The Baines Report
On July 14, Mayor Steve Adler joined a virtual interview with Politico on the state of affairs in Austin, given the recent surge in Texas COVID-19 cases. Adler expressed his concern for the state and Austin in particular, singling out the difficulties that the city’s healthcare system is facing and the issues The University of Texas […]
While pursuing a master’s degree at American University, Andrew Hallman took a class taught by a professor on sabbatical from the CIA. As he learned of the pivotal role intelligence plays in policy and security, Hallman wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to know more. Three years after earning his degree and many background checks later, he […]
June 5 marked the second anniversary of the Gulf rift. In 2017, the Saudi-led quartet (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt) imposed a blockade on Qatar, citing Qatar’s relations with Iran and terrorist organizations. To date, Qatar refuses to acknowledge the quartet’s 13 demands — issued in the early weeks of the rift — which […]
Last December, I was offered my dream internship — working with the U.S. Department of State — after a two-month application and interview process. As a master’s student in global policy studies, the opportunity to work for a summer at the U.S. Mission to the UN in Geneva would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It would […]
Author Garrard Conley kicked off 2018’s Barbara Jordan Week at the LBJ School by coming to speak at its inaugural event. Conley’s new book, Boy Erased, is an autobiographical account of his experience with gay conversion therapy and his complicated relationship with his parents. Conley discussed the psychological manipulation the conversion “counselors” used, the agony […]
Late in July, an off-the-record gathering of experts and academics converged on the Grand Summit Hotel in Newry, Maine to talk climate change. The handpicked coterie of conference-goers did not discuss carbon emissions or unveil next-generation renewable energy tech. Instead, the topic at hand was climate engineering: a sci-fi-sounding, catch-all term that refers to deliberate […]
Photo: (cc) Shashi Bellamkonda Social Media Swami Network Solutions Crook Fellow Michael Deegan is based this summer in the Office of the Coordinator of Assistance to Europe and Eurasia with the State Department in Washington D.C., and shares his experiences and advice on the State Dept.’s security clearance process: I couldn’t believe it. After all but giving up and starting a […]
Photo: Eric About three weeks into my internship at the state legislature (or “lege”), we had the senate live feed playing in our office while we worked and for the first time, I noticed a unique feature of parliamentary procedure. One of the senators asked to be recognized and in response, the president said, “For […]
Photo shows the Perkowti Valley near FOB Tillman in Paktika, Afghanistan, taken by author The guard drops Tim and Luis off ten minutes late for GED math prep at the Travis County Jail. Shuffling to our shared circular work table, they apologize for their tardiness. We dive into simple interest calculations. Tim’s got it down, but […]
All photos: Paul Kuhne Many students at the LBJ School of Public Affairs would say they came to this school to gain the skills and credentials to be able to make a difference in the future, and I would count myself in that group. But it’s important to remember that there are opportunities to make […]