Maxwell School News and Commentary

“There have also been arguments that DNI (Director of National Intelligence) has grown beyond its original intent. There is always a process of streamlining and covering the priorities effectively, but this doesn’t seem to be an effective way to do it,” says Kristen Patel, Donald P. and Margaret Curry Gregg Professor of Practice in Korean and East Asian Affairs.

“It was a useful navigation tool in the 16th century, because it has straight lines, giving navigators a line of constant direction to sail along,” says Mark Monmonier, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography and the Environment. “But outside of that very narrow navigation application, there is no point in using it.”

“He [Putin] continues to launch missle and drone attacks, and military attacks continue along the front line. So Putin is really betting on a military solution, not a political one, despite all of the talks that took place over the last week,” says Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.

“India did consider the U.S. an ally,” says Devashish Mitra, Gerald B. and Daphna Cramer Professor of Global Affairs. “It was a country that the U.S. was relying on as a counter to China in that region. So it had a huge geopolitical importance, but it doesn’t seem like Trump values any of that.”

“It’s part of what scholars would call the authoritarian playbook—undermining factual information and falsifying things that you know to be true,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.

“After Trump and Putin met for more than two hours Friday, and then praised each other to the media for about 12 minutes, it was clear that Trump, in his rush to meet with Putin, not only risked whatever was left of his image as a dealmaker-in-chief, but he also may have damaged the United States’ image as a global champion for democracy,” writes Nayyera Haq, assistant dean for Maxwell-in-Washington.

“This will be the first U.S.-Russia summit brought about by sheer ignorance and incompetence: The U.S. president and his chosen envoy mistook a Russian demand for a concession,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science and director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.

“This is not post-war planning. This is a continuation of Netanyahu's war,” says Osamah Khalil, chair of the International Relations Undergraduate Program. “This is what experts like I and many others have warned about for 22 months All of this was about expanding, annexing Gaza and the West Bank and expelling Palestinians.”

“We overbuild in flood zones everywhere across the country…but with camps it's especially worrisome. You're not just putting yourself at risk, you're putting these children at risk who you're supposed to be looking out for their safety,” says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science.

Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, says that Trump has advocated for a ceasefire in Ukraine “at the expense of other strategic priorities such as stability in Europe and punishment of Russia through increased aid to Ukraine.”