Maxwell School News and Commentary

During his formal talk with the Maxwell community, Secretary General Luis Almagro Lemes of the Organization of American States spoke of his commitment to the study of public administration and international relations, noting that democracy "demands good governance and strong institutions."

Grant Reeher, professor of political science, describes Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch's confirmation as “a normal accomplishment; and I think he [President Trump] needs a couple of those at this point, given everything else.” 

Professor Emeritus William Banks was interviewed on Bloomberg Radio's program "Bloomberg Law" about the Senate investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.

"President Donald J. Trump has made many statements about foreign policy and already has taken numerous foreign policy actions," says Louis Kriesberg, professor emeritus of sociology. "These statements and actions have often been contradictory and counterproductive. There are reasons for that and better alternatives are available."

"People are going to see harm in their own lives and to the government, and they're going to blame the people who are in charge now, which is the Republican majority," says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science.

Dean David Van Slyke says organizations like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood "run the risk of new donors becoming just one-time donors."

"The release of two pages from President Trump’s 2005 tax returns didn’t show much. But they did show just how much Trump—and other super-rich Americans—would benefit from his proposed tax plan," says Christopher Faricy, associate professor of political science.

William C. Banks, director of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, says "the CIA needs to share what is known about its vulnerabilities with the companies that are impacted," in response to the documents released by WikiLeaks.

William Banks, professor of practice of public administration and international affars, says gaining access to the evidence to substantiate or refute Trump's wiretap claims will be incredibly difficult because under the law, the president can not access current or previous Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court orders.

Bill Smullen, director of the National Security Studies program, is concerned that the U.S. State Department could receive less funding to accommodate the proposed 10 percent hike in military spending. "I am a big advocate of making sure that the diplomatic arm of the United States is as strong as it can possibly be," he says.