Maxwell School News and Commentary

“The presence of U.S. troops in Mexico will severely and irreparably undermine [President of Mexico] Sheinbaum’s counter-narcotics policies, which are netting results. Crippling the Sheinbaum administration will give rise to an even bigger and stronger enemy south of the border,” writes Gladys McCormick, Jay and Debe Moskowitz Endowed Chair in Mexico-U.S. Relations.

“Mamdani’s got to get his ideas realized in policy, and New York is notoriously difficult to govern. It’s arguably the second hardest political job in the United States, after the president. So whatever he’s able to accomplish, it won’t be easy,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

“Monitoring the nation’s food security status is important in its own right and also because food insecurity is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs. 

“The truth is that a national divorce would require a dangerous unmixing and re-sorting of Americans. Imagine trying to draw a new map that is coherent yet still satisfies the greatest number of people,” writes Ryan Griffiths, professor of political science.

“Americans today may not regard luxury as inimical to republican virtue in the way that they did in 1840. But prolonged inflation or a recession could reawaken those attitudes. In that context, Trump’s tacky and risible affection for gilded moldings and glitzy ballrooms could become a serious political liability,” writes Mark Schmeller, associate professor of history.

“Redrawing districts in between the decennial censuses will just lead to a redistricting arms race,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “What both parties are doing is bad for the political system generally, the state legislatures and the Congress, and the citizens.” 

“As I traveled to military installations around the world, I saw in action the powerful symbolism of the American flag. It means something when people see it on the shoulders of U.S. troops in conflict zones and to allies who fight alongside them. It means something when it arrives with humanitarian aid,” says Alex Wagner, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.

“His intense ground game—you can’t underestimate the power of that,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “Even from political science research, we know that the most effective way to get people to turn out is face-to-face contact. He’s doing a lot of that. …He’s got tons of volunteers.”

“The same terms that were agreed to by Hamas and Israel were available at least eight months ago and likely a similar deal could have been achieved late last year...Instead, the Biden administration’s vociferous support for Israel’s 15-month military campaign has had a profound impact on America’s standing in the world,” says Osamah Khalil, professor of history.

“What really needs to happen here is for the Biden administration to work with and ensure—with its European allies, with its Arab allies—Syria's territorial integrity, ensure transition to a democratic government, and ensure that all Syrians will be protected,” says Osamah Khalil, professor of history.