front.
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Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" forces soldiers to lie about or hide their sexual orientation to keep from being discharged. Peter Singer believes it is time for President Obama to fulfill his campaign pledge to end the policy so that patriotic and capable military members can focus on national security instead social politics.
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Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Last week, President Obama outlined his approach to closing the Guantánamo Bay detention center on the heels of Congress voting overwhelmingly to block the $80 million he requested to close the the prison. The speech was forward-looking, writes Brookings expert Ben Wittes, in that he maintained the need for a preventative detention system created by Congress and overseen by the courts.
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Tue, 19 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT
President Obama will soon make his first Supreme Court nomination. It seems unlikely that the addition of President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court will change the outcome in church-state cases, writes Rogers, but the views and voice of his nominee will certainly affect the debate at the Court and shape decisions long after Obama leaves the White House.
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Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:30:00 GMT
Event Information:
- April 16, 2009, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
On April 16, William Galston moderated a discussion with Alan Wolfe, author of The Future of Liberalism (Knopf, 2009), on how the liberal tradition can influence and illuminate contemporary debates on issues such as immigration, abortion, executive power, religious freedom and free speech. E.J. Dionne, Jr. and Ross Douthat offered their thoughts on liberalism’s roots and how it can be applied to today’s problems.
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Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- March 13, 2009, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
In a recent New York Times op-ed, Brookings scholar Jonathan Rauch and co-author David Blankenhorn argue that linking federal civil unions to guarantees of religious freedom is a way to head off a long-term, scorched-earth debate over gay marriage and religious liberty. On March 13, Rauch and Blankenhorn discussed their proposal at a forum moderated by Brookings Senior Fellow William Galston.
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Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Brookings expert Jonathan Rauch and David Blankenhorn of the Institute of American Values joined Neal Conan on Talk of the Nation to discuss a federal compromise on the issue of same-sex marriage.
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Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Saleem Ali writes that China is a great nation from which the U.S., and indeed Pakistan, have much to learn. However, as friends we must engage in a relationship that builds on our common humanity.
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Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT
In their New York Times opinion, Brookings expert Jonathan Rauch and David Blankenhorn of the Institute of American Values offer a federal compromise on the debatable issue of same-sex marriage.
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Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:40:53 GMT
Ben Wittes says that President Obama’s three executive orders on closing Guantanamo Bay and detainee treatment are more of a process than a solution for the problem. In reality, he says, it does less than many expected.
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Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT
President-elect Barack Obama plans to fulfill his campaign promise and issue an executive order next Wednesday directing the closing of the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. Benjamin Wittes joined experts in a New York Times running commentary to discuss the challenges the new administration will face in closing Guantánamo.
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Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:30:00 GMT
Event Information:
- November 19, 2008, 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
The incoming administration has indicated that one of its first priorities will be to close Guantanamo Bay. The Scouting Report continued its weekly web chat with Brookings expert Benjamin Wittes, who answered questions about how President Obama can put a legal framework in place to end the clash over detainee rights. Politico's David Mark moderated.
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Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT
In an interview with CBS News, Benjamin Wittes discusses three possible ways the Obama administration could close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
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Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- November 12, 2008, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Key legal and constitutional policy issues from the Bush administration will no doubt carry over to the Obama administration: protecting national security with due regard for civil liberties, achieving an immigration policy that secures the nation's borders and treats lawful immigrants fairly, and identifying the proper extent and limits of presidential authority. On November 12, Brookings Visiting Fellow Russell Wheeler moderated a panel of experts to discuss what this will mean for the Justice Department and other law enforcement agencies.
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Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Same sex couples are missing from the advertising wars over Proposition 8, the constitutional ballot initiative on whether to retain or reject same-sex marriage in California. As Brookings scholar Jonathan Rauch, the absence of same sex couples from California's same-sex marriage debate makes for an oddly hollow discussion.
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Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Khalil Al-Anani tackles the question of America’s commitment to democracy promotion, and he questions the strength of that commitment, especially when it comes in conflict with American strategic interests.
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Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Peter Singer analyzes the history of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy which allows gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans to serve in the U.S. military as long as they stay quiet about their sexuality. Singer argues a world shaped by reality television has created a new generation of troops more open to allowing homosexuals in the military, and that during this difficult time for recruiting and retaining talent, the military should embrace those willing to serve.
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Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Brookings China expert Cheng Li and author Frank Wu believe the Beijing Olympics can be a means to foster better U.S.-China relations. They contend that is now time for constructive engagement and strategic dialogue in areas, among others, of trade, the environment, energy, as well as human rights, civil liberties, and the rule of law.
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Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Brookings expert Kevin Casas-Zamora writes that Latin American democracies must deal seriously with the mounting casualties of violence across the continent. He believes a comprehensive policy of reform among police forces, and the introduction of modern technology as well as more investment in civil society, can create lasting and sustainable solutions to crime.
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Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT
The interrogation programs of both the military and the intelligence community have been criticized at great length for being inconsistent with American values. In testimony before the House Committee on the Judiciary, Benjamin Wittes examined America's interrogation policy in the war against terrorism and offered steps towards a healthier statutory environment.
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Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Benjamin Wittes discusses recent legal developments in the war on terror with Josh Patashnik of The New Republic and Andrew McCarthy, director of the Center for Law and Counterterrorism at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
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Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Six years after the September 11 attacks, America is losing a crucial front in the ongoing war on terror. It is losing not to Al Qaeda but to its own failure to construct a set of laws that will protect the American people. Now, in the twilight of President Bush’s administration, Benjamin Wittes offers an analysis of the troubling legal legacy of the Bush administration, the U.S. Congress and the Supreme Court.
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Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- June 23, 2008, 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Benjamin Wittes, Brookings fellow and research director in public law, offered a vigorous analysis of how America came to its current impasse in the debate over liberty, human rights and counterterrorism and drew a road map for how the country and the next president might move forward.
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Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Jonathan Rauch argues the importance of same sex marriages in America. He writes that marriage stabilizes communities by formalizing responsibilities and creating kin networks, thereby cementing the foundation of civilization.
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Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT
California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage, and ruled that civil unions are not a legally adequate substitution for marriage. Are then civil union supporters the legal equivalent of segregationists? The California court thinks so, writes Benjamin Wittes.
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Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT
The Supreme Court recently handed down a decision upholding as constitutional the specific mixture of drugs by which thirty states put condemned prisoners to death. In this piece, Ben Wittes writes about the Supreme Court's failure to rationalize its decisions about cruel and unusual punishment.
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Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:30:00 GMT
Event Information:
- April 16, 2008, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
In conjunction with the University of Miami, the Brookings Institution’s project on “U.S. Policy toward a Cuba in Transition” held its third simulation exercise on April 16, 2008, focusing on the dynamics, motivations, and decision-making processes of Cuban civil society groups.
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Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT
The Justice Department recently released John Yoo's 2003 "torture" memo to Congress. Questions remain on what to do with the people the military and the CIA interrogated brutally in 2002 and 2003, writes Ben Wittes, and how the CIA should handle such people in the future.