Maxwell School News and Commentary
Filtered by: Federal
Maxwell Scholars Examine ‘Always Fragile’ Democracy
Amid reports of democracy’s global decline, Maxwell faculty and students are gathering new insights into perception, polarization and other pressing concerns.
Ekbia Weighs In on Trump’s Plan to Name an ‘AI Czar’ in Observer Article
“There’s no way for Elon Musk to be unbiased,” says University Professor Hamid Ekbia. “He will use his new-fangled role to insert xAI into a dominant position at the expense of competitors who have a history of divergent agendas and philosophies.”
See related: Autonomous Systems, Federal, United States
Two Alumni Included on GovExec’s Federal 100 List
Jennifer Kuk and Renata Miskell were among those recognized for their innovative approaches to government operations.
See related: Awards & Honors, Federal
Allport Discusses the History of the Pearl Harbor Attack on LiveNOW from FOX
“The Roosevelt administration had attempted to reign in the Japanese, particularly by the use of economic boycotts. In mid-1941, especially, the Roosevelt administration had boycotted all sales of gasoline and aviation fuel to the Japanese. Now the idea was that this would be a detterent to the Japanese. It would persuade them to withdraw from China. But ironically, it ended up having the opposite effect,” says Alan Allport, professor of history.
See related: Conflict, Federal, International Affairs, U.S. National Security, United States
Himmelreich Speaks to The Register About Biden’s 2023 Executive Order on AI
“If they had strictly stuck to doing technocratic policy and formulated this as a matter of bureaucratic procedure, avoiding terms to which the Republican administration is allergic, maybe that executive order could have stood a chance,” suggests Johannes Himmelreich, assistant professor of public administration and international affairs.
See related: Autonomous Systems, Federal, United States
Gadarian Quoted in ABC News Article on RFK Jr.’s Intent to Regulate Farms and Food as Head of HHS
“If all of a sudden HHS is now in the business of passing more regulations on the food industry, on agriculture, we might see that a Republican Senate majority and a Republican House is less interested in allocating a budget to HHS that then would be under a different leadership,“ says Shana Gadarian, professor of political science.
See related: Federal, Nutrition, U.S. Health Policy, United States
Reeher Speaks With Fox News About Trump’s Proposed Tariffs for Mexico and Canada
“I think what he's putting out now, at this stage, could be seen as an attempt to nudge the behavior of both Mexico and Canada regarding the border and to engage in what is essentially financial saber rattling. But also, I wouldn't be surprised to see him follow through on this because he is a believer in tariffs,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.
See related: Canada, Federal, International Affairs, Latin America & the Caribbean, Tariffs, Trade, United States
De Nevers Piece on Trump’s Second Term and America’s Future Role in NATO Published in The Hill
“Trump’s return to power in the U.S. raises serious questions about America’s future role in NATO. He has been open in his disdain for NATO for decades,” says Renée de Nevers, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. “This leaves European NATO with a serious security problem at a time when the threat to Europe from Russia is clear and present.”
See related: Conflict, Europe, Federal, Global Governance, National Security, NATO, Russia, U.S. Foreign Policy, United States
McFate Discusses the Russia-Ukraine War in Daily Express, Defense One and The National Articles
“Putin has lowered the bar for Russian nuclear engagement, a clear signal to NATO to back off. It’s a response to Biden's allowing Ukraine to use long-range American missiles against Russian targets,” says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.
See related: Conflict, Defense & Security, Federal, Government, International Agreements, NATO, Russia, U.S. Foreign Policy, Ukraine, United States
O’Keefe Weighs In on What Trump’s Win Means for NASA in TIME Article
When it comes to space exploration, “I would think that this next [Trump] administration is going to be a continuation of the success in the first administration,” says University Professor Sean O’Keefe. “[Trump] prides himself on being very unpredictable, so I wouldn’t put certainty on this, but all signs point in that direction.”
See related: Federal, Space Exploration, United States