AEI

The American Enterprise Institute is a public policy think tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world. AEI President Robert Doar, along with Senior Fellows Matthew Continetti and Timothy Carney, and Fellow Katherine Zimmerman are regular contributors to Straight Arrow News.

Contributors

Leon Aron

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

John Fortier

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Timothy Carney

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Robert Doar

President, American Enterprise Institute

Trump is making the same mistakes as in his first term — undermining Ukraine, appeasing Russia and stepping into a well-laid trap.

Conservative Opinion

March 27

Trump falling into familiar Putin trap as peace talks stall

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The secret ballot is a vital bulwark of democracy, and it must be preserved for future generations.

Conservative Opinion

March 20

We must protect the secret ballot

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Public school systems have become quasi-religious institutions that position themselves against parents. It's time for school choice.

Conservative Opinion

March 13

Universal school choice best for student, parents and communities

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Trump has defied the stereotype of Republicans as the party of seniors, instead leading a youth movement that could reshape politics.

Conservative Opinion

February 20

Trump’s baby-faced bulldozers just getting started

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

President Trump’s executive actions have unleashed widespread controversy and concern. What’s legal, what’s not, and will Congress respond?

Conservative Opinion

February 13

Congress will not just play dead against Trump, DOGE

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The real lesson from this chaotic scene isn’t just about who is being deported, but about who should be welcomed into the country.

Conservative Opinion

February 6

Anti-deportation protests across US will hurt immigrants

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Social media companies are reworking their policies in favor of less restricted free speech under President Trump’s second term.

Conservative Opinion

January 30

Trump’s second term heralds changes for US social media

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in New Orleans reminds us of the dire consequences of ignoring the larger global ISIS threat.

Conservative Opinion

January 23

New Orleans attack shows US must put ISIS on defense

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Democrats' left-wing policies prioritize ideology over effective governance, worsening issues like the L.A. fires.

Conservative Opinion

January 16

How woke Democratic policies are fueling devastating wildfires

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Putin’s war on memory is being waged in classrooms, textbooks and monuments as he seeks to rewrite Russian and Soviet history.

Conservative Opinion

January 2

Putin wages a war on memory and history in Russia, Ukraine

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Unlike his first term, Trump is currently enjoying a "honeymoon" phase as he prepares to return to the White House — but it won’t last.

Conservative Opinion

December 26

The Trump honeymoon will not last

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The Department of Government Efficiency could improve government, with lessons to be learned from past spending cuts.

Conservative Opinion

December 19

Musk-Ramaswamy DOGE initiative overdue and full of challenges

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Democrats and Republicans can stop Trump’s disastrous plan for tariffs if they work together and act fast before he takes office.

Conservative Opinion

December 12

Democrats, GOP must urgently cooperate to block Trump tariffs

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Trump's 2024 victory was decisive, bolstered by Democratic opponents who campaigned on the unpopular policies of the Biden administration.

Conservative Opinion

November 21

Why the presidential election result wasn’t even close

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

America is witnessing the dawn of a new national Republican coalition that will soon control both Congress and the presidency.

Conservative Opinion

November 14

This is the dawn of a new national Republican coalition

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Democrats’ preferred voting method appears to be shifting from mail-in to in-person, partly due to concerns about ballot harvesting.

Conservative Opinion

November 7

Why Democrats have soured on mail-in voting

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Putin is throwing all his men into the Ukraine meat grinder, and he’s quickly running out. What does it mean for the future of the war?

Conservative Opinion

October 31

Putin’s war is running out of men

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The once-looming government shutdown raised concerns among lawmakers after President Joe Biden was virtually absent from public appearances.

Conservative Opinion

October 17

Joe Biden’s failed foreign policy legacy

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Transitions of power in the U.S. are long, difficult and complicated when compared to transitions in similar nations like the United Kingdom.

Conservative Opinion

October 10

Why are transitions of power so complicated in the United States?

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Americans face many obstacles when planning or trying to start a family. Child car seat regulations should not be one of them.

Conservative Opinion

October 3

Child car seat regulations might actually be impacting family planning

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Kamala Harris’s positive energy is sweeping across the country. What’s her secret, and what do her real positions tell us about her?

Conservative Opinion

September 19

Kamala Harris’ secret is her mystique

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The 25th Amendment should remain untouched and above politics. Even in extreme scenarios, there are better options for removing presidents.

Conservative Opinion

September 12

The 25th Amendment should remain above politics

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Stressed-out parents often blame themselves or a lack of government support for their problems, but the real issue is lack of community support.

Conservative Opinion

September 5

The government isn’t the answer to a stressed-out parenting culture

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Xi Jinping’s China sees itself as the harbinger of a new historical era, and will never pivot away from Russia or towards the West.

Conservative Opinion

August 29

Why China helping end Russia-Ukraine war is just a pipe dream

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Kamala Harris is to the left of Biden on a range of big issues, including the war in Gaza, and that’s a bad sign for conservatives.

Conservative Opinion

August 22

Harris is further Left than Biden on Gaza, Supreme Court and more

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Omarosa Manigault Newman, a former Trump White House aid, said former President Donald Trump dictated his medical history.

Conservative Opinion

August 15

Uncensored political content like Trump-Musk on X is a win for free speech

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

JD Vance’s comments about childless cat ladies highlight the very real problem of the modern costs of raising a family and declining U.S. birth rates.

Conservative Opinion

August 8

Real birth rate crisis lurks beneath the ‘childless cat ladies’ debate

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Donald Trump has selected JD Vance to appeal to a younger generation of far-right MAGA voters, putting him on track for the 2028 nomination.

Conservative Opinion

August 1

JD Vance will take MAGA into 2028 and beyond

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Biden's new tariffs might help American metal manufacturers but will cause problems for American businesses and workers who use these metals.

Conservative Opinion

July 18

How Biden’s tax on Chinese metal harms Americans

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

With Putin ruling since 1999 and an unstable domestic situation, what will Russia's future will look like when he is no longer in charge?

Conservative Opinion

July 11

What happens to Russia after Putin?

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Americans need a leader who will highlight the country's strengths and "inspire us to get back on the right track."

Conservative Opinion

June 27

What kind of leader America needs

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

NY Gov. Hochul's reversal on congestion pricing shows Democrats prioritize climate issues only when it won't harm their reelection chances.

Conservative Opinion

June 20

Democrats use climate change issues to help sell liberal agenda

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Biden and Trump will have at least two debates prior to November 2024. How did this happen, and what does it tell us about debates as a whole?

Conservative Opinion

June 6

How do presidential debates work?

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Biden's appointment of Becerra as HHS secretary betrayed his fellow Catholics in favor of pursuing a liberal “culture war” health agenda.

Conservative Opinion

May 30

HHS Secretary Becerra’s crusade against Catholicism

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is more powerful and more necessary today than it has ever been before.

Conservative Opinion

May 23

NATO is stronger now than ever before

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The old leaders of anti-Vietnam War protests are now crushing the anti-war student protests of a new generation. What explains this?

Conservative Opinion

May 16

Universities must blame themselves for protest hypocrisy

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Putin pledges to fight for however long it takes, but is that a realistic pledge for a hamstrung Russian economy and a demoralized Russia?

Conservative Opinion

May 9

Putin’s promise of a long war might be hollow threat

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

U.S. elections have become much more secure in the past 25 years, but there is still room for more progress to be made.

Conservative Opinion

May 2

US elections have become much more secure since 2000

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Donald Trump has a long list of eligible VP candidates for the 2024 ticket, the only question is which one of them he’ll choose.

Conservative Opinion

April 25

Who will Trump pick for vice presidential running mate?

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The government wants to subsidize child daycare. Like other demand-side subsidies, this is only going to drive up prices even more.

Conservative Opinion

April 18

Subsidizing demand won’t fix real problems

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The Murthy case will help clarify the boundaries of communication between the federal government and social media companies.

Conservative Opinion

March 28

SCOTUS case on threat of disinformation raises thorny questions

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Education and income level are becoming more important to American elections than race or ethnicity, and that change continues to accelerate.

Conservative Opinion

March 21

Education, income becoming key variables in elections

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The societal impact of America's declining birth rate, largely attributed to cultural factors, will be substantial on various fronts.

Conservative Opinion

March 7

America’s baby bust portends tough times ahead

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The Supreme Court must decide if Trump is eligible to run for president, and whether individual states can make that ruling on their own.

Conservative Opinion

February 29

Trump v. Anderson is more complicated than it looks

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

A Congressional candidate accused politicians of prioritizing illegal immigrants over citizens, leading to a heated exchange.

Conservative Opinion

February 22

If we’re lucky, AOC and the Squad are on their way out

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

U.S. inflation is still too high. The American people are still suffering from it. And President Biden is still to blame.

Conservative Opinion

February 8

Inflation is still too high and Biden is still to blame

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

For Iowa and New Hampshire, it’s the end of a political era. South Carolina and Nevada might replace them as the Democratic proving grounds.

Conservative Opinion

February 1

Era of Iowa, New Hampshire kicking off election season is ending

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Matthew Continetti highlights the rarity of a sitting president and a former president vying against each other in a general election.

Conservative Opinion

January 25

All bets are off in a Biden-Trump rematch

Matthew Continetti

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The United States has a range of options on how to proceed in its fight against the Houthis, but one of those options is clearly superior.

Conservative Opinion

January 18

US should help Yemen fight Houthis

Katherine Zimmerman

Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

A new policy went into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, that’s going to make college a lot harder to afford for American families.

Conservative Opinion

January 11

College just got much pricier for American families

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute