Maxwell School News and Commentary

"Simply put, secession is a political solution for an ethnonational problem among regionally concentrated populations. The problem in America is one of political polarization," writes Ryan Griffiths, associate professor of political science.

"China wants to get a sense, are you really serious about figuring out some way of turning down the heat or not," says Dimitar Gueorguiev, associate professor of political science. "And they have reason to be suspicious on where we're going with the electoral cycle in the U.S. and how risky it is."

Award winning broadcasters Van Jones and Bob Costas were among those who took part in a recent Los Angeles event celebrating the launch of the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship.

Erin Hern, associate professor of political science, has written “Explaining Success in Africa: Things Don’t Always Fall Apart” (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2023). The book focuses on normalizing the success of countries and analyzing their progress amid adverse circumstances. 

Rosalyn Impink is the first recipient of the scholarship created by an alumnus who had a long career in public finance.

Discussing the AR-15's appeal on the right, Grant Reeher, professor of political science, tells Newsweek: "In large part, I think it's because this particular rifle has become such a public target for Democrats and liberals regarding gun regulation and control. ...The rifle has become a symbol of the debate over gun control, and the political right is more associated with gun ownership and rights."

"Constitutionalists, Despots, Whigs, and Revisionists: Tudor Parliamentary History in the 20th Century," written by Associate Professor of History Chris Kyle, was published in Parliamentary History.

“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.”

Between 1900 and 1940, roughly five million southern whites left former Confederate states and neighboring Oklahoma. In a peer-reviewed study to be published later this year, Thomas Pearson, assistant professor of economics, and his co-authors found that this group was not just greater in number, but, as they spread their culture and attitudes, perhaps in political influence, too.

The Iraq War veteran is director of national security for The American Legion and is pursing an executive master’s in international relations degree.