“When she [Claudia Sheinbaum] comes in, she is inheriting this mess, but she doesn’t necessarily have the charisma that (López Obrador) does,” says Gladys McCormick, Jay and Debe Moskowitz Endowed Chair in Mexico-U.S. Relations. “So it’s going to be a tall ask.”

Brian Taylor, professor of political science, says that the authorization given by the U.S. and Germany to Ukrainian strikes on Russian soil with weapons they supply could have an impact on the balance of power on Ukrainian territory.

“Now this is where we reached this impasse where if we really want to totally restructure the grid, totally grow it in ways that can serve decarbonization, and AI...then perhaps this sort of more integrated, more central planning, more coordinated and socialized investment model could be more useful than this very scattered and sort of fragmented system we have now,” says Matt Huber, professor of geography and the environment.

“Each of the possible changes in the current conflict in Gaza looks improbable, until steps are taken to make it happen,” says Louis Kriesberg, professor emeritus of sociology and Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies.

“Towards Sustainable Cultural Institutions for a New Nation: Creating a National Museum and Archives for South Sudan,” co-authored by Professor of Anthropology Jok Madut Jok, was published in Museum International.

"It's a pipe dream, in a way. What they're doing is partly performative, for ideological purposes," says Ryan Griffiths, professor of political science. "A lot of time, secessionist movements are really just bargaining efforts."

“We are really dealing with two interrelated issues here. The first being the crisis of affordability, but the other one being the crisis of habitability. So changing the zoning isn't going to address some of the most pressing issues that tenants face in our community and so I think we really need to have a multipronged approach to address the housing crisis,” says Gretchen Purser, associate professor of sociology.

“The war in Ukraine is central to his current political project, and I don’t see anything to suggest that that will change. And that affects everything else,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science and director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.

“The turn to a ‘politics of building’ is a welcome change in environmental thinking, but the green Left is still at odds in important ways with the labor movement, which better understands what is needed for deep decarbonization and, most importantly, has the power to help bring it about,” writes Matthew Huber, professor of geography and the environment.

Margaret Susan Thompson, associate professor of history and political science, says one of the biggest reasons for the changing relationship is that [Pope] Francis and other key decision-makers were members of religious congregations themselves. "I think that made a big difference," she says.

Brian Taylor, professor of political science, says a key feature of Trump 2.0 would likely be that the president would not have as many Russia-sceptics in his sphere. "If Trump is elected in 2024, he will surround himself with people who adhere to his worldview and are therefore less hostile to Russia and more sympathetic to Putin."

The student-driven award acknowledges faculty who have had a significant impact and positive influence on graduate education because of their superior graduate-level teaching, dedication to departmental and community presence and excellence in research and creative activities. 

“Peacebuilding Through Cooperation in Health Care and Public Health Between Israel and Palestine,” co-authored by Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Robert Rubinstein, was published in the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice.

"'The Greatest and Most Important Human Right': Citizenship and Bureaucratic Indifference in Refugee-UNHCR Correspondence," authored by Lamis Abdelaaty, associate professor of political science, was published in Migration Politics.

“In general, not a huge amount of change,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science. “Russia is on the front foot now because Ukraine is running out of ammunition, especially artillery. And this has to do with the hold up on the U.S. military assistance package in the U.S. Congress over the last half year.”

“Globally, safe water access for all can be achieved only by involving Indigenous and local communities in water governance and climate planning. People are not voiceless, they simply remain unheard. The way forward is through listening,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.

"Have Repertoire, Will Travel: Nonviolence as Global Contentious Performance," written by Associate Professor of Sociology Selina Gallo-Cruz, was published by Cambridge University Press.

“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.

The awards are funded by a 2022 MetLife Foundation grant that supports research and community programming over three years to examine the racial wealth gap’s root causes and ideas that may resolve its economic and social inequalities, says Kendall Phillips, Lender Center interim director.