President's Corner

One could easily be excused for emerging from last night’s presidential debate convinced that American democracy is under direct assault by the President of the United States. What emerged was a stark and disturbing divergence between the best traditions of American democracy and the jarring reality of President Trump’s concept of governing this country. America now stands upon the edge of a knife, and the stakes of this upcoming election may indeed be existential for the future of our democracy.

Brookings President John R. Allen announces a new Brookings priority entitled Race, Justice, and Equity. This Institution-wide effort marks Brookings’s public commitment to equity and to making a tangible commitment to combat biased policies and practices that have perpetuated injustice in America.

Brookings President John R. Allen joins the Brookings community in mourning the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Brookings President John R. Allen joins the Brookings community in mourning the passing of Congressman John R. Lewis.

Ambassador Dan Shapiro and General John R. Allen note that stopping Israel’s annexation proposal is a U.S. national security interest. They write: “When it comes to Israel’s security, annexation will do nothing to enhance Israel’s ability to respond to external threats. Meanwhile, Israel’s security vis-a-vis the Palestinians will only get worse.”

John R. Allen joins Christiane Amanpour’s show to discuss his recent op-ed reacting to the use of US military against protestors.

John R. Allen joins Anderson Cooper’s show to discuss recent events and states “instead of debating whether to commit federal troops against America citizens, let’s debate how we can pursue real reform.”

In this op-ed, Brookings President John R. Allen responds to Trump’s threats to deploy the military against American citizens. He argues that we may be witnessing the beginning of the end of American democracy, but there is still a way to stop the descent.

Today, amidst this horrific moment of racially motivated violence occurring all across America, John R. Allen sent the following message to the Brookings community. This issue is so much bigger than just our institution however, and we all must do our part in condemning these terrible acts for what they are—systemic racism.

We need to prepare for a much larger, and more fraught, potential role for the American armed forces in the COVID-19 crisis.

With Ghani as the reelected president, and Abdullah as the lead negotiator—as well as lead decision-maker—on any deal with the Taliban, Afghanistan would be resolving a serious impasse that if allowed to fester could sink the entire mission for which Afghans, Americans, and many others have sacrificed so much for so long.

Amidst the COVID-19 crisis and racist rhetoric that has emerged, John R. Allen addresses the critical need to lead Americans forward in unity in order to save our economy and contain the spread of the virus.