Governance

Monica Duffy Toft writes that the United States now displays all three core elements that can lead to civil breakdown

George B. Cortelyou, a mostly forgotten historical figure, authored one of the most important insider accounts of the final days before the Spanish-American War. His diary is one of the few contemporary descriptions of what was happening in the White House and what was going through President William McKinley’s mind before he requested authorization to use military force on April 11, 1898.  One word from a critical diary entry on April 2, 1898 has never been translated — until now. Aroop Mukharji's translation of that single word dispels two longstanding, powerful myths about the war that launched a sprawling overseas American empire.

Donald Trump’s second impeachment proceedings have begun. What is the future of the Republican Party now? Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook with first analysis [interview in German].

Daniel Esty, the Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University and author of the new book, Values at Work: Sustainable Investing and ESG Reporting, expressed his optimism for the prospects of climate policy in the Biden Administration in the latest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program,” a podcast produced by the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.

The authors share what they learned by counting the protests during the past four years.

Hate speech, racism, and a divided society. Former US President Donald Trump left behind many problems that a new human rights policy has to face. A conversation with the German-American political scientist Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook. [translated from German; interview in German]

High among the many priorities of newly-inaugurated US President Joe Biden are the challenges of an economy that appeared to be slowing down as the new year started, with the latest employment numbers looking bleak.  A fourth-quarter slowdown in the US recovery from the horrendous second quarter could be attributed to the expiration of some of the bipartisan stimulus programs that were passed by Congress in March of 2020, or to the third wave of Covid-19, or to both factors.  Even if Covid-19 abates during the course of 2021 and pent-up consumer demand then kicks in, the US faces challenges right now, in such areas as schools, infrastructure investment, state and local finances, and especially the fight against the pandemic itself.

The inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden has brought a new wave of hope for reinvigorating the transatlantic relationship. The EU has already capitalized on this enthusiasm by offering fresh proposals for EU-U.S. collaboration while raising its ambitions to boost its international role and shape global policies.

How alignment and divergence play out across the Atlantic in the coming months will have implications for all major global challenges, from climate change and the coronavirus pandemic to security and economic recovery.

President Joe Biden started signing executive orders and announcing new hires after his inauguration. Joel Clement, a former senior executive and whistleblower at the Interior Department, elaborates on what this would mean for his former agency.

Whoever speaks out against Trump is at risk of losing their job, and that is exactly what the ex-President has previously threatened. Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook discusses how Trump has been able to maintain power [translated from German; interview in German].