Maxwell School News and Commentary

"If there’s going to be some type of rapprochement with China on this [trade deals], there’s going to have to be negotiations before that between the Chinese and the Americans that deescalate the conflict and result in some other wins from both sides," says Mary Lovely, professor of economics.

"Each day we tolerate President Trump’s behavior we aren’t just humoring an incumbent who refuses to accept the election results. We are putting American citizens at risk," says University Professor Sean O'Keefe.

Under Biden, New York state could find itself having a much more responsive federal government, and a number of Democrats, not just Cuomo, could be among the beneficiaries, says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

Robert Murrett, professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, says he "would be more concerned" if the president-elect was someone other than Biden since he "is so familiar with the national security arena" from his tenure as vice president and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"The most important action the Biden administration can do is to undertake all its policies and actions through a climate justice lens...and approach action with equity, accountability and justice in mind," says Farhana Sultana, associate professor of geography and the environment.

"This was a climate election since a large majority of voters noted that they were concerned with climate breakdown," says Farhana Sultana, associate professor of geography and the environment. "Biden has a climate plan and a mandate and he has promised to listen to scientists…which is vastly different from the last four years of war on science." 

Mark Jacobson, assistant dean for Washington programs at Maxwell School, commented on the firing of Defense Secretary Esper by Donald Trump. He said "Our enemies are going to take note of that, they know that now is a particularly vulnerable time"

University Professor Sean O’Keefe reflects that working in both the legislative and executive branches "are both rewarding in their own different ways, as long as you don't confuse that bright line of distinction between policy formulation and program implementation. It typically works very successfully."

"Attention on the domestic political situation and the president’s dominance of the news and his well-being is obscuring what else might be going on in the world that should be drawing some of our attention," says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.