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News from Watson
News from Watson features research, commentary, and analysis from our faculty, staff, and students. Discover different perspectives on, and connections among, the Institute's core research areas: development, security, and governance.
Brown awards $1.25 million to library, participatory budgeting projects in Providence public schools
UTRA grants create valuable research opportunities at Watson
At Commencement, Graduate School speakers will reckon with the past to build a better future
Watson Military Fellows reflect on lessons learned at Brown
NSA director Gen. Nakasone visits Watson to discuss cybersecurity
In new report, Rhode Island’s Afghan refugees detail their evacuation, resettlement experiences
Art at Watson celebrates 10 years of art, education and community
Combating domestic terrorism ‘is the fight of our generation,’ Seth Magaziner says at Brown
Transitional justice seminar explores how societies transition out of periods of political violence
First Digital Trust Summit held at Watson
Watson seminar explores the complex relationship between capitalism and gender
Politics and journalism course addresses 'crisis of truth' in political reporting
‘Displaced’ seminar helps students contextualize refugee crisis
In congressional hearing, Brown scholar addresses tensions between US and China
Earthquake teach-in sponsored by Center for Middle East Studies and Center for Human Rights
Marking the 20th anniversary of US invasion of Iraq
Two MPA alumnae named Presidential Management Fellows finalists
Spring 2023 events at Watson
Study provides roadmap for using convalescent plasma as an effective COVID-19 treatment
Spring 2023 practitioner-led study groups
Watson Institute names former Congressman James Langevin a senior fellow
Top 'News from Watson' stories of 2022
Watson’s postdoctoral fellows immersed in dynamic teaching and research
Senior fellows’ study group liaisons are ‘super-students’
In campus discussion, Questlove talks ‘Summer of Soul,’ preserving Black history
Six takeaways from the 2022 midterm elections, according to Brown political experts
Watson’s Director’s fellowship program engages MPA students in timely research projects
In its second year, military fellows program continues to bridge the civilian-military divide
Context is everything
In conversation, scholars discuss the global significance of protests in Iran
Visualizing Algeria, from revolution to independence
Brown in Washington Fellowship offers an insider’s perspective
Watson celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
Military Fellows arrive ready for dialogue
Fall 2022 events at Watson
Senior Fellows share their insights and expertise in diverse study groups
Fall 2022 practitioner-led study groups
Using newly unsealed archives, Brown professor takes fresh lens to Pope Pius XII at war
Intensive sequence courses equip MPA students with essential analytical and quantitative skills
Climate opportunity map demonstrates economic, health benefits of pursuing a net-zero energy policy
Watson experts weigh in on the overturning of Roe v. Wade
The MPA Class of 2023 has arrived.
Time-space continuum
Birkelund Funds drive innovative research initiatives, support student engagement
Reconstructing the social safety net
Watson undergraduate awards, grants and prizes
Focus on China
Tracking—and understanding—the situation in Ukraine
A multidisciplinary approach to development in the global south
Central Falls' 'Voces con Poder' sparks civic engagement
Through research collaboration, Brown scholars aim to improve experiences of refugees
Breaking out: immigrant Art from Stewart Detention Center
$10 million gift from Saxena family will expand the study of South Asia
Learning communications by doing communications
The Ambassadors
MPA students named Presidential Management Fellow finalists
Spring 2022 practitioner-led study groups
One year after the Capitol insurrection, what have we learned?
Top 'News from Watson' stories of 2021
What does the data say?
All eyes on South Asia
Documentary film, Fauci, kicks off this year’s programming for the JFK Jr. Initiative
The dark side of extreme wealth
National policy documents downplay the dangers of climate change
New 'Art at Watson' installation, 'Seeing Silicon Valley'
Watson welcomes its newest postdocs
Climate Solutions Lab's syllabus bank
New program bridges the academic and military worlds
A series of events taking a 'deep dive' into the Post-9/11 Wars in Afghanistan and beyond
Bridging theory and practice
Fall 2021 practitioner-led student study groups
Fall 2021 events on Afghanistan
Student artists create works that reflect their experience of the pandemic
New leadership for Watson’s DIAP committee seeks to connect the dots
Political ‘couples therapy’ could heal a divided America, study finds
Above and beyond
Brown’s largest-ever MPA cohort arrives
New year, new leadership
2020-21 Watson Postdoctoral Fellows has launched
Watson undergraduate awards, grants, and prizes
One hundred days in: Is Biden making good on his international climate pledges?
Director Ed Steinfeld's letter
Juniors weigh in on Watson's new concentration
Watson's one-year MPA program climbs in U.S. News rankings of graduate public affairs degrees
Policy-in-action consultancy has mutual benefits
While vaccine resistance is nothing new, we need new tools to persuade vaccine resisters
How to teach climate change
Supporting new scholarship on questions of injustice, human rights and democracy
Spring semester practitioner-led student study groups
Policy, economic experts weigh in on US Capitol attack
Year in review: top 10 'News from Watson' stories of 2020
'Less to Lean On' series exposes widespread housing insecurity, homelessness
Course spotlight: the politics of policymaking in comparative perspective
A renewed commitment to graduate education
Brown announces reappointment of Edward Steinfeld as Watson Institute Director
Quiet period 2021
Amid national uncertainty, Brown students, scholars grapple with election analysis
Experts at the ready
Call it an emergency: the next President’s guide to addressing climate change
New Mellon Foundation grant will focus on the migrant experience
Virtual art exhibition revisits American flag as a protest symbol
New Brown Climate Solutions Lab calls for executive action on climate change
Seminar compares erosion of democratic norms around the world
Watson welcomes new cohort of postdoctoral fellows
Watson establishes a new 'Climate Solutions Lab'
New research exposes long-standing challenges to civilian-military coordination in humanitarian crises
Fall semester practitioner-led student study groups
Watson Election 2020
Remembering Sergei Khrushchev
New documentary film initiative named in memory of John F. Kennedy Jr. ’83.
New faculty leadership roles
Deconstructing the concept of development
Watson's latest cohort of postdoctoral fellows departs for dynamic academic opportunities
Undaunted by the pandemic, the new MPA cohort is off and running
Standing in solidarity
Virtually united
The unexpected price of oil
Learning research by doing research
A note from Director Ed Steinfeld
Brown University experts team up with Project HOPE to provide COVID-19 training for health workers
MPA program climbs in U.S. News graduate school rankings
New Comic features Watson Faculty analysis
Facing complexity and controversy in film
Brown in Washington Program offers students a deep dive into foreign policy
The opioid crisis: a multidisciplinary approach to policy-making
Spring 2020 study groups
Watson announces new Senior Fellows
The JFK Jr. Initiative for Documentary Film
Top 'News from Watson' Stories of 2019
A game-changer in the fight against Ebola
New '20 Years of War' research series
New six-part human securities series bridges Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies and the US Naval War College
Middle East Studies enters a new era at Brown
Notable events at Watson this Fall
New faculty leadership roles
Introducing the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies
Fall 2019 study groups
How Women, Islam and the state intersect
Cities and the future
Watson launches another cohort of postdoctoral fellows
2018-19: Collaboration, conversation and exploration
Curricular reform for a new generation
Two campuses, one course: Naval War College faculty teach at Brown too
Million dollar grant award will support creation of Watson Military Fellows Program
Jim Yong Kim ’82 to bring real-world experience to Watson
Brazil Initiative convenes students, scholars and activists
BakerRipley President Emerita Angela Blanchard joins the Watson Institute as a senior fellow
US Rep. David Cicilline ’83 joins the Watson Institute
The power of data
Year in review: Top 10 'News from Watson' stories of 2018
Stephen Robert '62 Hall opens
Credible fear: Tales from a Texas detention center
Election results worldwide
Watson undergraduate concentrations review FAQ
BIARI beyond Brown: Improving disaster response where disasters happen
Watson Institute launches program in Philippines for study of disaster relief
Brazil elections: Who's in play and what's at stake
Study groups led by Tom Perez '83 and Michael Steele
Watson to present cutting-edge research at national meeting
Watson welcomes prominent Republican to lead study group
Watson's expanding universe
A place at the table: Women's role in national security
BIARI 2018
Notable lectures from 2017-2018
2016-2018 postdoctoral fellows named to top universities
A win-win: Internships that are good for local students and for Brown
Re-thinking the wall: Chilean and Greek street art at Brown
Research by Professors Susan Moffitt and Margot Jackson
Civilian-military humanitarian response: How to work better together
From Baghdad to Paris: Pulitzer Prize winner Alissa Rubin '80
Straight to the Heartland: How to Make a Big Difference in a Smaller City
Brown in Washington's Third Cohort
Hitting the Wall: A Flow-Disrupting, Thought-Provoking Installation
Is Nuclear War No Longer Taboo?
From Boulder to Bonn: Climate Change Is the #1 Crisis
$5.6 trillion and growing
Watson's Choices Program Teaches High School Students to Think Critically About Pressing Global Issues
Year in Review: Top 10 Explore Stories of 2017
15 Memorable Moments in 2017
Irregular Warfare: The Experiences across the Civil-Military Divide
Big Deal: Brown Is Top-Ranked for Brazilian Studies
Can the Center Hold? Examining the Risks to Civil Society in the Global South
Exploring the “what, how, and who” of race and indigeneity in the Americas
Watson and the Taubman Center: It's All International
Former U.S. Secretary of Labor to Join Brown's Policy and International Affairs Institute
Renowned experts convene at Watson to collaborate on civilian-military responses to humanitarian disasters
National leaders and academics come together at conference to showcase fact-based policy
An Interview with Dilma Rousseff
Provost Richard M. Locke Writes Preface for New Study on Supply Chains
Learning to Teach: Workshop Prepares Scholars for Student Veterans
Watson Institute Postdoctoral Fellows Making a Difference
Five Takeaways from the Second Taubman Center Poll of Five Separate Types of American Communities
BIARI 2017 Identifies Challenging, Interrelated Dilemmas
Health Policy After the 2016 Election
Understanding the rise of nationalism in hot spots around the world
Notable Lectures from 2016-2017
Women in Leadership Conference
By deconstructing past military outcomes, Rose McDermott’s book offers prescriptions for the future
Using the Humanities to Connect Soldiers and Civilians
7 Surprising Takeaways from a Deep Dive into American Places
Trump Coalition Looks Past Controversies, while Opposition is Intense
Mother Lode: A political scientist makes sense of his uncommon childhood
Three Points to Remember in Response to Chemical Attacks in Syria
Attacking Higher Education Kills More than Academic Freedom
International Journalism: Foreign Reporting in Practice
Special Issue: The ACA and Beyond
New Speaker Series: Investing in Women for Peace, Security, and Stability
Better, Faster, Stronger
Watson Faculty Respond to President Trump's Joint Session of Congress
Top Publications to Better Understand Today's Political Climate
Kinzer’s new book, The True Flag, deconstructs a fascinating slice of American history
The Watson Institute issues a call to action to Brown students: #HackWatson
The era of Trump, Brexit: A global phenomenon?
New Public Policy Courses for Spring 2017
Are Iranian Protests a Sign of Reform to Come?
Year in Review: Top 10 Explore Stories of 2016
MPA students get up close and personal with world-class faculty
Faculty Commentary: Obamacare
Involuntary Movements: New initiative focuses on displacement, past and present
Watson Institute Faculty Respond to the Presidential Election
Upcoming Film Screening: Stephen Kinzer on Mass Killings in Indonesia
The “Twilight’s Last Gleaming”
New Study Shows Weakening Violence in Indonesia Over Past Decade
New study finds that sexual behaviors align with political values
The Fate of Dilma Rousseff and the Future of Hillary Clinton
Letter from Sana’a
Watson initiative to help bridge humanitarian, academic efforts
Researchers Receive $4.9 Million to Examine Common Core
The Global Struggle for Racial Equality
Faculty Commentary: Presidential Debate
GrowingVoters.org lays the foundation to transform students into voters
Middle East Studies teach-in deconstructs the coup and the future of democracy in Turkey
The Watson Institute's 25th Anniversary
Visual Politics in the Contemporary Middle East
Surveillance Reform After Snowden
What Next for Brazil?
Watson Elections 2016
Death toll from war in Afghanistan and Pakistan climbs to 173,000
Brazilian Magic, the Olympics and a Country in Crisis
New Study: Melting ice sheet could release frozen Cold War-era waste
New ADHD Study Shows Negative Social Implications of Early Childhood Diagnosis May Outweigh Benefits
Summer School: In one intense week, teachers learn from the experts – and each other.
As the RNC concludes, Professor Kennedy discusses the "Fantasy of Trump"
Watson Faculty Respond to Britain's Exit from the EU
Early Behavior Problems Impact Long-Term Educational Attainment More for Boys than Girls
The Spirit of BIARI 2016
Real and Simulated Crises Offer Learning Opportunities for Scholars, Keynote Speaker
Scholars Learn of Deep Racial Inequality in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Leading Humanitarian Response Advocate Questions the Impact of Anti-Terrorism Laws on Relief Efforts
Scholars Examine How Climate Change Plays Into Humanitarian Relief Efforts
Transparency, Accountability, and the Indian Government
On the Future of Crisis Reporting
Watson Faculty Featured in Brown University's Faculty Bulletin
The Watson Institute’s BIARI Tackles Global Issues Head On
State-Level Sanctions Against Iran: Why Do They Matter?
The World, Explained
Watson Institute Announces Fall 2016 Postdoctoral Fellows
Pamela Reeves, a Champion of Women and Girls Around the World
Bombings and Biodata: The Daily Uncertainty of Being a Syrian Refugee
The Brown Journal of World Affairs Interviews Ambassador Catherine Russell
Watson Institute’s Cathy Lutz Receives 2016 Society of Professors of Education Book Award
Professor James Green answers questions about the political crisis vexing Brazil
Brown students are energized by their work to enact carbon pricing legislation
An Exceptional Spring Seminar: Richard Holbrooke and the Rise and Fall of American Power
For Syrian Refugee Children, Scholars and Scientists Combine to Connect Research with Relief
Human Rights At a Crossroads: 18 Months After Ayotzinapa
Three Questions with John Garofano, visiting scholar and Navy Superior Civilian Service Award recipient
Recognized as one of the nation’s best resources for Brazilian studies, nearly 600 scholars convene at Brown
MPA students use data to improve social policies
Watson Scholars Participating in International Studies Association Annual Conference
Students Learn the Intricacies of Geopolitical Maneuvering Through Simulation
Professor Kennedy's Take: Looking for hope in a polarized world
Moderates Gain Ground: Reflections on Iranian Elections
Ahead of Super Tuesday: Students Assess Candidate Positions on Foreign Policy
Being of Two Minds: The Science of Human Behavior
Brown/RISD Teach-In | University and Dissent: Universities Under Siege
Director of the White House Office of Social Innovation Meets with Brown MPA Students
It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way
Partisanship and the Supreme Court
Watson Experts Respond: What Are the Critical Issues for 2016?
Five Questions with Carrie Nordlund, New Associate Director of Brown’s MPA program
Once Is Not Enough: Launched at Brown, a Successful Program Goes Global
The Importance of Communications in Effecting Real Change
Watson Faculty Respond to Obama’s Final Address to Congress
New Prestigious Fellows to Bring Real-World Experience to the Classroom
Year in Review: Top 10 Explore Stories of 2015
Implications of a Disorderly Default
Brazil’s Boom: Welfare, Reverse Migration, and Village Values
Twenty Years After the Dayton Accords, a Workshop Examines the Agreement’s Impact
Post-Conflict Peacebuilding: Restoring Trust in the Police and Government Institutions after Civil War
Women and Children First: The Far-Reaching Effects of Unequal Gender and Racial Treatment
Defining Who Gets to Be American: How Geography, Psychology, and the Media Shape White Public Opinion
Critical Conversations: The U.S. and the Future of Syria
Watson, Public Health faculty receive grant to advance reproductive health
Sir Peter Westmacott: Climate Change and Global Security
Steinfeld to head the Watson Institute
Steeped in Questions: An Anthropologist Takes on Tea
Lessons from America’s Continuing Misadventures in the Middle East Remarks to the 24th Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference
Reflections on Nicaragua: Stephen Kinzer
US-Japan Security Cooperation after the Pax Americana
Anthropology chair receives prestigious award for recent book
To See Large-Scale Policymaking in Action, Head for the U.N.
Brazilian Film: Engaging Audiences to Think about the World in New Ways
Understanding the Refugee Crisis
The Brown University Latin Jazz and Pop Festival
The Science and Politics of the Iran Nuclear Deal
Human Development through an Economist’s Eyes
Thinking about the Seventh Generation
Spotlight on Graduate Student Research: Marcus Walton
Criminal Injustice: Mass Incarceration in the Land of the Free
Spotlight on Graduate Student Research: Rebecca Martin
Access to Medicine in East Africa: Chorev on the Effects of Globalization
Spotlight on Graduate Student Research: Chantel Pheiffer
At a Glance: Watson 2015
Choices Receives Prestigious Publishing Award
Costs of War Project Releases New Reports
Watson Welcomes the World: #BIARI2015
Have Grant, Will Travel
Follow BIARI on Social Media: #BIARI2015
#WatsonGrad2015 Ceremony Remarks
Nick Miller Awarded the 2015 Kenneth Waltz Dissertation Prize
Networking Scholars Across Brown
Relief, Recovery and Rebuilding in Nepal
On Writing History: Go Deep, Not Wide
Celebrating Eight Years with President Lagos
Only Connect: The China Initiative Creates a Community
Faculty Commentary: Summit of the Americas
Convening for Change: Why We Should Care About Brazil's Development Policies
Watson Institute Faculty Respond to the Iranian Nuclear Deal
Poverty and the Quest for Life: Art and Conversation
“Vast, Varied, and Heterogenous”: Exploring Queer Identity in the Middle East and Maghreb
Not Your Average Spring Break: Dispatches from Nicaragua
Faculty Commentary: Tannenwald on Israeli Elections
Civil-Military Relations Reconsidered: Can the civil-military gap be bridged?
Cream of the Crop: Postdoctoral Fellows Inject New Energy and Ideas
The Constitutional Right to Marriage Equality: A Conversation David Boies and Ted Olson
Sociology of Development Conference
Critical Conversations on Israel and Palestine: What Is To Be Done?
Brazil's Truth Commission: An Interview with Paulo Sergio Pinheiro
Reading Newsweek in Tashkent: Birth of an Anthropologist
Costs of War: Billions of dollars in costs of post-9/11 wars extend to states and municipalities
Make Room: Watson Creates a Space for Student Veterans at Brown
Who Are You Calling “Victim”? The Complicated Reality Behind Trying to Do Good
Beyond Mickey and Maus: 90 Years of Arab Comics
"And now, India's turn" Varshney on Obama's recent visit to India
Fiscal Plumbing: Understanding the Flow of Public Money in Developing Countries
Watson Institute Faculty Respond to Obama's State of the Union Address
New analysis of U.S. aid to Afghanistan
Better Labor Conditions Require Both Good Policy and Effective Policing
Report on Civic Engagement in Bengaluru
Food for Thought: Hunger Is a Political Problem
Around the World in Thirty Years: After a career in the Foreign Service, Ambassador Richard Boucher turns to teaching.
“Data Security at the Postal Service”
Watson-Naval War College Colloquium
Government and the Academy: Natural Allies?
“Mental Health” by Any Other Name
New Faces in Public Policy: Spotlight on Jim Morone
It Pays to Collaborate: Demonstrating the economic benefits of going green could shift governments’ climate change policies.
What’s Your Question? A political scientist applies her inquiring mind to comparative politics, notions of identity – and more.
A Passage to India: A sociologist urges his students to think outside their comfort zone.
The Watson Institute for International Studies: Promoting a Just and Peaceful World
Dispatches from a Correspondent-Turned-Scholar
Once Was Not Enough: Inspired by the Connections She Made, a BIARI Alumna Comes Back for More
40 Countries, 130 Scholars, 1 Goal: Sharing Local Knowledge to Inform Policies across the Globe
Peace, Justice, and Prosperity: The Watson Institute in Washington, D.C.
Brazil Rising: A New Initiative to Study the World's Fourth-Largest Democracy
Contributors, Not Just Beneficiaries: Understanding How Refugees Are Shaping the History of Jordan
When Yankees Don’t Go Home: Exploring the Effects of U.S. Military Presence in Germany and Turkey
Not Your Grandfather’s Persian Music: An Exiled Iranian Musician Goes Avant-Garde
Beyond Border Crossings: Migration Is Shaped by Policy, and Shapes Society
On Nurture, Nature, Votes, and Parties: Studying the Biological Underpinnings of Political Behavior
Latin American Leaders Bring Urgency, Fresh Ideas to Climate Change Conference
When “Low-Income Housing” Actually Means “Slum”
Bribery in Bangalore: Using Data to Drive Public Policy
Shifting the Focus to Ukraine’s Nonviolent Efforts.
Watson Undergraduate Fellows Program
Glenn Loury Goes Global
Making a New Language in Palestinian Studies
Bringing Nuance to the Conversation with and about Iran
Medical Neutrality in Revolutionary Egypt
Building Trust around Climate Action
The Brown Jazz Band in Cuba
Sa'ed Adel Atshan: A Postdoc's Questions
Art at Watson
Digital Humanities and Middle East Studies
An Expanded Community of Fate: Unions and Political Action
The Foreign Policy of the Brothers Dulles
A Passion Born of Experience, Not Politics
BIARI 2013: Water, Energy, and Digital Information in the Global South
A Conversation with Edward Steinfeld
A Conversation with William R. Rhodes
On Being Both Academic and Activist
Why Small is Better in Comparative Politics
Wading in the Wine-Dark Sea
Iraq: The Human Cost
"a conflict that has no winners, only losers"
Smuggling: An American Tradition
'A Place I need to study'
History lessons
The Climate Paradox
Questions for a writer of the Syrian revolution
A conversation with Partha Chatterjee
How can Europe save the Euro?