Reads of the Week: Doctor Shortages, Tech Industry Competition, and Restoring Trust in US Foreign Policy

Each week, we’ll be featuring opinion pieces from the alumni and current participants of AF’s Writing Fellows Program. A few highlights from the past week are below. Do you dream of having bylines like these? Learn more about how the Writing Fellows Program can help boost your writing career!

How State Polices Are Worsening Our Doctor Shortage by Jacob James Rich (Fall 2018) in Governing

The impacts of the historic shortage of primary-care physicians in the United States have been heightened by the COVID-19 crisis. That shortage is expected to get worse, and it’s exacerbated by misguided state policies restricting out-of-state doctors from practicing within their borders.

Due to factors including aging patient populations and doctor retirement rates, the U.S. is expected to see a shortage of between 54,100 and 139,000 physicians by 2033, according to a recent report from the American Association of Medical Colleges. Among the states predicted to be hardest hit by the shortfall are Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico…

With Parler Back, Are We Sure Tech is a Monopoly? by Eric Peterson (Fall 2014) in RealClearPolicy

The free speech platform Parler is back online. 

A little after a month after Parler was removed from the Android and Apple app stores and had its contract terminated by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the free speech platform is now available to be accessed again via web browser.  

The platform has been able to relaunch by relying on lesser-known companies to host its content. Epik is hosting its domain while Skysilk Cloud is providing the company with its cloud computing service…

U.S. Can Show Nuclear Negotiators it Keeps its Word With Afghanistan Exit by Tyler Kotesky (Spring 2018) in Newsweek

The Biden administration faces two foreign policy priorities hanging in the balance. In Afghanistan, President Joe Biden seems poised to leave troops in the country past last year’s negotiated May withdrawal deadline. At the same time, Biden is attempting to revive the Iran nuclear deal, a goal with added urgency following Iran’s decision to enrich uranium to pre-deal levels and Tehran’s February 21 deadline to remove sanctions.

As it re-engages Iran, Biden’s team might think staying in Afghanistan past the withdrawal deadline is not politically risky. But if reviving the nuclear deal is a priority, now is the worst time for an American president to tear up another agreement…