Maxwell School News

"I don’t think the issue is likely to cause someone to vote for Trump instead of Biden," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. "The problem is what it does for the level of enthusiasm for Biden among different constituencies, and the turnout for him. It could have a dampening effect there."

"Suppliers may not have been able to supply as much as was demanded because they needed to provide it to the local economy, and the Chinese factories were simply not operating," says Professor of Economics Mary Lovely. "Workers were not at work. They were at home. They were quarantined."

"Moscow views the Syrian civil war as a foreign-influenced crisis that threatens the broader Middle East region and its interests there and at home," says Osamah Khalil, associate professor of history.

"Iraq has become a battleground for American and Iranian influence," says Osamah Khalil, associate professor of history.

The killings of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy Chairman of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units, "were a dangerous and ill-advised escalation by the United States," Osamah Khalil, associate professor of history and Middle East expert, told USA Today. " Khalil also talked to other outlets about this development, stating that "Their deaths will make it more difficult to resolve the ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran and will only destabilize Iraq further."

Professor Emeritus William C. Banks said congressional action regarding FISA could further insert politics into a process that should be free of it. "All the politics that surrounded the headlines of this story would rear their ugly head again," he says. "It could end up with more amendments to FISA that do more harm than good."

"I can't imagine them having a civil conversation," says Glyn Morgan, associate professor of political science, about the potential relationship between President Trump and Jeremy Corbyn, had Corbyn won his election. "Their world views are so diametrically opposed. I doubt Trump has even ever met anyone like Corbyn."

"There are AR-platform guns that shoot legal hunting rounds, from a .308 on down. I don’t know what that would do if we’re thinking of the lethality it provides somebody," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

"The most the Israelis are willing to offer does not meet the minimum demands of the Palestinians. This includes a viable, independent state with sovereignty over its borders and resources," says Osamah Khalil, associate professor of history.

Gladys McCormick, Jay and Debe Moskowitz Endowed Chair in Mexico-U.S. Relations, explains (former) Mexican President Felipe Calderón's strategy to crack down on drug trafficking organizations was to eliminate drug kingpins. But rather than eliminating the cartels, the capture and death of cartel leaders have led to their members creating smaller organizations.

"If enacted, this directive will add an organizational overhead expense for this separation and will create countless bureaucratic fist fights over what goes into which part of this new Department of the Air Force enterprise," writes Sean O'Keefe, University Professor and Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership.

"It was just another, additional piece of evidence for Democratic voters and particularly Democratic women that...women are not valued as much as men and they aren't to be believed, and they don't matter," says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science. 

According to Emily Thorson, assistant professor of political science, it's difficult to separate non-football issues—such as politics, concussions, cord-cutting and other unknown factors—from the events on the field.

"Vladimir Putin sees the World Cup as another opportunity to advance his campaign to restore Russia’s rightful place in the world," says Brian Taylor, professor and chair of political science.

"The sense of tradition is very strong in the Senate—there's a level of mutual respect and having each other's back," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, about Senate Republicans' support of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

"If something big is revealed—an impeachable offense by the president—that could be a significant factor in creating a blue (Democratic) wave," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. On the other hand, he says, if the investigations end with nothing really significant or new "it gives power to President Trump's narrative that it has all been a witch hunt, which could give Republicans a boost."