News & Stories

robertson pillars blue
News January 22, 2026
Princeton SPIA Faculty Raise Important Questions About Immigration Enforcement Actions Across U.S.
Faculty Provide Analysis on Legality, Unintended Consequences, and Implications of ICE RaidsPRINCETON, NJ – Faculty from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs are raising questions that policymakers and the media should consider as the Trump Administration escalates the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to cities across the United States. They call into question the constitutionality of immigration enforcement tactics, the global consequences of these actions, and the societal costs. Barbara Buckinx, Research…
U.S. and Venezuela flags
News January 05, 2026
Princeton SPIA Faculty React to U.S. Capture of Venezuelan President Maduro
Faculty Provide Analysis on Legality, International Implications, and Venezuela’s Future PRINCETON, NJ – Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States, faculty from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs are sharing expert perspectives to provide context and clarity on the potential implications for Venezuela and Latin America, the effects on oil prices and global energy markets, questions of legality and use of executive power, as well as broader signals for containing adversaries such as China, Iran, and North Korea. Implications for Venezuela and Latin America …
map of caribbean
News December 10, 2025
Princeton SPIA Faculty Share Expert Perspectives on Caribbean Boat Strikes
PRINCETON, NJ – Following recent reports of boat strikes in the Caribbean involving the United States, faculty from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (Princeton SPIA) are sharing expert perspectives to provide context and clarity, and potential implications of the situation. Eduardo Bhatia, John L. Weinberg/Goldman Sachs & Co. Visiting Professor and Visiting Lecturer in Public and International Affairs:"Recent Caribbean boat strikes continue to make headlines, and my policy and legal conclusion is unequivocal: these interventions are illegal. They violate established maritime law requiring interdiction…
outline of Washington DC monuments and buildings
News October 01, 2025
Princeton SPIA Faculty Share Insights on Federal Government Shutdown
PRINCETON, NJ – Following the shutdown of the U.S. government, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (Princeton SPIA) faculty provide their insights into its causes, consequences, and broader implications. Princeton SPIA experts share analysis and context as Americans navigate this critical moment in U.S. governance.Eduardo Bhatia, John L Weinberg/Goldman Sachs & Co. Visiting Professor and Visiting Lecturer in Public and International Affairs:“We had not seen a shutdown in 7 years, when the nation experienced in 2018-19 the longest government shutdown in history. It is a vivid reminder that bitter partisan conflict now paralyzes…
Israel-Iran
News June 18, 2025
Princeton SPIA Experts Provide Insight on Escalating Israel-Iran Conflict
PRINCETON, NJ - As the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies, faculty at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (Princeton SPIA) are offering timely, expert commentary to help the public and policymakers make sense of the rapidly evolving situation. Drawing on deep expertise in Middle East politics, international security, and nuclear nonproliferation, Princeton SPIA scholars provide essential context on what is at stake for the region and the world. Below are selected quotes offering analysis and perspective on the unfolding crisis.Salam Fayyad, Visiting Senior Scholar and Daniella Lipper Coules '95 Distinguished Visitor in…
Robertson Spring 2024
News March 12, 2025
Princeton SPIA Faculty React to President Trump’s Trade War
The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (Princeton SPIA) has released new faculty reactions to President Donald Trump’s latest trade policies, which include tariffs on key imports. As the administration moves forward with these measures, Princeton SPIA scholars are weighing in on the economic consequences, potential risks to international trade relationships, and broader geopolitical impacts. Faculty comments address concerns about rising costs for American consumers, potential retaliation from trading partners, and the long-term effects on global markets.Alan Blinder, Gordon S. Rentschler Memorial Professor of Economics and Public…
Robertson Hall with Freedom Fountain in foreground
News January 29, 2025
Princeton SPIA Faculty Offer Reactions to Trump Immigration Policies
PRINCETON, NJ - With President Trump signing 10 administrative orders on immigration in his first week in office and pledging mass deportations and significant changes to border security, faculty at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs are providing expert insights into the situation. Drawing on their deep expertise in immigration, law, public policy, and criminal justice, Princeton SPIA scholars offer nuanced perspectives on constitutionality, executive power, deportations, asylum, and more Their reactions underscore the School’s commitment to informing public understanding of critical global issues.Amelia Frank-Vitale, Assistant…
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News January 15, 2025
Princeton SPIA Faculty Offer Reactions to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire
Today, in reaction to the news of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, faculty at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (Princeton SPIA) provided expert insights into the significance of this pivotal development. Drawing on their deep expertise in conflict resolution, international relations, human rights, and Middle Eastern politics, Princeton SPIA scholars offer nuanced perspectives on the potential for sustained peace, the challenges ahead, and the broader geopolitical implications. Their reactions underscore the School’s commitment to informing public understanding of critical global issues:
SPIA 2024 Election Analysis
News September 10, 2024
Princeton SPIA Faculty Provide Reactions to Trump vs Harris Presidential Debate
This evening, faculty from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) provided their reactions to the second presidential debate of the 2024 campaign, and the first between former President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala D. Harris. The real-time insights from Princeton SPIA’s distinguished scholars and researchers analyze key moments, evaluate policy discussions, and assess the broader implications for the 2024 election. As part of Princeton SPIA’s ongoing 2024 election analysis, this effort reflects the School’s commitment to contributing to informed public discourse and expert analysis during the election cycle.
Taliban members gathered around a desk
News August 15, 2024
Princeton SPIA Faculty Share Insights on the Third Year of Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan
As Afghanistan marks the third year since the Taliban's return to power, the fellows of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs' Afghanistan Policy Lab and Princeton SPIA faculty members provide their perspectives on the evolving situation in the country. The scholars, specializing in international relations, human rights, counterterrorism, and security, offer their analyses of the challenges and opportunities facing Afghanistan. Their insights below, presented in alphabetical order according to the analysts' last names, shed light on the complex realities of a nation in conflict and the uncertain path ahead. …
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News June 28, 2024
Princeton SPIA Faculty Provide Insights on First Presidential Debate
PRINCETON, NJ – The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) today provided faculty reactions to the first presidential debate, held on June 27. The real-time insights from Princeton SPIA’s distinguished faculty members analyze key moments, evaluate policy discussions, and assess the broader implications for the 2024 election. As part of Princeton SPIA’s ongoing 2024 election analysis, this effort reflects the School’s commitment to contributing to informed public discourse and expert analysis during the election cycle.Insights from SPIA Faculty:Heather Howard, Professor of the Practice; Co-director, Global Health Program; Faculty…
Sandra Day O'Connor
News December 06, 2023
SPIA Reacts: Sandra Day O’Connor and Her Supreme Court Legacy
On December 1, Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court, died. Members of the Princeton SPIA community offered their analysis of O’Connor’s legacy, her decision to vacate her seat when she did, and her barrier-breaking nomination.“It is hard to overstate what her arrival on the Supreme Court meant for the rule of law in this country. It wasn’t just how pivotally important she was as a symbol of women’s equality. It was her skill in championing traditional rule-of-law values like adherence to precedent while quietly bringing about a revolution — an end to 191 years of American constitutional law written only by…
Israel Gaza war graphic
News October 09, 2023
SPIA Reacts: Crisis in the Middle East
Wolfgang Danspeckgruber, the founding director of SPIA’s Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, has been teaching on issues of state, self-determination, diplomacy, and crisis diplomacy at Princeton since 1988.The violent death and destruction wrought through the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel – including kidnappings of Israelis on their territory and deliberate civilian killings such as those at the Tribe of Nova Music Festival – represent a potential inflection point in the Middle East and beyond.These heinous Hamas attacks, on a Shabbat and the Jewish Holiday of Sukkot, are unprecedented in innovation, scope, intensity, and coordination…
The Injustice of Place book cover
News September 15, 2023
‘We Need Help to Get Ahead’
In 2015, Kathryn Edin, the William Church Osborn Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs and co-director of SPIA’s Center for Research on Child and Family Wellbeing, and the University of Michigan’s H. Luke Shaefer published $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America. Their documentation of the rise of extreme poverty in the U.S., seen through the eyes of the impoverished families they profiled, landed on numerous best-of lists, including that of The New York Times, which tabbed it as a Notable Book of the Year. Edin and Shaefer reunited – and were joined by Timothy Nelson, a lecturer of public affairs – to produce The Injustice of Place:…
Seema Jayachandran
News September 06, 2023
Whose CO2 is it Anyway? Seema Jayachandran’s Research Explores Alternate Mitigation Efforts
As CO2 emissions continue to climb globally, Seema Jayachandran, a professor of economics and public affairs and co-director of the Research Program in Development Economics, published research in the Journal of Economic Perspectives about alternate strategies for low- and middle-income countries to reduce climate change. In this Q&A, she talks about some of those findings from “Think Globally, Act Globally: Opportunities to Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.” SPIA: In the piece, you and your co-author argue that the most cost-effective opportunities for atmospheric CO2 mitigation will happen in low- and middle…