Best of the summer - 4 September 2020
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Following a short break through August, BISA Director, Juliet Dryden, is back with a round up of the most relevant and interesting IR news from the past five weeks. Going forward, you can join her each week as she brings you the week's best readings and podcasts to keep you up to date with what's happening around the world.
COVID-related news
- Could covid 19 push some universities over the brink?
- Covid 19 will be painful for universities. Do they need to rethink how and what they teach? Read the view from the Economist
- What can we learn from the Swedish paradox? Asks Freddie Sayers for Unherd
- Why we must accept that our return to the office is essential for jobs and economic recovery. Helen Thompson in the New Statesman
- Will the global economy ever recover from the pandemic? Carmen and Vincent Reinhart in Foreign Affairs
- Good news on vaccines. Rupert Beale in the London Review of Books
- A special open access issue of the flagship journal International Organisation dedicated to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Podcast: Listen to The Politics of Loneliness with economist Noreena Hertz from TALKING POLITICS. How does the experience of loneliness shape contemporary democracy? What kind of politics could make us feel more connected?
UK Politics
- Tory Brexiters turn against the deal they helped secure. Read Steve Peers for politics.co.uk
- The shifting sands of British tribal loyalties. Nick Cohen detects a seismic electoral change based on identity, age and education for the Critic
- Without a proper state aid regime, the UK is unlikely to reach a deal with Brussels says David Gauke in The Conversation.
Freedom of Speech/ Human Rights
- Academics are really worried about their freedom. What will happen to those who don’t believe in progressive orthodoxies? Read John McWhorter in the Atlantic
- Are everyone’s human rights under threat? Pompeo’s commission of unalienable rights. Kenneth Roth discusses in Foreign Policy.
US Politics and Election
- Is Biden getting ready to busy neoliberalism? James Traub asks in Foreign Policy
- Biden Tries Again. Christian Lorentzen in the London Review of Books
- Will Trump contest the results of the US election? Read the view from the Economist
- Electoral college explained: how Biden faces an uphill battle in the US election. Helena Robertson, Ashley Kirk and Frank Hulley-Jones lay it out in the Guardian
- An inside view into the Biden Doctrine. James Traub lays it out in Foreign Policy
- Donald Trump’s incitements to violence are crossing an alarming threshold says John Cassidy in the New Yorker
- The return of American fascism. Sarah Churchwell for the New Statesman
- Podcast: Listen to Trump’s Suburban Strategy. The Daily talks to Emily Badger from the New York Times about the power of the suburban vote and explores whether Republican messaging on the Black Lives Matter protests and law and order will land.
US Foreign Policy
- How to prepare for the next crisis in foreign policy. Michael H Fuchs explains
- Pompeo declares US foreign policy with China has failed. Read Matthew Choi in Politico
- Pompeo ramps up the diplomatic war with China. Robbie Gramer and Jack Detsch.
Belarus
- Does Putin want a resolution in Belarus? Vladislav Davidzon asks in Foreign Policy.
The Middle East
- Beirut’s blast is a warning for America says James L Friedman for the New York Times
- Has the pandemic put an end to Saudi Arabia’s ambitions? F. Gregory Gause discusses in Foreign Affairs
- Israel and UAE’s accord is a big win but don’t overplay it says Aaron David Miller for NPR
- Development, dissent and the future of the Arab world. The Middle East’s lost decades. Maya Yahya’s fascinating article from Dec 2019 in Foreign Affairs.
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