AEI's weekly digest of top commentary and scholarship on the issues that matter most
AEI This Week
AEI's weekly digest of top commentary and scholarship on the issues that matter most
A NARROWING PATH TO VICTORY
What's Gone Wrong in Iran
May 16, 2026
US military and diplomatic efforts against Iran have been hampered by poor personnel selections and indecision over objectives. Danielle Pletka assesses ([link removed] ) the cost of these mistakes and explains how the president can still secure victory.
260416-N-NO146-9168 ([link removed] )
To ease pressure on oil prices, the administration has extended its waiver of the Jones Act—which normally restricts shipments between US ports to US-flagged and -owned vessels. Vincent H. Smith and Shantanu R. Kamat show ([link removed] ) the benefits of allowing foreign vessels to work these routes over the past two months.
The legalization of cannabis in many states across the country has given researchers more opportunity than ever to assess the medical and social consequences of its use. Naomi Schaefer Riley highlights ([link removed] ) findings from recent studies that show the harms of this drug—especially on black Americans.
How would increasing the density of single-family homes affect property tax revenues for US localities? In a new AEI Economic Perspectives report, AEI Housing Center experts Arthur Gailes, Edward J. Pinto, and Tobias Peter create ([link removed] ) a novel dataset of effective property tax rates nationwide and then project the significant revenue gains of reducing lot sizes with light-touch density policies.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was created in 1934 to address monopolistic telephone and spectrum-scarcity environments that no longer prevail in today’s world of dynamic competition across broadband, wireless, and satellite platforms. In a new paper for Telecommunications Policy, Mark Jamison puts forward ([link removed] ) options for comprehensive regulatory reform—including disbanding the FCC.
The American Revolution and the Constitution
On May 19, AEI is publishing the seventh and penultimate volume in its “We Hold These Truths: America at 250” series: The American Revolution and the Constitution. Edited by Yuval Levin, Adam J. White, and John Yoo, this volume brings together ([link removed] ) leading scholars of American history, law, and politics, including Harvey Mansfield, Akhil Reed Amar, Jack Rakove, and AEI’s Gary J. Schmitt, to discuss how the American Revolution unleashed the forces of constitution making in the United States. As states erected new governments in the wake of independence, they worked to combine traditions of colonial self-government with both classical and novel political theories. Studying the revolutionary period shows how it gave birth to a constitutional culture that shaped the delegates and debates that would forge the nation’s enduring Constitution in 1787. Order a copy here ([link removed] ) , or visit america250.aei.org ([link removed] ) on the release date to access the full text.
More from AEI
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Another Crucial Maritime Choke Point Is Under Threat ([link removed] )
Michael DeAngelo | The National Interest
Books Aren’t Disappearing from Schools ([link removed] )
Robert Pondiscio | The Next 30 Years
Community Solar "Discounts" Could Raise Electric Bills ([link removed] )
James W. Coleman | RealClearEnergy
Albania Is the World's Newest Narco-State Threat ([link removed] )
Michael Rubin | Washington Examiner
No Conservatives at Commencement? The Message Was Unmistakable. ([link removed] )
Robert P. George | The Washington Post
PODCASTS AND VIDEOS
China’s Changing Population . . . and Why It Matters ([link removed] )
Nicholas Eberstadt | Great Power Podcast
Old and New Rights ([link removed] )
Jonah Goldberg and George Hawley | The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg
Henry Adams, Democracy, and the Morality of Politics ([link removed] )
Christopher J. Scalia | The Street Porter and the Philosopher
The Great Battleship Debate ([link removed] )
Zack Cooper | What's Going On with Shipping?
Did the Supreme Court Gut the Voting Rights Act? Sarah Isgur Debunks. ([link removed] )
Danielle Pletka et al. | What the Hell Is Going On?
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Trump’s highly unorthodox policies heighten the chances of a resurgence of inflation and financial market instability as the government struggles to finance ever-increasing budget deficits.
—Desmond Lachman ([link removed] )
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