Iraq's Many Crises, the Power of Teacher Expectations, and More

July 31, 2021

Members of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) attend a symbolic funeral of fellow members of PMF

Treat Iraq's Iran-aligned militias like ISIS

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi came into office with the expectation that he would secure some respite for his beleaguered country, but he presides over a perilous political and security environment. Ranj Alaaldin explains the chaos caused by Shiite militia groups tied to Iran and what the United States can do to stem the violence.

To hear Alaaldin’s thoughts and reactions to the recent White House meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and U.S. President Joe Biden, listen to the latest episode of The Current.

Senator Amy Klobuchar seeks to quell health misinformation on social media

Last week, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced a bill that would strip Facebook of its immunity from lawsuits under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act if it algorithmically promotes health misinformation during a health crisis. Mark MacCarthy writes that the bill lacks teeth and policymakers should focus on longer-term solutions to regulating social media platforms.

How teacher expectations empower student learning

"Beliefs can be deep rooted and hard to shift, but when teachers succeed in the classroom, that can also shift their beliefs on what students can achieve." Niharika Gupta and Sameer Sampat argue that to bridge the growing inequality in learning across the world, we must design support for teachers to nurture the belief that all students can learn.

Testimony from Brookings experts

COVID-19 relief efforts. This week, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing to assess the U.S. federal government's pandemic relief and response efforts. Wendy Edelberg shared analysis of the nation's current economic outlook.

America's trade relationship with Africa. During his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, Landry Signé stated "there is no better time to accelerate U.S. trade and investment in Africa than now."

The U.S. Supreme Court. On July 20, Benjamin Wittes testified before the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, arguing that the decay of the confirmation process is "intimately connected" with ongoing calls for court reform.

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