Maxwell School News and Commentary

“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.”

 “​​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.

“The control of oil and gas resources has been a key factor in many conflicts and geopolitical imperialism, either by providing part of the motivation for an invasion or by helping countries fund their militaries,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment. “Conflict, in turn, feeds production by driving up oil and gas prices,” she adds.

“This is a mix we haven’t seen before, and it does represent a new wrinkle,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, of the types of munitions the Navy is intercepting and the sustained nature of the threat.

"The ongoing attacks by the Houthi fighters in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, increased activity by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and the steady attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Syria and Iraq represent a clear risk of escalation throughout the region," says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

With little indication that the U.S. will attempt to assert leverage over Israel, Blinken’s latest trip to the Middle East is fundamentally “performative,” says Osamah Khalil, professor of history. “There is a face-saving domestic consumption element for [the Biden administration] and a separate face-saving element to allow Israel to claim some kind of victory,” he says.

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, warns that the attacks in the Red Sea could easily drag on for the whole of 2024. “In the mind of the Houthi, this is all connected to what’s happening in Gaza,” says Murrett. “And the operations in Gaza could last for the rest of this calendar year.”

"Drones have been a feature of war for several decades, but today’s conflicts such as the Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine war show how the technology is changing modern combat. Ever more powerful drones have become cheaper and easier to fabricate and deploy," writes William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.

“As this continues over the next few weeks, you’re going to see even greater distance between the U.S. and its allies, and the U.S. and Israel increasingly isolated,” says Osamah Khalil, professor of history and chair of the International Relations Undergraduate Program.

"One of the challenges that's coming out of the COP is a focus on language rather than actual politics," says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment. "So we can talk about abated/unabated [fossil fuels], whether there's possibilities for different forms of use, which source it's coming from. But I think what we really need to focus on is the overall production."