Coronavirus

NPR's Ari Shapiro speak with political scientist Erica Chenoweth, who studies civil resistance movements, about the protests China and Iran.

Opportunistic repression arises when states use crises to suppress the political opposition. An examination of the relationship between COVID-19 shutdown policies and state violence against civilians in Africa, including and a subnational case study of Uganda, tests this theory.

The U.S. government has rejected the chance to study this year’s insurrection. They’ll soon regret the decision.

The Future of Diplomacy Project hosted a conversation with Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, about UNICEF’s work in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and her experience leading one of the largest aid organizations in the world. Professor Nicholas Burns moderated this discussion.

Joseph Nye writes that January 6, 2021, may prove to be a day of infamy like December 7, 1941, but it could also go down in history as a turning point in which Trumpism peaked and some politicians began to take responsibility for the consequences of their rhetoric.

Stephen Walt writes that both U.S. and Chinese citizens have reason to be grateful; given how poorly their leaders have performed, it's a small miracle the other side hasn't taken better advantage.

If Joe Biden defeats Donald Trump in November, the question he will face is not whether to restore the liberal international order. It is whether the United States can work with an inner core of allies to promote democracy and human rights while cooperating with a broader set of states to manage the rules-based international institutions needed to face transnational threats.

Joseph Nye describes how the United States had lost its soft power before and regained it. He is optimistic about the United States regaining it again.

Coronavirus hasn't slowed down activism, says Erica Chenoweth. Protest movements are innovating quickly and staying effective.