Cato wishes you a Merry Festivus!

Happy Holidays from Cato Today! Happy Holidays from your friends at Cato Today! We are so thrilled to be able to share updates, research and analysis from Cato scholars with you every day, and we look forward to another wonderful year in 2017. Cato Today will return in the New Year. In the meantime, catch up on the latest from Cato's scholars via the links below: Cato Scholars on Current Events   Cato Daily Podcast Cato Institute on Twitter   Cato Institute on Facebook COMMENTARY The Problem with United States’ Unshakeable Backing of the Philippines by Christine Guluzian on The Hill (Online) Despite the Philippines president, Rodrigo Duterte, throwing a series of lambasts and insults Washington’s way, the United States has continuously reassured the Philippines of its solid commitment to the U.S.-Philippines alliance. Why Kuwait’s Elections Matter by Doug Bandow on National Interest (Online) It doesn’t take a lot of votes to get elected to Kuwait’s National Assembly. In the smaller districts a couple thousand ballots will do. But the legislature really matters. Only Bahrain has a similar elected body, but that Gulf state has destroyed any pretense of democracy with the ruthless repression, backed by neighboring Saudi Arabia, of the Shia majority by the Sunni monarchy. [More Commentary] MULTIMEDIA  NEW! Cato Daily Podcast: Nelson v. Colorado (07:30) When a court throws out a case against you after you’ve paid restitution, shouldn’t you get your money back? David G. Postcomments on the case of Nelson v. Colorado. [More Multimedia] FROM CATO'S BLOGS

Do Colleges Have an Edifice Complex, an Amenities Arms Race, or Both? by Neal McCluskey Think of college, and your mind may well conjure images of ivy creeping up the walls of stately, gray, Gothic stone buildings in which the deepest of learning occurs.  Let States Prosecute Assaults, Regardless of Their Motivations by Ilya Shapiro In January 2015, Randy Metcalf was involved in a bar-fight in Dubuque, Iowa, where he seriously hurt a man. Was he prosecuted for assault under state law? No.

[More from Cato@Liberty] RECENTLY RELEASED A new index from the Cato Institute examines state and local data on 230+ policy variables to determine which states provide the highest levels of personal, economic and regulatory freedom. Visit Freedom in the 50 States to view the full list of rankings, customize the data and access state-specific recommendations for reform.  FEATURED POLICY SCHOLAR Benjamin H. Friedman Research Fellow in Defense and Homeland Security Studies Benjamin H. Friedman writes about U.S. defense politics, focusing on strategy, budgeting, and war. Ben is a graduate of Dartmouth College, a PhD candidate in political science at the MIT, and an adjunct lecturer at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Read the latest from Benjamin H. Friedman UPCOMING EVENTS Men without Work: America’s Invisible Crisis January 10th, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Book Forum A New Agenda for the 115th Congress January 12th, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Capitol Hill Briefing Debating the Trump Doctrine January 17th, 12:00PM - 1:30PM, Policy Forum The Welfare of Nations January 26th, 12:00PM - 1:30PM, Book Forum View additional upcoming events... Many events at the Cato Institute are also streamed live online. Please check the schedule for availability. All events shown are in EST.