Maxwell School News and Commentary

“I think IVF is an issue that hasn't been politicized before and could be one that could get people thinking about the ways that reproductive health is connected to politics and engage them,” says Shana Gadarian, professor of political science and associate dean for research. “It may push people to the polls.”

“It was definitely always a long shot and the ruling is not surprising,” says Thomas Keck, professor of political science and Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics. But, he adds, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling opened up larger questions about what guardrails exist to protect US democracy.

“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.

“IVF is a pretty common procedure now, and if someone directly hasn’t gone through it, it is relatively common among groups that are more likely to be conservative,” says Shana Gadarian, professor of political science and associate dean for research. “These are procedures people think of as important in their own lives and are probably separable from abortion.”

"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."

“These investments try to connect with as many young Arabs who have an interest in sports,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment. “It is part of the construction of a new identity, one that goes beyond the concept of being the epicenter of the Sunni Muslim world.”

“Having a nuclear weapon in space like that permanently would be a clear violation of international norms,” says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs. “That can create a nuclear space race. I think that’s the bigger threat.” 

"We don’t know every detail about the circumstances of his death today, but it is 100 percent fair to say that Alexei Navalny was killed by Vladimir Putin and the Russian state," says Brian Taylor, professor of political science and director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.

Administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the fellows program is a flagship leadership development opportunity for advanced-degree candidates who, if selected, receive two-year appointments within federal agencies.