Maxwell School News and Commentary

Three Ukrainian experts, Maria Avdeeva, Eurasia fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute; Tetiana Hranchak, visiting assistant teaching professor in the Moynihan Institute; and Mariana Semenyshyn, visiting Fulbright scholar in the Moynihan Institute, shared their views on the course of the war. 

Margaret Susan Thompson, associate professor of history and political science, says that Biden’s endorsement of Kamala Harris means she will more than likely be the Democratic nominee in the November election. “Already we are hearing a lot of calls for unity, statements of enthusiasm, and a lot of speculation frankly about who might be the vice president. But I do not see a lot of noise around the candidate at the top,” she says.

“The independents that are part of the polling…don’t like either of them. And then, of course the Democrats in the polls are not going to give Trump any positive ratings, and Republicans are not going to give Biden any positive ratings,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

"There really is no winner here, and a military solution is not possible. What needs to happen is for a high-level diplomatic effort by the Biden Administration, using regional partners and allies, to de-escalate the conflict," Osamah Khalil, professor of history, tells CNY Central.

What is clear is that the Canadian wildfires are a product of man-produced climate change and climate disasters are going to become more commonplace, says Jacob Bendix, professor emeritus of geography and the environment.

“This is not the end of what may happen,” says Margaret Susan Thompson, associate professor of history and political science. “It may in fact be the beginning. We've never seen this before, and I don't think we can dismiss it as a partisan political act. Certainly, there have been other presidents who have had strong opposition in the past and yet they have not faced this kind of jeopardy.”

Right now, it could be any number of things thanks to the high volume of unmanned devices or aircraft that take up space in the sky at any given time, says Vice Adm. (ret.) Robert Murrett, professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

“That seems to be what the outcome was—it was a non-outcome outcome. Maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world because I think we do need a presidential election year in which to try to establish some kind of direction on this,” Grant Reeher, professor of political science, tells CNN.

"If Lee Zeldin were to beat Kathy Hochul, that would be basically a political earthquake in the state of New York," Grant Reeher, professor of political science, tells WRVO. "That would change the whole complexion of how the state's politics are going to go in the next four years."

“The environmental benefits are largely going to impact disadvantaged communities if you think typically about tailpipe pollution,” says David Popp, professor of public administration and international affairs.