Cornell Expert Quotes | Cornell Chronicle

Cornell Expert Quotes

Cornellians weigh in on current events in the news

"As Trump showed, even negative buzz is good, especially for front runners, because it can suck attention away from challengers (remember during GOP debate when he talked about his ‘hands’)."

Drew Margolin

Associate Professor

Topic	Name	Date
Law School , International , Law and Policy	Muna Ndulo William Nelson Cromwell Professor of International & Comparative Law	04/30/21
	“Malawi’s judiciary exemplifies the best traditions of African jurisprudence. Last year, the judiciary, nullified the undemocratic outcome of the previous presidential election. Now, with the abolition of the death penalty, it has established itself as a leader in upholding the rule of law and human rights. I wholeheartedly applaud this decision.” Media: Rebecca Valli rv234@cornell.edu 607-255-6035 Related Tip Sheet: Malawi abolishes death penalty: historic ruling, felt far and wide (04/30/21)
Law School , International , Law and Policy	Sandra Babcock Clinical professor of law	04/30/21
	“The Malawi Supreme Court’s decision was based on the constitution’s right to life — a principle that is enshrined not only in Malawi’s Constitution, but many African constitutions and human rights treaties. As a result of the decision, 37 prisoners will have their death sentences reduced to a lesser term.” Media: Rebecca Valli rv234@cornell.edu 607-255-6035 Related Tip Sheet: Malawi abolishes death penalty: historic ruling, felt far and wide (04/30/21)
	Muna Ndulo William Nelson Cromwell Professor of International & Comparative Law
	“Malawi’s judiciary exemplifies the best traditions of African jurisprudence. Last year, the judiciary, nullified the undemocratic outcome of the previous presidential election. Now, with the abolition of the death penalty, it has established itself as a leader in upholding the rule of law and human rights. I wholeheartedly applaud this decision.” Media: Media Relations, Media Relations Office mediarelations@cornell.edu (607) 255 - 2059
International , Arts and Sciences	Nicholas Mulder Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of History	04/15/21
	“The new sanctions on Russia are relatively mild. Both the sanctions on individuals and the sanctions on new Russian sovereign debt issuance as of this summer are signals, rather than immediate increases in pressure. Russia will probably understand the signal.” Media: Rebecca Valli rv234@cornell.edu 607-255-6035 Related Tip Sheet: ‘Mild’ Russian sanctions signal need for de-escalation (04/15/21)
International , Arts and Sciences , Law School	Robert Hockett Professor of Law	03/17/21
	Hockett says: “While this week's summits between the Biden administration and its Asian counterparts are not expected to produce 'breakthroughs,' no such expectation would have made sense in connection with these first-ever, 'getting to know you' sessions in any event. “What should and indeed can reasonably be expected in these meetings are (a) preliminary sharing of concerns and (b) sincere demonstrations of mutual respect. As stage-setting preliminaries, moreover, the importance of these meetings should not be gainsaid. The previous White House's opening salvos, long on uncivilized rhetoric and short on constructive or even concrete proposals, were after all hardly productive. “Our relations with our Asian peers, from China and North Korea through Japan, South Korea, India, Oceania and beyond, will be among the most fateful cross-national collaborations in history. Trade arrangements must be made to cohere with domestic rebuilding and supply chain restoration. Industrialization and re-industrialization must for its part cohere with the imperative of rescuing our planet before it terminally burns. And the world must 'get on one page' both to end COVID-19 and to preempt the later pandemics which are already germinating. “Now is accordingly the time for all leaders to make plain, in respect and good faith, what matters most to their countries. Only on that basis do we begin making this world both just and inhabitable for literally all its inhabitants - each of which has equal claim to our hope and concern.” Media: Rebecca Valli rv234@cornell.edu 607-255-6035 Related Tip Sheet: US-China summit: ‘It's so cold in Alaska’ (03/17/21)
International , Arts and Sciences , Law School	Allen R. Carlson Associate Professor in Cornell University’s Government Department	03/17/21
	“The U.S.-China relationship is broken, perhaps irrevocably so. The meeting set to take place in Alaska over the next two days between high level officials from both countries, while potentially encouraging, is highly unlikely to do much to halt the long, and ongoing, slide between the two superpowers. For years now, China and America have resembled a bitter married couple publicly muscling their way through a fractious divorce battle, rather than one looking for ways to save the relationship." Media: Rebecca Valli rv234@cornell.edu 607-255-6035 Related Tip Sheet: US-China summit: ‘It's so cold in Alaska’ (03/17/21)
International , Law and Policy , Law School	Sital Kalantry Professor of Law	02/10/21
	"The Biden administration should be concerned about the increasing crackdown on freedom of speech by the Indian government because of which journalists, human rights advocates and students have been jailed for expressing their views." Media: Rachel Rhodes rer252@cornell.edu 202-434-8036 Related Tip Sheet: India's academic, online freedoms under fire as government cracks down (02/10/21)
International , Arts and Sciences	Magnus Fiskesjö Associate Professor	02/08/21
	“The coup in Myanmar is remarkable in many ways. For one thing, it is a further blow against democracy in the region, which has been sliding fast towards authoritarianism. The coup is also remarkable in how the generals seem to have taken a cue from recent events in the U.S., similarly claiming that an election was fraudulent even though regular electoral authorities and observers saw it as fair and unambiguous.” Media: Rebecca Valli rv234@cornell.edu 607-255-6035 Related Tip Sheet: Backed by powerful allies, Myanmar generals take cues from U.S. events (02/08/21)
Health, Nutrition & Medicine , International , Industrial and Labor Relations	Sarah Besky Associate Professor, International and Comparative Labor; Associate Professor, Labor Relations, Law, and History	12/10/20
	“This case in Andhra Pradesh is certainly alarming, but it is just another example of how ‘mystery illnesses’ especially in rural, poor, and otherwise marginalized areas are usually much more complicated than single, identifiable point-source cause. Hunger, warming temperatures, zoonotic diseases, industrial practices, and pesticide exposure intertwine to ensure not only that ‘causality’ is difficult to determine, but that ‘risk’ is firmly part of intimate spaces and domestic life.” Media: Gillian Smith gillian.smith@cornell.edu 607-254-6235 Related Tip Sheet: Risk factors in India mystery illness make cause difficult to determine (12/10/20)
International , Law and Policy	Kenneth Roberts Professor of Government	12/07/20
	“Venezuela's ongoing political, economic and humanitarian crisis will thus land on the plate of the incoming Biden administration, which will face a number of key strategic choices for dealing with the country and the broader Latin American region.” Media: Rachel Rhodes rer252@cornell.edu 202-434-8036 Related Tip Sheet: Maduro election victory a clear sign of Trump's failure (12/07/20)

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