Friday January 9, 2009

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PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION


Reuters/Joe Chan - Investors chat as they sit in front of an electronic display board in a brokerage house in Shanghai.

Save to My Portfolio Memo to the President: Restore Global Financial Stability

Eswar Prasad, January 09, 2009

The president-elect faces enormous challenges in restoring financial stability, reviving economic growth and dealing with the shifting balance of world economic power. Eswar Prasad offers a public memo to President-elect Obama with recommendations on how to restore global financial stability, move America's economy forward and usher in a new era of global cooperation. Read More

Global Economics, Global Finance, U.S. Economy, Regulation, Financial Markets

U.S. Congress


Reuters/Larry Downing - U.S. Speaker of the House Pelosi swears the members of the U.S. House of Representatives into office.

Save to My Portfolio Assessing the 110th Congress, Anticipating the 111th

Sarah A. Binder, Thomas E. Mann, Norman J. Ornstein and Molly Reynolds, January 08, 2009

Sarah Binder, Thomas Mann, Norman Ornstein and Molly Reynolds look ahead to the 111th Congress and what it will take to overcome the shortcomings of the 110th. Although the previous Congress was able to achieve some policy successes, increase oversight of the executive and strengthen ethics standards and procedures, it was limited in its ability to overcome fully the realities of divided government, the ideological polarization of the parties and the institutional dynamics that have shaped Congress in recent years. Read More

U.S. Congress, U.S. Politics, Governance, Executive Branch, Congressional Oversight

PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION


Reuters/Suhaib Salem - Smoke rises over the main Hamas security complex following an Israel air strike in Gaza.

Save to My Portfolio Memo to the President: Renew Diplomacy in the Middle East

Martin S. Indyk and Kenneth M. Pollack, January 05, 2009

Despite an announcement by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Israel and Palestinian Authority have accepted an Egyptian-French plan for a ceasefire in Gaza, the next president will still face a Middle East in turmoil and an American public weary of engagement there. That challenge requires a return to diplomacy in order to begin the withdrawal from Iraq, cap Iran’s nuclear ambitions and promote a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace. Read More

Middle East, Arab-Israeli Relations, Iran, Iraq, Foreign Policy

SPOTLIGHT: Energy Security


Reuters/Bogdan Cristel - A pressure gauge indicating zero is seen at the main gas distribution station where pipelines enter Romania from Ukraine in Isaccea.

Save to My Portfolio Europe's Gas Crisis: Don't Act Surprised

Jonathan Elkind and Edward Chow, January 07, 2009

Jonathan Elkind and Edward Chow examine the causes of a chronic gas war between Ukraine and Russia. They offer suggestions for Kiev to push ahead with reform that could help Ukraine receive urgent and coordinated support from Western friends. Read More

Energy Security, Ukraine, Europe, Russia, Transatlantic Relations

Research and Commentary

Save to My Portfolio The Stimulus Package Should Help Workers Get Retrained

Gary Burtless, January 08, 2009

Although many ideas have been floated for the incoming administration’s stimulus package, Gary Burtless urges that funds to be used for the nation’s worker training system, which can help equip unemployed and underemployed workers find good jobs when the economy begins to recover and can reduce the number of jobless workers who are looking for work. Read More

Upcoming Event

Save to My Portfolio The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: Beyond Band-Aid Solutions

Wednesday, January 14, 2009
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC

The latest conflict in Gaza has exacerbated an already fragile humanitarian situation and created another humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. On January 14, the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement will host a discussion on the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the broader context of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Read More

Research and Commentary

Save to My Portfolio Playing for Keeps in Afghanistan

Michael E. O'Hanlon, January 07, 2009

What happens when the world's best counterinsurgency force meets a witch's brew of terrorists, multiple insurgencies and hardened narco-traffickers deep in the interior of Eurasia? In Afghanistan in 2009, Michael O'Hanlon says we are about to find out, with huge consequences for that country and the region, as well as American security. Read More

Research and Commentary

Save to My Portfolio The Russia-Ukraine Natural Gas Battle

Clifford G. Gaddy, January 07, 2009

Following a dispute between Russia and Ukraine, Gazprom halted natural gas shipments through Ukraine, prompting shortages across Europe and growing calls of alarm. In an interview on the Diane Rehm Show, Clifford Gaddy discusses the essence of this dispute and the risks for Russia’s reputation. Read More

How will you track the Presidential Transition?

Join Brookings as we monitor the transition from President George W. Bush to President-elect Barack Obama through weekly memos, podcasts, live web chats, and more.

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Transition Tracker

Renew Diplomacy in the Middle East

Martin Indyk lays out the difficult path to renewed diplomacy in the Middle East that President-elect Obama will face the day he takes office, while Stephen Hess discusses how past presidents have decorated the Oval Office for both ceremonial power and personal comfort.

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Spotlight

ExpertHugh B. Price

Former president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League, Hugh Price is an expert on education, civil rights, equal opportunity and criminal justice. His 40-year career spans journalism, philanthropy, the law, and social advocacy.

ExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.

Policy CenterEngelberg Center for Health Care Reform

The Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform provides practical solutions to achieve high-quality, innovative, affordable health care with particular emphasis on identifying opportunities on the national, state and local levels.

ExpertMauricio Cárdenas

Mauricio Cárdenas is a senior fellow and director of the Latin American Initiative. Formerly minister of Economic Development and Transportation, and director of National Planning of Colombia, his research focuses on international and development economics. He is also the president of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA).

ExpertMartin S. Indyk

Ambassador to Israel and assistant secretary of state for near east affairs during the Clinton Administration, Martin Indyk directs the Saban Center for Middle East Policy. He currently focuses on the Clinton administration’s diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

ExpertJulia B. Isaacs

Julia Isaacs focuses on public investments in children and how children are affected by national budgetary policies. A former federal budget analyst, she also researches the economic mobility of children and families across the income spectrum.

TopicHealth Care

Brookings is committed to producing innovative policy solutions to our nation’s most difficult challenges. The country may face no more important domestic policy challenge than the much-needed reform of our health care system. Through an institution-wide effort, Brookings delivers new ideas and offers policy solutions to improve health care both at home and globally.

ExpertMark B. McClellan

A medical doctor and economist, Mark McClellan works on promoting high-quality, innovative and affordable health care. Once commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. McClellan now directs the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

ProgramGovernance Studies

Governance Studies explores political institutions of the United States and other democracies to assess how they govern, how their practices compare and how citizens and public servants can advance sound governance.

Research ProjectThe Hamilton Project

The Hamilton Project produces research and policy proposals on how to create a growing economy that benefits more Americans. Their agenda also focuses on enhancing individual economic security and effective public investments. 

Research ProjectLatin America Initiative

The Latin America Initiative provides high-quality, in-depth, and independent research across a range of economic and political issues, and offers policy recommendations aimed at U.S. and Latin American policymakers.

TOPICThe Presidential Transition

During the 77 days from the election to the Inauguration, Brookings experts will offer 12 "Memos to the President" on top policy priorities across the spectrum of domestic and global challenges, plus additional advice on transitioning from campaigning to governing.

ExpertEswar Prasad

Eswar Prasad, the Tolani Senior Professor of Trade Policy at Cornell University, is a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development. He was previously head of the Financial Studies Division and the China Division at the IMF.

ExpertSarah A. Binder

Sarah Binder is an expert on Congress and legislative politics.  She is completing a project on the politics of advice and consent, and is at work on the politics of how Congress responds to financial crises.

ExpertDarrell M. West

Darrell M. West is the vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings. His studies include campaigns and elections, political advertising, mass media, public opinion, technology policy and electronic government.

ExpertAlice M. Rivlin

Alice Rivlin, the first director of the Congressional Budget Office, is an expert on urban issues as well as fiscal, monetary and social policy. She directs the Greater Washington Research project. 

ExpertRebecca Blank

Rebecca Blank is an expert on the interaction between the macroeconomy, government anti-poverty programs, and the behavior and well being of low-income families. She has just been named the Robert S. Kerr senior fellow at Brookings.