Immigration, gun control, and the state of the economy are all expected to be key topics in tonight’s State of the Union address, the first in President Obama’s second term.  Cato scholars will be offering live commentary throughout the address, as well as during the GOP response by Sen. Marco Rubio, and the Tea Party response by Sen. Rand Paul. Follow their comments directly on Twitter, or visit this page at 9:00 PM ET to join us.

• Live Blog of the 2013 State of the Union Address and the GOP Response
• Follow the conversation on Twitter

On March 1, we are told, the world will end. That’s the date on which the spending sequester goes into effect, after being postponed for two months as part of the fiscal-cliff deal. But Cato scholar Christopher A. Preble argues that the Pentagon cuts currently under consideration are small relative to its gargantuan budget. “The United States will maintain a substantial margin of military superiority over any conceivable combination of rivals even if it spends far less than it does today,” says Preble. “And cuts in military spending should pay dividends for the economy over the long run.”

• “Sequestration Is Still Better than the Alternatives,” by Christopher A. Preble
• “Don’t Fear the Sequester,” by Michael D. Tanner
• “Economic Effects of Reductions in Defense Outlays,” by Benjamin Zycher
• More Cato Commentary on Defense Spending

Until now, international trade in education was fairly small in scope, limited mostly to students studying abroad and a few foreign branch campuses. However, the growth of online education will make trade in higher education services far more common. And in response to this increasing trade, there are likely to be complaints about the impact of foreign competition on domestic institutions. In a new paper, Cato scholar Simon Lester argues that we must resist calls for protection and embrace this new period of innovation in higher education, not try to hold it off.

• “Liberalizing Cross-Border Trade in Higher Education: The Coming Revolution of Online Universities,” by Simon Lester

In the latest issue of Cato Journal, Cato scholar James A. Dorn examines financial repression in China and its impact on the U.S. debt crisis, the rebalancing that needs to occur in China to advance the role of the market and limit the power of government, and the reforms that need to occur in China and the United States to achieve lasting peace and prosperity. Also in this issue, Thomas Grennes looks at the diminishing quality of fiscal institutions in the U.S. and Europe, and Melissa Yeoh and Dean Stansel offer the first examination of the relationship between public expenditures and labor productivity that focuses on municipalities, rather than states or nations.

• Winter 2013 Issue of Cato Journal