Not Normal
People who live in DC and people who don’t live in DC have a different standard of normal. When my wife and I were dating, she lived outside of Boston and I lived in Washington. She came down a couple of times each month and we’d take in all the city had to offer. I remember one beautiful afternoon sitting at an out-door table at a restaurant along the Potomac … Read More
Dr. Iskander Rehman’s Detailed Study of Cardinal Richelieu’s Grand Strategy Released by Texas National Security Review
In the latest issue of the leading national security journal Texas National Security Review, Senior Fellow Dr. Iskander Rehman engages in a detailed and interdisciplinary analysis of Cardinal Richelieu’s grand strategy during the Thirty Years’ War. One of history’s more polarizing figures, Richelieu is perhaps best known for three things: his unabashed authoritarianism, his efforts to stiffen the sinews of the French state, and his controversial decision to position France … Read More
Exploring the Meaning of Justice with Christopher Brown
Air Dates: September 2-8, 2019 The concept of justice is central to the American experience. We celebrate it in our monuments and in our history. But who gets justice, and who defines it are seldom considered questions. Christopher Brown is a practicing attorney and dystopian novelist who combines his talents in a new novel exploring these concepts in a different America. Brown is a writer and lawyer whose 2017 debut … Read More
Empathy not Sympathy
It seems like the biggest story of the week in the world of sports was the retirement of Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Andrew Luck. He cited years or injury, rehabilitation, and pain as his reason for retiring and the reaction was both horrifying and affirming. For some, their hot-take reactions were really only about what his loss would mean for his team. But others defended Luck’s motives and his right to … Read More
Golden Years: Social Inequalities in Later Life with Deborah Carr
Air Times: August 26-September 1, 2019 Some Americans will be able to enjoy their golden years. Others will not. Deborah Carr argues that the biggest factor determining which side of that equation you fall on is your socioeconomic status—that combination of education, income, and occupation that determines your social standing. Carr is Professor and Chair in the Sociology department at Boston University. Her research focuses on aging and the life … Read More
The Question of Impeachment with Frank O. Bowman III
Air Dates: August 19-25, 2019 Whether to impeach President Donald Trump is an open question in American politics. Those who favor impeachment point no further than volume II of the Mueller report and its accounts of apparent obstruction of justice by the President. Others caution that absent the ability to win a conviction in the Senate, impeachment would boomerang and only boost the president’s popularity and likelihood of winning reelection … Read More
The Fourth Reich: Nazism from World War II to Today with Gavriel Rosenfeld
Air Dates: August 12-18, 2019 Students of history are taught to see events through the eyes of people living in the era they are studying. From that perspective, history becomes less predictable, decisions seem less certain, and understanding becomes, in fact, more complete. Gavriel Rosenfeld brings that discipline to the history of “the Fourth Reich,” a fear that has mobilized and motivated Europe and the world since 1945. Rosenfeld is … Read More
After His Holiness: Tibet, Reincarnation Politics and the Future of Sino-Indian Relations
The relationship between China and India is widely considered one of the most consequential of the twenty-first century. The impact of China’s repressive policies in Tibet however, is often overlooked. In his recent article published in Survival, the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ journal for global politics and strategy, Pell Center Senior Fellow Iskander Rehman examines how Chinese influence in Tibet and its desire to exert control over the Dalai … Read More
A Well-Regulated Militia
When I worked on the Hill, I was initially amused when Senators would submit a statement to the record about a bill that would pass overwhelmingly. “Why were they spiking the ball?” I wondered to myself. I eventually asked a more seasoned colleague who explained it wasn’t about vanity, rather it was about documenting legislative intent. If there was ever a court challenge or controversy about the bill, the legislative … Read More
Rhode Island Students Awarded 2019 Pell Medal for Excellence in U.S. History
Newport, R.I. — Fifty-nine students from across Rhode Island earned the Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal for U.S. History this year. The medal, originally presented by Senator Claiborne Pell and his wife, Mrs. Nuala Pell, recognizes college and high school students in the state who have excelled in U.S. History. “The study of history is essential to understanding and protecting our republic,” said Pell Center Executive Director, Dr. Jim Ludes. … Read More