VIDEO
Richard C. Bush III, November 12, 2009
As President Obama prepares for his trip to China and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Singapore, Richard Bush says that the APEC meetings will help the United States fortify its relationships with Asian countries.
VIDEO
Kenneth G. Lieberthal, November 12, 2009
As part of a multi-nation Asia trip that began last week, President Obama, now in China, met with Chinese Premier Hu Jintao to foster greater understanding and cooperation between the U.S. and China. Kenneth Lieberthal discusses the importance of the meeting between the two leaders.
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Washington, DC
China’s continued ascension presents policy challenges for both Beijing and Washington. President Barack Obama made his first trip to China from November 15-18. Kenneth Lieberthal and Fred Barbash, Politico's senior editor, took questions about the president’s trip to China in this edition of the Scouting Report. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Kenneth G. Lieberthal, November 04, 2009, The Brookings Institution
China’s continued ascension presents policy challenges for both Beijing and Washington. President Barack Obama will make his first trip to China from November 15-18, where he will address a multitude of issues ranging from climate change to trade and the economy to military ties between the two nations. On November 4, Kenneth Lieberthal took questions in a live web chat with Politico senior editor Fred Barbash about President Obama's first trip to China. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, November 04, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Given a choice between the status quo in American education and change, the Obama administration has been bold in pursuit of change. The president and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have used the bully pulpit and the powerful lever of $5 billion in discretionary stimulus funds to push a catalog of initiatives, writes Brookings senior fellow, Russ Whitehurst. Whitehurst gives the administration an A+ for motive, effort and reach, but he writes the administration has made some questionable bets and ignored surer ones, most specifically improvements in curriculum and instruction. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Justin Vaïsse, November 03, 2009, Le Monde
On the first anniversary of President Obama's victory, Justin Vaïsse explains the delay in enacting major domestic reform by pointing out the continuing partisan polarization and the importance of checks and balances, especially the power of the Senate. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Charles O. Jones, October 27, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Post-partisan politics is seen as providing a cure for whatever currently ails American politics. Charles Jones explores post-partisanship and the various forms of partisanship that currently exist in Washington. Although conventional wisdom tells us that we must move beyond partisanship, Jones concludes that partisanship continues to serve as the basis for the workings of American politics. Simply put, partisanship is the way lawmaking works in representative government. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Russell Wheeler, October 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
October 20, 2009 marked nine months since President Barack Obama took office. Russell Wheeler compares the nomination process for the courts of appeals and district courts of the George W. Bush administration with the current one, focusing on nominations made, hearings held, nominees confirmed and nominee characteristics. Wheeler reveals two striking findings: the relatively paucity of Obama administration nominees and the delay in full Senate action on those nominees. Read More
PAST EVENT
Friday, October 16, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
President Obama's decision on whether to send more troops to Afghanistan is being portrayed as the most momentous of his young presidency. On October 16, Brookings hosted a discussion of the president's policy options for Afghanistan, drawing on experts with a diverse range of views. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, October 14, 2009, The Brookings Institution
President Obama has committed himself to “reform America’s public schools,” and his administration is focused on making early childhood programs, common standards, charter schools and teachers more effective. However, writes Russ Whitehurst, the administration should also undertake actions to better integrate curriculum innovation and reform into its policy framework. "Don't Forget Curriculum” compares the size of the effects on student achievement brought about by curriculum with the size of the effects of popular reform strategies favored by the Obama administration. Read More
PAST EVENT
Friday, October 09, 2009
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Washington, DC
On October 9, the Brookings Institution will host Harvard Public Policy Lecturer Elaine Kamarck for a discussion of her new book, Primary Politics: How Presidential Candidates Have Shaped the Modern Nominating System (Brookings Institution Press, 2009), which explains how the presidential nomination process became the often bewildering system we have today. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Benjamin Wittes, September 29, 2009, The Washington Post
President Obama's decision not to go to Congress for help in establishing reasonable standards for the continued detention of Guantánamo detainees is a failure of leadership in the project of putting American law on a sound basis for a long-term confrontation with terrorism, writes Benjamin Wittes. It is bad for the country, for national security and for civil liberties, and represents a virtually wholesale adoption of the failed policies of his predecessor. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Strobe Talbott, September 21, 2009, The Brookings Institution
When President Barack Obama addresses foreign leaders at the UN General Assembly and the G-20 Summit later this week, it’s a safe prediction that no one will boo or shout insults at him, at least within the halls, says Strobe Talbott. The hearing he gets in New York and Pittsburgh will reflect the astronomical popularity and hopes for his success that Obama enjoys around the globe. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Stephen Hess, September 18, 2009, Politics Daily
The current controversy over the number of "czars" in the Obama administration enjoys the rare distinction of being a political fight in Washington that everybody wants to have. However, Stephen Hess is confounded by the controversy since presidents have always had close advisers with powerful portfolios who did not require Senate confirmation. Read More