Maxwell School News and Commentary

“It's telling that he has trouble finding lenders willing to lend to him, but maybe not surprising given the issue in the legal case is his overstatement of property values,” says Len Burman, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.

“Really, we have 24 years of watching Putin build an increasingly repressive, authoritarian state. So the main purpose of elections like this in an authoritarian country is to show everyone that Putin is forever, there is no alternative to Putin, there's no point in resisting his state,” says Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.

Trump’s return to the White House would mark a radical change from Biden’s multilateralism, says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “[There would be] an emphasis on bilateral rather than multilateral relations, and a general reduction in American involvement in international affairs,” he says.

“Even among the Republican primary voters, there are 40% of the people in that state who preferred Haley to Trump,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “So, bearing in mind that Trump is a former president, has four years of a presidential record, lost a pretty close election in 2020...there's a significant chunk of the Republican Party that is not happy with him.”

"I thought the Russian invasion two years ago would have been more successful. I thought Russia would have managed to seize and hold more territory than they did. ...That’s because Russia fought worse than I thought they would and Ukraine has fought much better," says Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.

"We've seen moments where there are more heavy exits from Congress, and that it is like a canary in the coal mine," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. "If I'm the speaker, I'm definitely worried."

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, says the war has entered a new phase and predicts an “operational tactical reset” but no major battlefield movements. “I don’t expect to see any dramatic shifts in the activity by the Ukrainian army,” he says, “but the leadership remains strong. I think we’ll see evidence of that very clearly in the months ahead.” 

"He emphasizes, 'This is not your war. It is so far from you. You have other matters besides Ukraine,'" says Tetiana Hranchak, visiting assistant teaching professor. "Putin really wants to persuade the West to end the war sooner, which may indirectly indicate that his resources are running out."

 “​​Difficult choices will be required in the days and weeks ahead as military operations continue a policy of strong deterrence without seeking widespread escalation that could harm our interests and those of our allies,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

"Smoother, more refined, younger, better informed on the issues, but still aggressive on policy and willing to fight the cultural battles the Right seems to care about. Is that enough to persuade a loyal Republican voter, who is weighing that against a proven battler? Apparently not," says Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.