Maxwell School News and Commentary

"The most important threat, in my view, of another Trump presidency is the unpredictability and uncertainty," says Áron Tóbiás, assistant professor of economics. "You can never know what happens next: what appears on Twitter, or what kind of trade policy is made."

"It solidifes their majority, and puts in place this idea that New York is just blue, full stop," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. "And it seems like it's going to be really tough for Republicans to make a real run at the governor's seat, given what we've seen in recent elections." 

"If any Senate Republicans harbor doubts about [Mitch] McConnell’s position, then, recalling their oath to 'support and defend the Constitution,' they must ask themselves: Did the framers of the Constitution intend senators to be impartial jurors in impeachment trials?," writes Dana Radcliffe, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs.

"We borrowed a lot of money to give tax cuts to big corporations and rich people in not the most effective way," says Leonard Burman, Paul Volcker Chair in Behavioral Economics. "The real concern is the growing debt and the possibility that interest rates won’t stay low forever—and I don’t think they will." 

The killings of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy Chairman of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units, "were a dangerous and ill-advised escalation by the United States," Osamah Khalil, associate professor of history and Middle East expert, told USA Today. " Khalil also talked to other outlets about this development, stating that "Their deaths will make it more difficult to resolve the ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran and will only destabilize Iraq further."

"The fact that this in the end became such a strict party line vote, I think it’s going to reinforce the divisions that already exist," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

"I can't imagine them having a civil conversation," says Glyn Morgan, associate professor of political science, about the potential relationship between President Trump and Jeremy Corbyn, had Corbyn won his election. "Their world views are so diametrically opposed. I doubt Trump has even ever met anyone like Corbyn."

Maxwell’s partnership with the government of India and IIMB continues the efforts of civil servants and academics from both countries to learn from each other. “This is an active partnership that works for all parties,” Dan Nelson, international program manager, says.

"For those who believe in the rule of law and the importance of constitutional norms, his impeachment is nonetheless important because it upholds and reinforces the importance of those norms," says Professor Emeritus William Banks.