Think Tanked

Daybook: 9/30/10

Getting Specific: How to Fix the Budget (New America Foundation) While the threats from budget deficits as far as the eye can see and a ballooning national debt are on the public's mind, there is still too little discussion about how to actually fix the problems. In fact, when it comes to specifics, most politicians are more likely to embrace changes that would make the deficit situation worse, not better.  

Russia and the Rule of Law (Hudson Institute) In 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once one of Russia's wealthiest businessmen as head of YUKOS Oil, was arrested on what most analysts considered trumped up and politically motivated charges of multi-billion ruble tax evasion. When Khodorkovsky was eligible for parole in 2008, prosecutors leveled a second series of money-laundering charges against him, accusing him and his business partner of stealing 350 million tons of oil. The Economist described these charges as "Kafkaesque." Khodorkovsky's second trial is likely to wind up this fall. The Khodorkovsky case exemplifies the abuse of the legal system, the state's blatant role in property confiscation and redistribution, and wide-spread state corruption, all of which continue to rage in Putin's Russia despite growing internal and international skepticism.

Hezbollah's Impact on Security and Political Dynamics in the Middle East (Center for American Progress) Over the last decade, Hezbollah has reshaped security and political dynamics in Lebanon and the broader Middle East as part of the self-proclaimed “axis of resistance” that includes Iran, Syria, and Hamas. As a terrorist group, political party, and theological movement, Hezbollah has managed to unite disparate populations in an aggressive strategy that has coalesced into one of the most significant threats to the United States and Israel.

Borderline or Borderlands? (Center for American Progress) The U.S.-Mexico border has become a symbol in the increasingly overheated debate about immigration. From a distance the border looks like a dividing line. In fact, it's a binational region, and for millions of Americans and Mexicans it is home. Border residents share an economy, environment, history, and culture. But with a stalled immigration policy and a raging drug war, the people who live in the borderlands also bear the brunt of the violence and political friction.

Private Capital, Public Impact (Brookings) As experts, policymakers, the business community and citizens grapple with assigning responsibility for the financial crisis, the private investment community remains a target for harsh criticism. The public debate around private capital has unearthed a lack of understanding of its many forms and applications, which include private equity, venture capital, sovereign wealth funds, entrepreneurial finance and hedge funds. Rigorous analysis and sound research is necessary to define private capital’s effectiveness and to inform the policy dialogue.

The Obama Doctrine: Hindering American Foreign Policy (Heritage Foundation) Almost two years into his term, President Obama had hoped to improve America’s standing in the world by crafting a foreign policy vastly different from his predecessor’s. His statements and actions demonstrate a doctrine that sees America less as “the exceptional nation” than as an “equal partner,” one nation among many. Characteristics of his policies include a heightened emphasis on multilateralism, an apologetic attitude toward the past, a more restrained role on the global stage, and an atmosphere of mutual respect toward oppressive autocracies.

For more think tank events, see the calendar in the sidebar.

Daybook: 9/27/10

Harnessing Tax Credits for California Working Families (New America Foundation) The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is often referred to as the single most potent anti-poverty tool in the U.S. This year, the expanded EITC will allow families with 3 or more children to qualify for up to $5,657 tax credit. However, many of those eligible for the EITC do not claim it. Although there are many reasons why families do not file for the EITC, primary among them is lack of understanding and awareness. This one-day symposium will focus on promoting community partnerships, and successful strategies to inform eligible families about available tax credits - including Making Work Pay, the Child Tax Credit, the Child Care Credit, and the American Opportunity Credit.

Iraqi Kurdistan Between Autonomy and Dependency (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) Since the American occupation of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government has enjoyed an unprecedented degree of autonomy. But what is Iraqi Kurdistan today? Is it a region of Iraq enjoying an unusual degree of autonomy? Or is it a state in the making, the result of nation-building process different from what the United States put in place In Iraq?

Never an Empty Bowl: Sustaining Food Security in Asia (Asia Society) Food security in Asia is currently facing serious problems—more than half a billion inhabitants of the region go hungry each day. The future seems even more daunting—population growth, dwindling land and water resources for agriculture, and the huge uncertainties from climate change present scientists and policymakers with additional challenges.

Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse (Heritage Foundation) The Heritage Foundation hosts a reception to celebrate the publication of Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse, and to meet New York Times bestselling author James L. Swanson.

For more think tank events, see the calendar in the sidebar.

Daybook: 9/15/10

Turning the Heat Up on Medicare (AEI) Though Medicare has long faced financial challenges in meeting the health needs of its participants, as a result of recent health reforms the program is expected to lead the way in finding better ways to pay for, and more efficient ways to deliver, Americans’ health care. Yet Medicare will soon face the growing needs of baby boomers turning sixty-five, while providers are still paid for services--not health improvements--and large cuts in reimbursement could force some of them out of the program. Furthermore, beneficiaries are confronted with confusing and incomplete program benefits that cause most to seek additional coverage. At this AEI event, speakers will discuss what the latest reforms mean for Medicare, whether the program is up to the job, and what is at stake for doctors and patients.

Obamacare --Rewarding the Trial Bar and Promoting Litigation? (Heritage Foundation) The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 represent the greatest change in healthcare and the law governing it ever passed by Congress. Will the complexity of this legislation, the changes it makes in existing law, and the new regulations issued by Health & Human Services, as well as other new boards and commissions, lead to more regulation and litigation? Will doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers, as well as employers who offer health coverage for their employees, be at greater risk for litigation and liability claims? Discussing these issues will be a leading member of Congress who is also a physician, as well two legal experts on healthcare litigation, licensing, and regulation.

Pakistan's Flood Emergency (Brookings) Brookings expert Elizabeth Ferris believes that the Pakistan floods will be one of the worst crises in history, as it has affected more than 20 million people and destroyed a significant portion of Pakistan’s agriculture. On September 15, Ferris will be on hand to discuss the disaster, specifically the short- and long-term challenges faced by the Pakistani government and the international community in responding to the floods. David Mark, senior editor at POLITICO, will moderate the discussion.

 

Broadcast to Broadband (New America Foundation) A proposed Order implementing open access to the vacant TV channels in every media market nationwide will be voted on at the Federal Communication Commission’s September 23 Open Meeting. Will reallocating the majority of TV frequencies from broadcasting to unlicensed broadband herald an era of “Wi-Fi on Steroids” – as Google co-founder Larry Page has proclaimed – or will it be of marginal utility? The debate over opening the vast wasteland of unused TV band spectrum capacity has stretched on since the FCC’s 2002 Spectrum Policy Task Force.  In November 2008, the Commission provisionally approved unlicensed access to the White Space by a 5-0 vote.  Now, after bitter debates between broadcasters, wireless microphone makers, high-tech companies and public interest advocates, a final vote to open the TV band for broadband is at hand.

Addressing an Increasingly Congested and Contested Electromagnetic Spectrum (CSIS) The Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) increasingly underpins all aspects of our daily lives, from remotely opening garage doors to controlling appliances, to gaming, banking, shopping, to enabling the use of infrared and radar sensors, GPS, and satellite communications by fisherman, firemen and fighter aircraft.  Policies and processes to manage EMS affect both national security capabilities and concerns as well as economic infrastructure and policy.  

The Internet and Innovation (New America Foundation) Associate Professor at Stanford Law School, Dr. Barbara van Schewick will discuss key lessons from her book Internet Architecture and Innovation.  Using her expertise in economics, management science, engineering, networking and law, van Schewick shows how alternative network architectures can create very different economic environments for innovation. The Internet’s original architecture was based on four design principles – modularity, layering, and two versions of the celebrated but often misunderstood end-to-end arguments. This design, van Schewick demonstrates, fostered innovation in applications and allowed applications and services like e-mail, the World Wide Web, E-Bay, Google, Skype, Flickr, Blogger and Facebook to emerge. 

Daybook: 9/13/10

Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee (AEI) The Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee (SFRC) is a group of publicly recognized independent experts on the financial services industry--including banking, insurance, and securities--that meets regularly to study and critique regulatory policies affecting this sector of the economy. At two closed sessions before the luncheon, committee members will discuss the newly passed Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and its implications; Basel Committee on Banking Supervision issues; Securities and Exchange Commission policy initiatives; and other actions and proposals in the financial services sector.

Educating for Liberty: Books, Libraries, and Learning in the Lives of America's Founders (AEI) George H. Nash, senior fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal, will examine the education and reading habits of the Founding Fathers, and specifically the influence of books and libraries on their worldview and the trajectory of their lives. The early and lifelong study of ancient and modern history, literary classics, and other serious books produced a remarkably well-educated political elite committed to liberty and learning–which benefited all Americans.

State Assistance to Underperforming School Districts Identifying Levers for Change (Center for American Progress) Education policymakers and reform advocates increasingly expect state governments to provide specialized assistance and support to districts and schools, especially those with the lowest levels of student performance. To fulfill this role, they must develop wise policies and operate effective programs. Yet it is quite clear that most state officials are not yet ready to execute the responsibilities that reformers have envisioned for them. Despite this, state education agency responsibilities have become clearer than ever. We will be releasing a paper by William Slotnik that analyzes state education agency efforts to date and recommends they use three levers for change—educational, organizational, and political—that if used together can achieve better results for students.

Daybook: 9/10/10

The Science of Pleasure (AEI) In secular culture, pleasure is widely regarded as the supreme value, the goal for which one lives, and the justification for one’s labors. Although religions through the centuries have protested against pleasure as a distraction from spiritual goals, the voice of religion is now hesitant and ineffective, and pressure from consumer culture goes largely unresisted. But what exactly is pleasure? In his recent book, How Pleasure Works: The New Science on Why We Like What We Like (Norton, June 2010), Paul Bloom, professor of psychology at Yale University, seeks to answer this question.

Artist Talk: A Conversation with Yoshitomo Nara and Hideki Toyoshima (Asia Society) Miwako Tezuka, co-curator of the exhibition Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody’s Fool, talks with Yoshitomo Nara and Hideki Toyoshima, Nara's long-time installation design collaborator, about the genesis of their team, YNG, their shared interest in music, and their continuing collaboration, which has taken them throughout the world and now brings them to Asia Society New York. Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody’s Fool exhibition details Please note: this event will also be a free live video webcast on AsiaSociety.org/Live from 6:30 to 8:00 pm

Daybook: 9/9/10

The Assault on the Elected Judiciary (Heritage) In recent years, the battle over state judicial selection has intensified greatly. Tens of millions of dollars have been poured into politically coordinated efforts encouraging states that still embrace popular election of judges to switch to selection by unelected “expert” commissions, a system often called “Merit Selection.” Proponents of this system decry the increased spending in state judicial races and assert that judicial independence is undermined by candidates receiving funds from attorneys and litigants they may see in a courtroom once elected. They assert that “Merit Selection” is an apolitical method of choosing candidates based on credentials rather than policy views expressed in campaign ads.

Urban Sprawl and Public Health (New America Foundation) A discussion about how where we live impacts our physical and mental health with one of the leading national researchers in public health with Richard Jackson Professor and Chair of Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health, UCLA; Moderator Patrick Doherty Director, Smart Strategy Initiative New America Foundation; Introduction Dhiru Thadani Chairman, Congress for the New Urbanism--DC Chapter.

Daybook: 9/8/10

A New Way Forward: U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan (New America Foundation) For the better part of a year, a number of scholars, business people, former and current members of Congress, journalists and other policy practitioners have been meeting and discussing the contours of America's current course in Afghanistan. This group has been meeting and thinking through what a "Team B" group might and should say--and whether there was the possibility of a "New Way Forward." 

The Service Revolution in South Asia (Cato) South Asia, especially India, has attracted global attention because of its success in service exports. Challenging the "iron law" of development that industrialization is the only route to rapid growth, Ejaz Ghani explores the revolutionary opportunities that the globalization of services opens up for developing countries. Swami Aiyar will question how deep the service revolution is, and whether it can be replicated widely. What exactly is a service revolution and what has contributed to it? Are services as dynamic as manufacturing? Why have some countries succeeded and others failed? What can we learn from the experiences of India, China, and other South Asian countries?

Mexico’s Drug Wars: A Live Web Chat with Vanda Felbab-Brown (Brookings) Brookings expert Vanda Felbab-Brown argues that over the past year, the overall strategy against the drug trafficking organizations in Mexico has significantly improved, thanks in part to Beyond Merida, the Obama administraton's expansion of the Merida Initiative, which provides funding for anti-drug operations in Mexico and other Latin American countries. However, major structural and implementation challenges remain and the patience of Mexico’s citizens is running out as the violence continues to escalate.

Reception with Edith Ngan Chan, Executive Director, Asia Society Hong Kong Center (Asia Society) Join us in welcoming Edith Ngan Chan, Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s new Executive Director. Edith is a highly regarded professional from the investment industry. She brings with her more than 20 years of regional knowledge and global business management skills, having held Asia Pacific leadership positions at ABN AMRO, Principal and Invesco. She is also an active member of the community, having served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association, Member of the Committee on Unit Trust of the Hong Kong and Securities Commission, Convenor of the HKSAR Government Financial Reporting Review Panel, Trustee of the International Christian School and President of the Stanford Club of Hong Kong. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Edith graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, and obtained her Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales qualification with PriceWaterhouse.

Daybook: 9/7/10

Ambassador Melanne Verveer on "Advancing Progress through Empowerment of Women and Girls" (CSIS) Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-large for Global Women’s Issues at the Department of State, will address: “Making the Most of the MDG Summit: Advancing Progress through Empowerment of Women and Girls.” This session is part of Our Global Challenges, a series of dialogues held in partnership with the University of Miami Knight Center for International Media. The series examines progress towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and is made possible by the Knight Foundation.

Hostage Nation (New America Foundation) Two years ago, three American contractors and a former Colombian presidential candidate were freed in an audacious rescue after a five-year ordeal in the jungles of South America. But more than a gripping story, the history of their captivity and liberation provides deep insight into the intersection between Colombia’s decades-long battle against insurgency and the flawed labyrinth of America’s anti-drug efforts. The New America Foundation will host a discussion with author Karin Hayes, journalist Jorge Enrique Botero, and Victoria Bruce of their book Hostage Nation: Colombia’s Guerrilla Army and the Failed War on Drugs.

Arming Without Aiming: India's Military Modernization (Brookings) Brookings Institution will host the launch of Arming Without Aiming: India’s Military Modernization (Brookings Press, 2010), written by Senior Fellow Stephen Cohen and Nonresident Fellow Sunil Dasgupta, director of Political Science at the University of Maryland's Universities at Shady Grove. Following the authors’ presentation, Edward Luce of the Financial Times and Ashley Tellis with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will join a panel discussion on the future of India’s military.

For more think tank events, see the calendar in the sidebar.

Daybook: 9/2/10

Will the Crisis Divide Asia from America? (Asia Society) In the wake of the financial crisis, trends have emerged that point to an Asia increasingly forging its own path—without America. Yet it is arguably in both sides’ interests to move towards a new relationship in the post-crisis world. The rise of Asia and the development of closer regional bonds should take place in tandem with continued US engagement. What are the long term trends that point to divisions between Asia and America? How did the financial crisis accelerate them? What recent events are emblematic of a widening chasm? Why must such a gap be avoided, and what policy directions and changes are necessary to avoid one?

For more think tank events, see the calendar in the sidebar.

Daybook: 9/1/10

Next Generation Charter Schools (Center for American Progress) Join us for a discussion about the role—both current and future—that charter schools have in the education of Latinos and ELLs. A new report by the Center for American Progress and the National Council of La Raza will launch the discussion. We will examine how both the large growth of the Latino and ELL student population and the potential expansion of charter schools will influence the educational landscape, and hear from two high-performing charter schools that have been recognized for their Latino and ELL achievement. 

Responding to the Historic Floods in Pakistan: Political and Security Considerations (Brookings) The Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement will host a discussion on the challenges the Pakistani government and the international community face in responding to the flooding. Panelists include Mark Ward of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); the International Rescue Committee’s Michael Young; Tim Lenderking of the U.S. Department of State; and Brookings experts Stephen P. Cohen and Gen. Jehangir Karamat (Ret.).

Reforming Our Universities (Heritage) In Reforming Our Universities, David Horowitz tells the dramatic story of his ongoing campaign for an Academic Bill of Rights to protect students who want to think for themselves and refuse to conform to radical orthodoxies. Despite his pleas for tolerance of diverging points of view, his modest proposal that universities should respect intellectual diversity has been greeted with hysteria and protests. In Reforming Our Universities, he seeks to recall higher education to its better self, to become – as it once was – a place where students and teachers were not afraid to question opinions, create their own, and engage in Socratic dialogue.

Empire for Liberty (Cato) Featuring the author Richard Immerman, Professor of History and Marvin Wachman Director, Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy, Temple University; Robert Kagan, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Derek Leebaert, Partner, MAP AG; moderated by Christopher A. Preble, Director of Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute.

For more think tank events, see the calendar in the sidebar.