The Brookings Cafeteria

, a visiting fellow in the , discusses the current situation with and solutions for the Syrian refugee crisis.  “The scale, scope and complexity of the Syria crisis is staggering. Nearly half a million people have lost their lives, 13.5 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, 6.5 million are internally displaced, and there 5 million refugees in neighboring countries - namely, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. And hundreds of thousands have made their way to Europe in search of refuge and rights,” McKenzie says. Also in this episode: Bill Finan talks to Nonresident Senior Fellow in , and , TÜSİAD Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy, about their new book Show Notes Thanks to audio engineer and producer Zack Kulzer, with editing help from Mark Hoelscher, plus thanks to Carisa Nietsche, Bill Finan, Jessica Pavone, Eric Abalahin, Rebecca Viser, and our intern Sara Abdel-Rahim. Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on , listen in all the usual places, and send feedback email to  

, deputy director of the and a senior fellow in , discusses the fundamental dynamics of the 2016 election, the importance of the ground game, vice presidential picks, and prospects for the Senate and/or House flipping from Republican to Democratic control. “I think policy itself is what’s not getting enough attention in these campaigns. … It is not something that is a sexy issue that people want to particularly hear about, they are more interested in the horse race or in this case the fighting that is going on,” Hudak says. “What Americans need to do is take a step back and think about the issues that matter most to them. You have to think a lot about what issues matter the most to you and hold the candidates accountable as much as possible.” Also in this podcast, Teresa Ter-Minassian explains public-private partnerships and their role in development based on her paper for the new project on Show Notes Thanks to audio engineer and producer Zack Kulzer, with editing help from Mark Hoelscher, plus thanks to

, senior fellow in the  and a psychology professor at Temple University, and University of Delaware professor Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, also a psychologist, discuss their new book: "." In this podcast, Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff discuss ways to reimagine what successful learning looks like in a global world using six major skills that will help kids succeed beyond traditional perceptions of success such as good test scores. “What we need to do is train thinkers, to be able to attack the problems in the world,” Golinkoff says. These skills prepare children to become competitive business leaders, entrepreneurs, and scientific pioneers. As Hirsh-Pasek says, “The times have changed. As more businesses realize that their interactions are going to be global, they realize that they need creative thinkers, innovators, and problem solvers.” Also stay tuned for our regular economic update with as he looks at four big questions to determine what this year and next will look like for the U.S. economy. Show Notes Th

In this podcast, award-winning author and veteran Phil Klay discusses how his experience as a Marine Corps officer in Iraq informed his short-story collection Redeployment, which won the National Book Award in 2014; and also talks about the themes he explores in the new Brookings Essay, “The citizen-soldier: Moral risk and the modern military.” “Most people sign up with the hope of being part of an institution that is doing something good in the world,” Klay says, and that “they will be putting their shoulders to the wheel along with a lot of other people by advancing the ideals of American democracy.” Show Notes

, director of and senior fellow in Economic studies, discusses the importance of investments in children, especially those who are from low socio-economic backgrounds. She highlights issues such as early childhood education, child poverty, and food insecurity, issues about which The Hamilton Project has produced significant research and recommendations. “[W]e’re dangerously underinvesting in children today. And there’s emerging research that indicates that if we spend more on schools, if we make sure that families have more income, or if we alleviate food insecurity, that has a payoff not just today but down the line, in terms of more productive people when they grow up,” Schanzenbach says. Also in this episode: a presidential election update with . And our new Metro Lens segment with as she discusses . Show Notes Thanks to audio engineer and producer Zack Kulzer, with editing help from Mark Hoelscher, plus thanks to Carissa Nietsche, Bill Finan, Jessica Pavone, Eric Abalahin, Rebecca Viser, Brionne Smit

, a senior fellow in Governance Studies and co-founder and editor-in-chief of The LawFare Blog, is co-author of a new study,-“”; and a legislative proposal to close the sextortion sentencing gap. In the podcast, Wittes explains the crime itself; the importance of cyber security and how teens and parents can protect themselves online. “Teenager cyber security hygiene actually matters a great deal,” Wittes says. “It just matters a great deal to protect values and goods that the cyber security community has not traditionally focused on.” Also in this podcast: meet , a fellow for the Project on 21st Century City Governance, part of the Centennial Scholar Initiative. Also stay up-to-date about a potential “Brexit” from the EU with some highlights from our Brookings event “.”   Show Notes   Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on , listen in all the usual places, and send feedback email to . Thanks to audio engineer and producer Zack Kulzer, with editing help from Mark Hoelscher, plus thanks to Carissa Nietsc

, executive vice president of the Brookings Institution, offers his take on a broad spectrum of foreign policy issues, including peace in the Middle East, the liberal international order, and his own journey in foreign affairs leadership and policymaking. He also discusses the contours of an "Obama doctrine" in foreign policy, and whether the next president will bring continuity or change. Also in this podcast: an economic update from , director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy. Also hear , visiting fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe, discuss his upcoming book “.”   Show Notes   Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on , listen in all the usual places, and send feedback email to . Thanks to audio engineer and producer Zack Kulzer, with editing help from Mark Hoelscher, plus thanks to Carissa Nietsche, Bill Finan, Jessica Pavone, Eric Abalahin, Rebecca Viser, Brionne Smith, and our intern Sarah AbdelRahim.  

Les Gelb, a former Brookings fellow and co-author of the 1979 book The Irony of Vietnam: The System Worked –which is being released this month as a Brookings Press Classic – discusses the influence the Vietnam War has had on how the U.S handles wars and the need for American pragmatism in foreign policy decision-making today. “What made this country great was Americans using their pragmatism, solving problems, and realizing there were certain problems they couldn’t solve--at least, not solve them right away,” Gelb says.   In the podcast, Gelb also explains the “domino theory” that guided U.S. policymakers during the Vietnam conflict. “Vietnam was the essential domino and if it fell to communism, if it fell to the Soviet Union and China, in effect, [then] all of Asia would fall right behind it.”   Also in this episode: another installment of "Steve Hess Stories" with Senior Fellow Emeritus ; and hear more from the Brookings event .   Show Notes   Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on , listen in all the u

Richard Feinberg, a nonresident senior fellow in the Latin America Initiative and author of the forthcoming book, “Open for Business: Building a New Cuban Economy” (Brookings, 2016), discusses current U.S. and Cuba relations after President Obama's visit and looks ahead to Cuba's increasing engagement with the global economy. “The younger generation does have a respect for Fidel Castro and what the older generation accomplished,” Feinberg says. “They want to see a fresh generation of leadership, they want to see a more relaxed political atmosphere, they want more opportunities economically to exercise their own profession and exercise their own talents. They want and fully expect normal relations between Cuba and the United States.”  In this podcast, Feinberg explains how Cuba can reintegrate itself into global economy while encouraging a gradual opening of economic relations with the U.S. Also in this podcast, meet new scholar Susan Hennessey, fellow in National Security in Governance Studies and stay tuned

, a nonresident fellow in the Center for Universal Education, and , a senior fellow and director of the Center for Universal Education, discuss a new report: . In this podcast, Robinson and Winthrop discuss the state of children’s education around the world while highlighting some cases that show how the quality and reach of children’s education can be improved. “Nine out of 10 kids in the world is in primary school, but there is still a lot to be done,” Winthrop says. “A lot of kids are dropping out before they finish secondary school. 75% percent of girls in Sub-Saharan Africa enter primary school but only 8% finish secondary school.” Also in this podcast a Coffee Break with , director of the Health Policy Center and an interview with author on his new book, "." Show Notes: Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on , listen in all the usual places, and send feedback email to .

In this episode, , a fellow in the Brookings Institution's , explains the current dilemma of security breaches of medical records that are hitting the health care industry.  “The difference between the IT revolution in the health care sector and in any other sector is that other businesses embraced IT naturally and gradually and that allowed them to prepare in all other technological and organizational aspects that are necessary to appropriately use IT,” says Yaraghi. “In the health care sector it happened overnight. From 9.4% in 2008 to 96.9 in 2014.” Also stay tuned for our regular economic update with , who talks about taxes; and hear our new Metro Lens segment with  who discusses concentrated poverty in places like Cleveland and San Antonio. Show notes: Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on , listen in all the usual places, and send feedback email to .  

In this podcast, , a nonresident senior fellow in the , discusses Myanmar’s transition to democracy, examining the economic, social and political aspects of the transition, as well as potential obstacles in the short run. “So much foreign aid has poured in and will continue to pour in now that Aung San Suu Kyi is leading the government that it may do more harm than good, becoming a factor that actually derails the transition," says Rieffel. Also in this episode: another installment of "" with Senior Fellow Emeritus ; and a conversation with , director of at Brookings. Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on , listen in all the usual places, and send feedback email to .

One year after: Observations on the rise of innovation districts , a fellow with the , discusses the current economic, social, and political situation in Baltimore a year after the riots. “1/5 people in Baltimore lives in a neighborhood of extreme poverty,” Vey says. In this podcast, Vey describes the current state of Baltimore and urges the start of discussions about the abject poverty facing many cities in the United States. Also in this episode: stay tuned for our presidential election update with . Also, discusses global drug policy and the upcoming United Nations General Assembly special session on drug policy. Show Notes Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on , listen on , and send feedback email to .

, a nonresident senior fellow in Governance Studies, explains his latest research on measuring achievement of American students. “The bottom line here: the implementation of the common core has appeared to have very little impact on student achievement,” Loveless says. In this episode, he discusses whether the common core is failing our students, whether AP achievement is indicative of student success, and the role of principals as instructional leaders. Also in this episode: Get to know , the Robert Bosch Senior Fellow in the , during our "Coffee Break” segment. Also stay tuned to hear the final episode in our centenary series with current and past Brookings scholars. Show notes: Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on , listen on , and send feedback email to .

, a nonresident senior fellow in Economic Studies, explains her new research (with Phillip Levine for the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity) on high school students who are growing up in places with high income inequality and their decision to stay in high school or not. “Kids at the bottom of the income distribution are discouraged by higher levels of income inequality as opposed to being driven by it,” Kearney says. “Low income kids are more likely to drop out of high school than high income kids. But conditional to being low income, kids who are growing up in states or cities characterized by high levels of lower tail income inequality—a greater gap between the bottom and the middle—are more likely to drop out of high school.” Also in this episode: Our regular economic update with , senior fellow and director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy. Also stay tuned to hear our new Metro Lens segment with, vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program. Show Notes: Subscr

, a visiting fellow in Governance Studies and an expert on federal courts, discusses the process and politics of replacing Associate Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court given the current political climate.  “This polarization our politics has affected the polarization of the confirmation and nomination process and I don’t see how it gets ratcheted down,” Wheeler says. “It gets ratcheted up but I don’t see what happens to get us back to the day in which the Senate basically fulfilled its duty, which was to advise and consent to confirmation of qualified nominees and we’re moving away from that basic obligation of the Senate.” In the podcast, Wheeler gives an overview of the president's and the Senate's constitutional duties for replacing a Supreme Court justice. He also discusses the implications of appointing a Supreme Court justice now, or waiting until the next president is sworn in. Also in this episode: another segment of with Senior Fellow Emeritus ; and discusses his new book,   Subscrib

  Qutaiba Idlbi, a Syrian refugee and activist, and , a Brookings visiting fellow and  expert on the Middle East and North Africa, discuss the Syrian crisis from a personal and public policy perspective. In this podcast, Idlbi shares his own experience participating in the Syrian revolution as it began and the repercussions for him and his family. McKenzie also provides feedback on the crisis from a policy perspective and the role that the United States should play in accepting refugees. “Getting arrested is worse than getting killed because when you are arrested you wish you could get killed every moment you are in prison because of how much you are tortured,” Idlbi says about his experience in Syria. McKenzie says that, “There is no question that the Syrian crisis is the defining crisis of our time. It is a complex emergency that is ongoing.” See also: Also, Senior Fellow  gives her assessment of what happened on Super Tuesday, and looks ahead to the continuing presidential primary contest. Subscribe to th

As a part of Brookings Centenary series, Strobe Talbott, current president of Brookings, and Bruce MacLaury, president of Brookings from 1977 to 1995, look to the major policy challenges that Brookings should take on in its second century while they reflect on their own periods of leading Brookings. Talbott and MacLaury discuss the role of Brookings in the past, present, and future as a nexus of non-partisan ideas, with a passionate commitment to the common good.  From their perspectives, the two presidents examine how the landscape of public policy research and analysis has changed since the years they assumed the presidency of Brookings.

, a senior fellow in Economic Studies, explains new research on the growing longevity gap between high-income and low-income Americans, especially among the aged. “Life expectancy difference of low income workers, middle income workers, and high income workers has been increasing over time,” Burtless says. “For people born in 1920 their life expectancy was not as long typically as the life expectancy of people who were born in 1940. But those gains between those two birth years were very unequally distributed if we compare people with low mid-career earnings and people with high mid-career earnings.” Burtless also discusses retirement trends among the educated and non-educated, income inequality among different age groups, and how these trends affect early or late retirement rates. Also stay tuned for our regular economic update with , who also looks at the new research and offers his thoughts on what it means for Social Security. Show Notes Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on , listen on , and send fe

, a senior fellow in the discusses the five rising democracies; Brazil, South Africa, India, Indonesia, and Turkey and their role in the international liberal order. “These countries show that you can have democratization and improvements in political freedom and at the same time grow your economies and improve in terms of human development,” Piccone says. In the podcast, Piccone provides an overview of each of the five nations highlighted in his new book, “Five Rising Democracies and the Fate of the International Liberal Order,” and how their economic, social, and political development allows them greater access in global politics. Also in this episode, “Steve Hess Stories” with Senior Fellow Emeritus . Show Notes   Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on , listen on , and send feedback email to .