David A. Nakamura

David A. Nakamura has been a staff writer for the Washington Post since 1994, and he currently covers the administration of Washington, DC, mayor Adrian M. Fenty and city government. In 2005, David headed a team that won the $35,000 Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting for a series of stories about problems related to lead in the DC drinking water and the city’s failure to notify the public. In 2001, he spent a year in Hiroshima teaching English, and, in 2006, he participated in a two-week reporting fellowship through the Foreign Press Center Japan. David attended the University of Missouri, where he earned a BA in journalism. He will be spending his fellowship tenure at Keizai Koho Center.

United States

Is Rising Student Debt Harming the U.S. Economy?

Higher education provides students many socioeconomic benefits and increases the global competitiveness of the United States, but mounting student loan debt has sparked a debate over federal lending policies.

Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors April 16, 2024 Renewing America

Iran

Iran’s Regional Armed Network

Iran’s web of armed partners such as Hezbollah and the Houthis serves to strengthen its influence in the Middle East and could pose a significant threat to the United States and U.S. allies in the region, especially Israel.

Article by Kali Robinson and Will Merrow April 15, 2024

United States

What Does the U.S. National Guard Do?

The National Guard is a special part of the U.S. military that answers to both state governors and the president. While it began as a “strategic reserve,” the guard has come to play an important role in domestic and overseas operations.

Backgrounder by Anshu Siripurapu and Noah Berman April 3, 2024

Top Stories on CFR

Middle East and North Africa

Virtual Media Briefing: Addressing the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

CFR experts Steven A. Cook and David J. Scheffer join Amnesty International’s Agnes Callamard and Refugee International’s Jeremy Konyndyk to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Virtual Event with Agnès Callamard, Steven A. Cook, Jeremy Konyndyk, David J. Scheffer and Kate Brannen April 11, 2024 Media Briefings

Japan

Prime Minister Kishida’s Tour de Force

The highlights from Kishida Fumio's busy week in Washington.

Blog Post by Sheila A. Smith April 15, 2024 Asia Unbound

Genocide and Mass Atrocities

Remembering the Rwandan Genocide

Thirty years ago, Rwanda’s government began a campaign to eradicate the country’s largest minority group. In just one hundred days in 1994, roving militias killed around eight hundred thousand people. Would-be killers were incited to violence by the radio, which encouraged extremists to take to the streets with machetes. The United Nations stood by amid the bloodshed, and many foreign governments, including the United States, declined to intervene before it was too late. What got in the way of humanitarian intervention? And as violent conflict now rages at a clip unseen since then, can the international community learn from the mistakes of its past?

Podcast with Gabrielle Sierra, David J. Scheffer and Claude Gatebuke April 10, 2024 Why It Matters