Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

Technology and policy is one of the core research areas at the Watson School. We are committed to better understanding not only how to govern emerging technologies but also how these technologies will affect international and public affairs.

On this episode, Watson School Dean John Friedman spoke with two leading experts about the emerging technology that’s on everyone’s mind today: artificial intelligence.

Serena Booth and Suresh Venkatasubramanian are Watson faculty fellows and members of Brown’s Department of Computer Science, with Venkatasubramanian also holding an appointment in the Data Science Institute. Both are nationally recognized voices on the intersection of AI and public policy.

They spoke with Dean Friedman about the opportunities and risks posed by AI today, what to make of the growing concern over the “existential risks” these technologies pose, and what steps we should take to govern such a powerful, fast-moving technology effectively.

Learn more about Brown’s Data Science Institute

Learn more about Watson and Brown’s Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination and Redesign’s the AI Policy Summer School

Watch the conversation on our YouTube channel

Transcript coming soon to our website

Seven months in, the Iran War continues to hinge on two critical issues: maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and the trajectory of Iran’s nuclear program. On this episode, host Dan Richards talks with two experts about why these flashpoints dominate the conflict, what they mean for global security and what it might take to set them on paths to long-term stability.

Guests on this episode:

• Reid Pauly is the dean's assistant professor of nuclear security and policy at the Watson School, and author of the 2025 book “The Art of Coercion: Credible Threats and the Assurance Dilemma.”
• Lyle Goldstein is a visiting professor of International and Public Affairs at Watson, and author of the 2026 book “The New Cold War at Sea: Maritime Implications of the China-Russia Quasi-Alliance.”

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On this episode, Watson School dean and economist John Friedman spoke with Todd Fisher, a 1987 graduate of Brown University, about the inner workings and long-term effects of the CHIPS and Science Act. Fisher served as Chief Investment Officer of the White House's CHIPS Program Office from January 2023 to March 2025, and currently serves on the Watson School’s Board of Governors.

The Act, which was passed under President Biden, provided unprecedented government subsidies to the United States semiconductor manufacturing industry, reimagined how government can support private industry, and offered lessons for anyone interested in how to make government work more efficiently.

John and Todd discuss the main opportunities and challenges the CHIPS Office faced, how the office’s approach differed from previous models of public-private partnership, and what it was like trying to, as Todd describes, build a “startup within government.” They also discuss his current role as Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Economic Opportunity in the office of New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.

Read more about the CHIPS Program and Fisher’s work at the “Factory Settings” Substack.

Watch this conversation on our YouTube Channel.

Ten years ago this summer, voters in the United Kingdom chose to withdraw from the European Union. In other words, the long and winding process of Brexit began.

On this episode, Dan Richards talks with Watson professor and political economist Mark Blyth about the role Brexit has played in Britain's economy, society and politics in the ten years since that vote, and what the Brexit movement can tell us about the evolution of nationalist populist politics around the world. They also explore what policymakers could do to bolster the British economy and stabilize its politics today.

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In May, an outbreak of the Ebola virus was officially declared in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Aid groups are warning that it could become the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.

On this episode, Dan Richards spoke with two experts about why this outbreak is uniquely concerning, what the global health community needs to do to respond effectively, and how U.S. international aid policy under the Trump Administration has affected the trajectory of this public health crisis.

Guests on this episode:

• Dr. Adam Levine is a professor of emergency medicine and international and public affairs at Brown University, who has led research and training on emergency medicine, including during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Liberia.
• Dr. Craig Spencer is an emergency medicine physician and an associate professor of the practice at Brown University’s School of Public Health. He has worked around the world on frontline preparedness for health emergencies, including in Guinea during the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

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On this episode: as part of the Watson School’s programming for Brown University’s Commencement and Reunion Weekend, Dean John Friedman spoke with MS NOW’s Chris Hayes ‘01 about how social media and the attention economy have reshaped American politics, how politicians should react to these seismic changes in political media, and what this means for the 2026 mid-term elections and beyond.

Chris Hayes is a journalist and the Emmy Award-winning anchor of “All In with Chris Hayes,” which airs weekdays at 8:00 p.m. on MS NOW. He is the anchor of the MS NOW Original podcast “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast,” and author of, most recently, “The Sirens' Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource.”

This conversation has been edited for clarity. Watch the full, unedited conversation on our YouTube channel.

The war in Iran is entering its third month, and according to the War in Iran Energy Cost Tracker — a new project from the Watson School's Climate Solutions Lab — the war has already cost Americans over 40 billion extra dollars in gas and diesel. But as Jeff Colgan, professor of political science at the Watson School and director of Watson’s Climate Solutions Lab, explains, when it comes to the effects of this war, the rising price of fuel is just the tip of the iceberg.

On this episode, Watson School dean and economist John Friedman talks with Jeff about its effects on everything from individual consumer finances to national security, geopolitics, and the future of climate change.

Check out the Climate Solutions Lab’s Iran War Energy Cost Tracker

How do borders — both the physical barriers and the political realities — shape our society?

These questions have long driven the work of Ieva Jusionyte, an anthropologist at the Watson School and director of Watson’s Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies.

In the last nine months, Ieva won both a MacArthur Genius grant and a Guggenheim fellowship for her path-breaking work exploring how political borders shape individuals and communities. On this episode, Dan Richards talks with Ieva about her research, how it feels to have her work receive so much recognition, and what we can all learn from border communities as immigration enforcement comes to our collective doorstep.

Watch the conversation on our YouTube channel

Lithium is an essential ingredient of most modern electronics. It helps to power our phones, our laptops, and increasingly EVs and other key parts of the green transition.

As Thea Riofrancos, a political scientist and author of the new book “Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism,” explains, the story of lithium — how it's mined, how it’s refined, and how it makes its way around the world — isn’t just a business story. It's a story of geopolitics and power.

On this episode (originally published on the Rhodes Center Podcast, another podcast from the Watson School), Watson political economist and Rhodes Center director Mark Blyth talks with Thea about the politics and economics of lithium extraction, how the race to electrify our energy supply is reshaping the global economy, and what it means for the future of our planet.

Learn more about and purchase Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism

Watch Mark and Thea’s discussion at the Watson School

From a once-in-a-century global pandemic, to wars in Europe and the Middle East, to the unchecked rise of AI and social media technologies, we are living in an age of threats against humanity that are profound, fast-moving, and interconnected.

On this episode, produced in collaboration with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dan Richards talks with two experts from very different fields about the interdisciplinary nature of “security studies”, how the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed experts to think about international security in new ways, and where they see some of the biggest threats to humanity today.

Guests on this episode:

• Rose McDermott is a political scientist and professor of international relations at the Watson School.
• Jennifer Nuzzo is a professor of epidemiology and director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health.

Learn more about the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Learn more about Brown University School of Public Health’s Pandemic Center