Maxwell School News and Commentary

"After 9/11, the U.S. Treasury recognised that global dollar dominance gave Washington control over the critical plumbing of global finance. A new breed of financial sanctions emerged which could precisely cut individual targets—terrorists, foreign government officials, state institutions, firms—off from the dollar system. ‘Smart’ financial sanctions revolutionised economic warfare," writes Daniel McDowell, associate professor of political science.

“What people are seeing now is what people have seen every summer for as long as I’ve been alive,” says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. “Folks are taking their summer National Guard duty right now and riding convoys to wherever they’re going to be. For many of us, it’s a regular scene in the summer on the highways.”

The “dominant theme” of the court’s recent term is that the bench remains staunchly conservative. Over the last two years, the conservative supermajority has overseen “multiple, rapid” shifts in the law that appear “ideologically driven,” says Thomas Keck, professor of political science.

Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology, says that around 2018-2019, American universities began to see a slight decrease in the number of Chinese students. “And then the pandemic hit,” Ma says. “And with the rising geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China...[it] made Chinese students hesitate to come to the United States to study.”

"This can't continue as systems that become more unstable and unpredictable will harm more in chaotic ways," says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.

"Electoral Democracy and Working-Age Mortality," co-authored by University Professor Jennifer Karas Montez and social science Ph.D. student Kent Cheng, was published in The Milbank Quarterly.

"Illicitly proliferated Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) and Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, or All-purpose Tactical Guided Missiles (ATGMs), continue to pose risks to international skies," writes Maxwell student Megan Edenfeld. "With the safety of commercial and military aircraft at stake, securing airspace is a priority for the U.S. government and partner and Allied governments worldwide."

One of the main qualifications people seem to be looking for in their new spiritual communities is something that is less exclusionary than the denominations they were raised in. But it’s precisely the more “dogmatic” denominations and religious sects that are better able to keep adherents, says Merril Silverstein, professor of sociology.

"What I think is the best mode is for the government to step back and to support community organizations who are often at the forefront of these conversations and are often populated by people who are directly impacted, and who are the very people who have the expertise because they are the people we are talking about," says Jenn Jackson, assistant professor of political science.