Maxwell School News and Commentary

“When she [Claudia Sheinbaum] comes in, she is inheriting this mess, but she doesn’t necessarily have the charisma that (López Obrador) does,” says Gladys McCormick, Jay and Debe Moskowitz Endowed Chair in Mexico-U.S. Relations. “So it’s going to be a tall ask.”

Though this fire is nearly contained, in general, fire burns hotter when the weather is hotter, says Jacob Bendix, professor emeritus of geography and the environment. He adds that drought contributes to dangerous fire seasons, but paradoxically, wetter years can too.

Brian Taylor, professor of political science, says that the authorization given by the U.S. and Germany to Ukrainian strikes on Russian soil with weapons they supply could have an impact on the balance of power on Ukrainian territory.

The world is now reaching the point “where it’s kind of the twilight of lived experience, where from this point onwards, D-Day is going to be just a historical event that nobody who participates in commemorations had any personal memory of,” says Alan Allport, Dr. Walter Montgomery and Marian Gruber Professor of History.

“Just like in the GOP presidential primary when there’s a crowded field, you need to get attention,” says Johanna Dunaway, professor or political science and research director at the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship. “Given the venue and the tone and timing of this, it appears it’s Trump he’s trying to get attention from.” 

“Now this is where we reached this impasse where if we really want to totally restructure the grid, totally grow it in ways that can serve decarbonization, and AI...then perhaps this sort of more integrated, more central planning, more coordinated and socialized investment model could be more useful than this very scattered and sort of fragmented system we have now,” says Matt Huber, professor of geography and the environment.

“Each of the possible changes in the current conflict in Gaza looks improbable, until steps are taken to make it happen,” says Louis Kriesberg, professor emeritus of sociology and Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies.

“Caregivers have long been under-appreciated and poorly integrated into the formal health care system. It might be that we are finally recognizing the value of this ‘invisible’ group,” says Jun Li, assistant professor of public administration and international affairs.

Cybersecurity is an example of an area where risk never will be eliminated, explains Chris Mihm, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs. “The issue is if it’s being effectively managed by the agency, by the government,” he says. 

“I think this is actually a significant—you know, it moves the needle. I think it sends an important signal to the civilian population in Gaza that we are concerned about them,” Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, says of the U.S. military's use of a floating pier to get food and other supplies to the people in Gaza.