CMC In The News

Prof. Hilary Appel was interviewed on CNBC to assess the ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, as well as security guarantees sought from NATO by Ukraine President Zelenskyy. “There is no way that the security guarantees that he hopes to get from the existing NATO member states and other countries are the least bit realistic,” she said.

In a Nikkei Asia op-ed, Prof. Minxin Pei suggested a strategy for preventing war in East Asia, looking at what the United States, China, and Taiwan can learn from the war in Ukraine. “While it is unlikely that the three protagonists can reach a new political understanding in an environment of enmity and distrust, they still need to intensify diplomatic efforts to know what each other’s bottom line is and find a new modus vivendi,” he said.

Prof. Angela Vossmeyer’s co-authored study “Stock Volatility and the War Puzzle” was cited in an op-ed in MarketWatch about the stock market’s prospects as a result of the war in Ukraine. The National Bureau of Economic Research circulated the study, which said that stock market volatility has been “33 percent lower during major wars and periods of conflict since 1921.” Columnist Mark Hulbert said about the authors: “They at least partially solved the puzzle, finding that increased defense spending during wars and military conflicts leads corporate profits to become more predictable. That in turn translates to lower stock market volatility and risk.”

In his Cutting-Edge Leadership column for Psychology Today, Prof. Ronald E. Riggio explained why punitive leaders are destined to fail. “Effective leaders use positive reinforcement to motivate followers,” he said. “Offering rewards for good and productive behavior is a much better strategy. It focuses on what team members are doing right, and encourages that, rather than focusing on stopping what they are doing wrong.”

Prof. George Thomas reviewed Noah Feldman’s “The Broken Constitution,” a book about how President Abraham Lincoln remade the U.S. Constitution.

In an op-ed for The Japan Times, Prof. Minxin Pei warned that the war in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear arms race in Asia. “By bolstering the case for more nuclear weapons in Asia, Putin’s war in Ukraine could decimate what little is left of the region’s strategic stability,” he said. “This not only poses an existential threat to Asia; it would also deliver yet another blow to the global nonproliferation regime, making it even harder to prevent the spread of such weapons in other regions.”

A Washington Examiner piece about Biden’s attempts to move past the pandemic quoted Prof. Jack Pitney: “Most Americans are sick of restrictions and want the pandemic to be over,” he said. “Sounding the alarm bell might trigger resentment instead of watchfulness.”

Prof. Ronald Riggio was quoted in a Swaddler piece about why we believe people in power when they lie. Speaking broadly about lying, he said, “It’s the politics of audacity. The more outrageous and audacious the lie is, the more people say ‘that’s got to be true because why would someone make something like that up?’”

In an opinion piece for Bloomberg, Prof. Minxin Pei wrote: “Any hopes that U.S. President Joe Biden might persuade his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to help stop the war in Ukraine should probably be put aside. … With no good options, China’s only coping strategy for now is to do what it can to help Russia without crossing U.S. red lines.”

The Washington Post quoted Prof. Frederick Lynch on the benefits of higher education. “...education has provided upward mobility...and many benefits outside of work, such as critical thinking, civic engagement, healthy behavior and so on,” he said.

Prof. Andrew Busch wrote a commentary about mail voting and election legitimacy for RealClear Politics. Co-author of Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics, Busch wrote that the proportion of ballots cast by mail nearly doubled from 2016 to 2020, a development that contributed to undermining confidence in results. He outlines two problems—inadequate ballot security and delayed vote totals—and ways of mitigating future concerns.

Professor Lily Geismer spoke with C-SPAN2 at the Tucson Festival of Books about her book, “Left Behind: How the Democrats Failed to Solve Inequality.”

Prof. Jack Pitney was quoted in a Patch piece on the challenges Gov. Newsom may face on his path to reelection: “Even if the challenger in November isn't very compelling or strong, a lot of people will vote for that person to express their displeasure with the incumbent. And there might be a lot of displeasure this November.”

Prof. Lily Geismer’s new book, “Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality” was reviewed by the New York Times. Geismer has also appeared at the Tucson Festival of Books and been interviewed on several radio and podcast shows.

The Los Angeles Times interviewed Prof. Gaston Espinosa about the Latino evangelical community and their growing shift towards conservative politics.