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.

In order to persuade Trump's loyal MAGA camp to critically question the economy, the country would have to fall into a deep, prolonged recession, according to Christopher Faricy, associate professor of political science. In addition, there is a need for “more uniform reporting” in the media, which attributes the economic crisis to Trump's policies, he says.

“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.

“The stress that families are facing throughout the country is tremendous, not knowing how they’re going to feed their families,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

“There's no question there would be some value to having to have some testing of our weapons, especially some of the new developments we've had recently. But it's how you do that and how extensive the testing is something that's open to question,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

“There is no way to disentangle red and blue America without tremendous violence. Additionally, a large and increasingly ignored percentage of Americans hold moderate views,” says Ryan Griffiths, professor of political science. “There is no doubt that polarization in America is a problem that is getting worse, but a national divorce is simply not the solution.”

“As a person who has lived on three continents and traveled extensively through three more, and as someone who has thought deeply about the implications of gospel values for both church and world, Leo is well aware that all that he says and does will be examined and parsed for their repercussions,” says Margaret Susan Thompson, professor of history and political science.

“We're on an upward tide in relations for right now, but in general in the long term, I would expect this kind of ratcheting up and down to continue,” says Ryan Monarch, associate professor of economics.

“Bavaria is a very agrarian place, even more so at that time,” says Robert Terrell, associate professor of history. Even today nearly half of Bavaria’s land remains devoted to agriculture, and every four years, the Bavarian Central Agricultural Fair coincides with Oktoberfest. 

The book, co-authored by Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, associate professor of geography and the environment, captures the grim realities faced by food workers alongside the opportunities for solidarity at every point in the system while amplifying the successes and challenges faced by movements to make food work, good work.