Maxwell School News and Commentary
Filtered by: Commentary
Banks Weighs in on Claim that Nashville Protest Was an Insurrection in USA Today Article
“The critical difference is there was no threat to the integrity of a democracy in Tennessee,” says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. “Insurrection conditions occur when civilian authorities are unable to enforce the laws. That was a real threat on Jan. 6. Not so in Nashville.”
See related: Congress, Crime & Violence, State & Local, United States
Murrett Talks to Newsweek About the Legacy of the Sinking of Russia's Black Sea Flagship, the Moskva
The visibility of losing their flagship for an entire fleet inevitably attracted attention, says retired Vice Admiral Robert Murrett, professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. It proved that any and all Russian vessels approaching Ukraine's littoral waters were under threat, he adds.
See related: Conflict, Defense & Security, International Affairs, Russia, Ukraine
Huber Weighs in on NY Using Nuclear Power to Reach Its Climate Goals in City & State Article
“It’s a generational thing,” says Matt Huber, professor of geography and the environment. “A lot of younger generations are really fixated on climate and understand that nuclear is one our best options to deal with climate, so we gotta keep it on the table.”
See related: Climate Change, Energy, New York State
McFate Comments on China’s Military Capabilities in South China Morning Post Article
Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs, says China is far from being able to take the island. “China’s military is not ready to take Taiwan, which is why Xi Jinping ordered the military to be ready to take Taiwan by 2027, if told to do so,” he says.
See related: China, Conflict, East Asia, International Affairs
Montez Quoted in Boston Globe Article on Life Expectancy and Where People Live
In one study, University Professor Jennifer Karas Montez and other researchers found that, if every state simply implemented the same policy environment as Connecticut, “The U.S. would increase its life expectancy by roughly two years,” she says. “That is a massive increase.”
See related: Economic Policy, Housing, Income, Longevity, State & Local, U.S. Health Policy, United States
Reeher Talks to The Hill Article About the Battle for the GOP Presidential Nomination
An Economist/YouGov poll last week asked respondents whether or not they wanted Trump to run for president again in 2024. A resounding 57 percent said no, while just 30 percent said yes. “That is the lane” for other Republican candidates says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.
See related: Political Parties, U.S. Elections, United States
Murrett Discusses China’s Taiwan-Targeted Military Drills in Politico Article
That show of force was as much for “domestic consumption inside China” as it was for Taiwan, says retired Vice Adm. Robert Murrett, professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. And the scale and intensity of the drills “were calibrated very, very carefully,” to minimize threat perceptions, he says.
See related: China, Conflict, East Asia, Government, International Affairs
Griffiths Piece on Why Secession Won’t Work for the US Published in the Hill
"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.
See related: Political Parties, United States
McDowell Weighs in on Brazil-China Relationship in Washington Post Article
“When China and Brazil sign an agreement like this, it’s trying to put into place the infrastructure that would make it possible to use China’s currency, but that doesn’t mean that individual firms are going to choose that,” says Daniel McDowell, associate professor of political science.
See related: China, Economic Policy, International Affairs, Latin America & the Caribbean
Allport Talks to NewsNation About King Charles III's Coronation Ceremony
"The royal family always tries to tread this difficult line between appearing to maintain a kind of continuity with the past but also not seeming to be completely out of date and irrelevant either," says Alan Allport, Dr. Walter Montgomery and Marian Gruber Professor of History.
See related: Europe