The Watsonblogs project, hosted by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, provides an online space for Watson faculty and affiliates to post thoughts and analysis of international affairs. By hosting a group of bloggers under the Watsonblogs umbrella, it is our hope that we can create a critical mass of vibrant, cutting edge and thoughtful insights on contemporary global problems. If you have any suggestions about this initiative, please contact us at Watsonblogs@brown.edu.

Who Lost Iran? Charles Krauthammer has been taking the Bush administration to task over Iran. His recent National Review piece began, "It is time to admit the truth: The Bush administration's attempt to halt Iran's nuclear program has failed. Utterly." Simply put, he's...
by Barron YoungSmith at May 6, 2008 06:57 PM +02:00 GMT

Distribute Iraq's oil revenues directly to the public? Not many entries lately - I have been finishing up an article on the role of networks in the construction of the Afghan state, and a paper on Iraqi resources for the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation. More on the latter paper...
by jon_mendel at May 1, 2008 10:43 PM +00:00 GMT

Bedside manner Despite appearances to the contrary, the recent vitriol between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama masks some genuine differences between the Democratic candidates. One particularly important difference involves health care. The difference, however, is not so much one of policy....
by Daniel Widome at April 30, 2008 12:17 AM -08:00 GMT

Update / Burma's Sham Referendum Many apologies for the prolonged absence in posting. Security concerns. Let me update you since last entry. At the end of last year, I finished my time editing papers for human rights and environmental activists from all around the Mekong...
by social justice at April 28, 2008 06:08 PM +08:00 GMT

Special interests By now, the Democratic primary has stretched on longer than almost anyone could have predicted. Senators Hilary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) are each well-funded and broadly supported candidates. But as the race has dragged on, the sparring between...
by Daniel Widome at April 24, 2008 08:13 PM -08:00 GMT

Our New Book Is Coming Out! For the past year I've been working for another Brown Journal of World Affairs editor, Peter Scoblic (also of The New Republic) on a book: (U.S. vs. Them: How A Half-Century of Conservatism Has Undermined American Security) I really...
by Barron YoungSmith at April 11, 2008 05:33 PM +02:00 GMT

Encouraging Adoption Pakistan and the Muslim World Thus the history of Islam provides us with adequate encouragement for adoption as a worthy deed and one which families should consider more actively across the Muslim world but particularly in Pakistan. While Senator McCain might not be the most appealing U.S. presidential candidate for many Pakistanis on other accounts, his nobility as an adoptive parent must be admired and emulated.
by Saleem Ali at March 29, 2008 10:06 AM -05:00 GMT

Encouraging Adoption in Pakistan and the Muslim World Thus the history of Islam provides us with adequate encouragement for adoption as a worthy deed and one which families should consider more actively across the Muslim world but particularly in Pakistan. While Senator McCain might not be the most appealing U.S. presidential candidate for many Pakistanis on other accounts, his nobility as an adoptive parent must be admired and emulated.
by Saleem Ali at March 29, 2008 10:06 AM -05:00 GMT

Five years The fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq generated a good deal of reflection on the course of the war so far. Unsurprisingly, much of this commentary emanated from the presidential candidates. Each one underscored the distinctions on Iraq and...
by Daniel Widome at March 27, 2008 06:07 PM -08:00 GMT

RUSI lecture on military robots Prof Sharkey gave what sounds like an interesting lecture at RUSI last month. In particular, I'd draw out Sharkey's emphasis on how 'terrorists' and others might be able to take advantage of this technology - especially as prices fall and...
by jon_mendel at March 8, 2008 10:34 PM +00:00 GMT

The problem with language Partway through Arundhati Roy’s essay, “Power Politics”, she makes a memorable observation about the use of language in the development world: “In March 2000, I lived through a writer’s bad dream [the World Water Forum at the Hague]. I witnessed...
by gowriv at March 5, 2008 09:21 AM +05:30 GMT

Pakistan's political heir The mourning period of Benazir Bhutto’s tragic assassination has passed this week with a surprisingly calm election and Pakistanis will no doubt begin to approach her son and political heir Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in various ways to express their hopes and fears for the country. As one such citizen, I write this article at the eve of the publication of his mother’s notable book and also after a pivotal election victory for her party. You may ask why I write to give advice to a nineteen year old who couldn’t even run in the election? The answer is simple: reform is far easier to advocate to those who are new to the process than to those who are entrenched in entitlements of the old system. Perhaps that is why so many Americans are gravitating towards an inexperienced but youthfully optimistic senator named Barack Obama.
by Saleem Ali at March 1, 2008 08:12 PM -05:00 GMT

All apologies Earlier this month, Australia's parliament passed a resolution formally apologizing for one of the country's most egregious practices of institutionalized mistreatment of indigenous Australians. In issuing this apology, Australia is not alone. Apologies for past, state-sponsored misdeeds have become a...
by Daniel Widome at February 28, 2008 12:30 PM -08:00 GMT

From Alma Ata to the Global Fund From Alma Ata to the Global Fund: The history of International health policy is a report prepared by the Italian Global Health Watch, published in the journal of Social Medicine (Volume 3, Number 1, January, 2008). This paper traces...
by Syamak Moattari at February 14, 2008 07:03 PM -05:00 GMT

Torture I continue to despair about the U.S. use of torture. Nick Kristof's column "When We Torture" (2/14/08) certainly pricks my conscience. I wish there were louder voices joining together on this everywhere. The senate just passed bill prohibiting water-boarding, the...
by Andy Blackadar at February 14, 2008 09:22 AM -05:00 GMT