In The News
The German Energy Gamble
Bibi van der Zee/ The Ecologist
The Ecologist’s political writer, Bibi van der Zee, asks whether the German’s energy policy is a crazy punt, or an example to be followed by other states.
Europe Consuming More Coal
Michael Birnbaum/ The Washington Post
Green-friendly Europe has a dirty secret: It is burning a lot more coal
Why Russia’s Soft Power is too Soft
Fyodor Lukyanov/ Russia & India Report
Soft power has become the recent focus of discussion around Russia’s foreign policy. Observers argue that Moscow, which still believes in the decisive role of weapons and other traditional elements of power, is losing the information and image war
The Scary Truth About How Much Climate Change is Costing You
Coral Davenport/ National Journal
While policymakers fiddle, the threat of economic harm posed by rising sea levels, devastating storms, and drought is growing every day.
The Other Resource Curse
Michael Levi/ Foreign Policy
Moving away from fossil fuels could be devastating for some of the world’s poorest countries.
Syria’s Druze minority is shifting its support to the opposition
Babak Dehghanpishe/ The Washington Post
Members of Syria’s Druze community, a small but significant religious minority, are joining the opposition in bigger numbers, ramping up pressure on the beleaguered government of President Bashar al-Assad, according to opposition activists and rebel military commanders.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Resumption of Talks in Kazakhstan Offers Window of Opportunity for P5+1 and Iran
Marianne Nari Fisher
The P5+1 and Iran are set to resume talks in Almaty, Kazakhstan on February 26. While several meetings between technical experts were held last fall, this represents the first high-level political meeting since June 2012. All members of the P5+1 – the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany – will be present to…
International Action on Climate Change will Take the Lead in Obama’s Second Term
Andrew Holland
The question now becomes: what can President Obama do about climate change? He made action on climate change a central argument during his 2008 campaign and early in his first term, but failed in the effort to pass major emissions reduction legislation through Congress. While the stimulus had many important clean energy sections, it is unclear whether these will result in lasting changes in our economy.
Event Review: What should we do with nuclear outliers?
Katharyn Nicolle
Yesterday, Woodrow Wilson Center’s Robert Litwak spoke at George Washington University about subjects addressed in his recently published book, Outlier States, as a part of the Elliot School of International Affairs’ talks on nuclear policy.
Is the U.S. On Track To Cutting Carbon Emissions? New Report Says ‘Not Yet’
Danielle Parillo
World Resources Institute released a new report saying that the United States is not yet on track to reaching its goal of cutting carbon emissions 17% by 2020. This report lays out four recommendations on how to achieve this goal with the help from federal, state, and local government.
BPC Report Calls for Regulatory Overhaul for Electricity Grid
Nicholas Cunningham
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) released a report that calls for reforming the governance of the nation’s electricity grid. The focus of the report is on how to overcome regulatory hurdles to allow swifter construction of transmission lines, with a careful balance between state and federal authority.
