Benjamin Wittes

As part of the Brookings Campaign 2012 Project, which I directed, I conducted a series of interview with Brookings scholars who wrote chapters for the Campaign 2012 book. Here they are:

Brookings Institution, August 13, 2012 The economy is shaping up to be the focal point of the 2012 election. Federal government efforts to jumpstart the economy started at the end of the Bush administration, and many of the same policies continued in the Obama administration, which also added a multi-billion dollar package of tax cuts […]

Brookings Institution, August 20, 2012 Despite negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program, the diplomatic approach has continued to result in stalemate. Senior Fellow Suzanne Maloney and Campaign 2012 director Benjamin Wittes discuss how the next president should handle a defiant Iran.

Brookings Institution, August 6, 2012 A soft economy has cemented the focus of the 2012 presidential election on economic issues, with little attention paid to foreign policy, a topic often considered a Republican strength. But with Osama bin Laden dead and no new terror attacks during his term, President Barack Obama isn’t seen as weak […]

Brookings Institution, July 16, 2012 The federal budget crisis is a key issue in the upcoming presidential election, with both parties unable to compromise thus far on government spending and tax reform. Ron Haskins and Campaign 2012 Project Director Benjamin Wittes discuss what the next president must do to address the nation’s budget crisis during […]

Brookings Institution, June 25, 2012 With its continuing weak economy and the growing power of China and other countries, America’s role as the pre-eminent power in the world has changed in the past few years. Senior Fellow Bruce Jones, a director of the Managing Global Order Project, and Campaign 2012 Project Director Benjamin Wittes discuss […]

Brookings Institution, June 4, 2012 The role of both state and federal government is crucial to building economic growth in the coming years. Bruce Katz, vice president of the Metropolitan Policy Program and Campaign 2012 Project Director Benjamin Wittes discuss what the next president must do to galvanize the talents and energies of America’s cities, […]

Brookings Institution, May 23, 2012 Expert Q&A with Benjamin Wittes and Jonathan D. Pollack | Jonathan Pollack: There’s no denying that China will eventually have the world’s biggest economy so, it’s imperative that the next President find a way to build a more fulsome and cooperative relationship with China.

Brookings Institution, April 20, 2012 Ted Gayer and Campaign 2012 Project Director Benjamin Wittes discuss what the next president will need to do to address climate policy during his term.

Brookings Institution, March 20, 2012 Presidential candidates are sparring over the Affordable Care Act, and the Supreme Court is set to review its constitutionality. But Alice Rivlin argues the next president should focus on structural reform of Medicare, a driver of deficit spending.

Brookings Institution, March 13, 2012 William A. Galston: The president has been intensely frustrated by how many of his nominations have been stalled in the partisan cross-fire. Partisan polarization today is at highest level it is reached in 100 years.

Brookings Institution, February 21, 2012 Michael O’Hanlon: I don’t think we can go as far as to treat Pakistan as a hostile state. If we do, we’ve already lost the game in Afghanistan. We must recalibrate our policy to push Pakistan in the right direction.