Sam Ratner

Sam Ratner writes The World's Critical State newsletter.

He is also a contributing editor Zitamar News and graduate a of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Sam writes about civil wars, statebuilding, southern Africa and progressive security policy.

Recent Stories

Critical State

Illiberalism isn't just rising — it's spreading (Part I)

Inkstick Media

July 07, 2020

Why does there seem to be a global rise in illiberal laws that restrict nongovernmental organizations and civic life? Critical State's Sam Ratner looks at research on how policies that restrict civic life spread.

Critical State

Biology will play ‘a key role in the response to future crises,’ says health security scholar

Inkstick Media

June 30, 2020

Translating science into policy has been challenging in the COVID-19 era. It is now critical to "expand biology expertise in government from the silos it is currently in to much more prominent policymaking roles," says health security scholar Gigi Gronvall in conversation with Sam Ratner of the Critical State newsletter.

Critical State

When reform hasn't worked: Part II

Inkstick Media

June 23, 2020

Does de-escalation training for police reduce violence? A survey of 64 evaluations of de-escalation training programs conducted over 40 years says … we have no idea. Critical State's Sam Ratner looks at why police reform can feel like a mirage.

Critical State

When reform hasn't worked: Part I

Inkstick Media

June 16, 2020

The recent history of police reform in America is not encouraging. One area of policing that draws special attention from anti-violence advocates is the stationing of police in schools — especially in schools where the students are majority black.

Critical State

The power of protest: Part II

Inkstick Media

June 09, 2020

Critical State looks at the power and impact of protests over time. As today’s protesters lay out their demands for public safety systems that severely curb police capabilities for violence, economists Jamein Cunningham and Rib Gillezeau offer insight into the stakes of their struggle.

Critical State

The power of protest: Part I

The World

June 02, 2020

Critical State looks at the power of protest to lead to lasting change. According to new research by Omar Wasow, the power of protests to set agendas is high, it seems, but its power to persuade is limited.

Critical State

It’s time for the US to rethink Huntington’s philosophy: Part II

May 26, 2020

It would no doubt be a bitter irony for Sam Huntington that his main idea on a "clash of civilizations" has been taken up with such gusto by ISIS: The idea of conflict between a single Islamic civilization and a single Western civilization is a key tenet of ISIS thinking.

Critical State

Life after combat: How relationships in wartime continue to shape society

The World

May 19, 2020

In central Mozambique, people have tended not to emphasize political divisions after the country's long civil war ended in 1992. But these divisions manifest through social and cultural associations. Critical State spoke with Nikkie Wiegink, an assistant professor at Utrecht University, about these dynamics in Mozambique.

Critical State

It’s time for the US to rethink Huntington’s philosophy: Part I

The World

May 12, 2020

Critical State's next two editions of Deep Dive examine recent critiques of famed political scientist Samuel Huntington’s work and the role he continues to play in shaping American security policy. Political scientist Risa Brooks takes aim at Huntington's "The Soldier and the State” for the paradoxes that its recommendations cause for members of the military.

Critical State

Analysis: Who joins rebel armies?

The World

December 26, 2019

Trying to figure out who actually does the fighting in civil wars — and why they join — is an ongoing challenge for conflict scholars.

Sam Ratner

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