The Global Impacts of Russia's War, Ketanji Brown Jackson's Nomination, and More

February 26, 2022

The implications of Russia's Ukraine invasion

This week, Russia launched a full-scale military assault on Ukraine, bombing major cities such as Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa. Brookings experts analyze what this means for the international order and offer policy recommendations for the United States, Europe, and other governments.

Why a Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson will make a difference

While Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's potential confirmation may not alter the balance of opinion on the U.S. Supreme Court in the short term, her professional experience, especially as a public defender, and her personal experience as a Black woman will shape how she approaches cases before the court and how opinions will be framed and argued. The consequences of her very presence will likely alter the parameters of U.S. public policy, writes Camille Busette.

Why Congress needs to abolish the debt limit

"Our country faces a lot of long-term economic challenges—high levels of inequality and limited economic mobility, slow productivity growth, climate change, high health care costs, and an unsustainable trajectory for the federal debt … Bickering over the debt ceiling is a waste of time and energy, creates unnecessary uncertainty, threatens the benefits of issuing the world's safest asset, and undermines public confidence in our political institutions," argues Louise Sheiner in her testimony before the U.S. House Committee on the Budget.

Previewing Biden's State of the Union

Facing crises on multiple fronts, 2022 will be a highly consequential year for President Biden and his administration. Ahead of the State of the Union (SOTU) address on March 1, we asked U.S. politics expert John Hudak a few questions about what to expect.

President Biden's first SOTU address comes amid political turmoil at home and geopolitical turmoil abroad. What are the three biggest issues that you expect Biden will touch on in his remarks?

President Biden will need to convince Americans that historic sanctions against Russia are critical to preserving both democracy and America's interests in eastern Europe—while outlining precisely how those sanctions will hobble all parts of Russian life including finance, domestic markets, technology, and military. And while the Russian invasion will consume a significant part of the speech, this remains an important time to talk about domestic politics including the economy, inflation, infrastructure, COVID-19, Build Back Better, and his historic Supreme Court nominee.

With Putin's military action in Ukraine, what kind of tone do you think Biden should strike with Americans during the address?

Foreign conflict offers presidents unique opportunities to strike a tone that is bold, strong, and exudes American might. That tone should seek to unite the parties, highlighting the support he has among (most) Democrats and Republicans in defending Ukraine and punishing Russia. He should take the moment to reassert America as a defender of democracy and as an opponent of aggressive autocrats—a role the United States stepped away from after the 2016 election.

What will Biden need to do between his SOTU address and the midterm elections to turn things around for the Democrats?

Biden and the rest of the party must step forward to craft a message around demonstrable successes in combatting COVID-19, reopening America, rebuilding infrastructure, and taking a lead on education, health care, and the environment, areas that have natural advantages in American public opinion. However, much of the potential success of Biden and Democrats in the midterms depends heavily on how well the economy continues to recover and how effectively inflation is combatted. If Americans are unconvinced the economy is doing well and simultaneously see and feel inflation, there is little Democrats can do to appeal to majorities of voters—and time is running out fast on that.

For more on the SOTU, read Hudak's preview here.

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