After WNBA star Brittney Griner's guilty plea in a Moscow court to possessing a small amount of hashish oil in Russia, the Biden administration is considering what its next steps could be to gain her release.
Ford School professor Melvyn Levitsky...
A major prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this week, but the prospects for several Americans held by Russia look bleak.
Ford School professor Melvyn Levitsky was quoted in an article in USA Today before the swap. He said...
After one American was released from Russia in a prisoner exchange, another American—Paul Whelan from Michigan—remains in a Russian prison. Whelan's family expressed regret that he had not been included.
Some have argued that more sanctions against...
Over the last few decades, the foreign policy power of Congress has deteriorated, leaving a question mark around the process of withdrawing from treaties. Melvyn Levitsky weighed in on the debate.
“It’s a gray area because the Congress wants to...
Ford School professors Javed Ali and Mel Levitsky are participating in a "Russian Invasion of Ukraine Teach-Out", created by the University of Michigan Center for Academic Innovation and available through Michigan Online. The teach-out will be live...
As the invasion of Ukraine continues, media outlets turn to Ford School faculty for insight on the situation. This week, Ford School professors John Ciorciari, Melvyn Levitsky, and Javed Ali analyzed Russia’s intentions with the invasion, as well as...
Ford School experts can discuss Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine and its implications on global politics, economics and the human scale.
John Ciorciari is an associate professor of public policy and director of the Ford School of Public...
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro recently visited Russia, despite rumors of a looming Russian invasion into Ukraine. Melvyn Levitsky, professor of international policy and practice, weighed in on the visit.
"I really don’t see any gain that’s...
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is planning to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week. The meeting could affect Brazil's relationship with the United States, due to the current circumstances in Ukraine.
"It is not possible for...
What is essential to know about the rising tensions in eastern Europe and the Ukraine-Russia crisis?
Melvyn Levitsky, professor of international policy and practice at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy, shares his insights. He...
Ford School of Public Policy experts can discuss the Biden administration's diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The move sends a message to protest human rights abuses in China while still allowing U.S. athletes to compete.
John...
A new bipartisan bill aims to ensure that political donors-turned-ambassadors are qualified for the job.
Speaking to The Detroit News, Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky said, “There were some really embarrassing nominations during the previous...
Thirty-two Ford School students participated in the second annual International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE) on October 1 and 2, co-hosted by the U.S. Army War College and the Weiser Diplomacy Center. Designed for graduate students,...
Following a recent meeting between American and Brazilian diplomats that diverged into a discussion about democracy, Melvyn Levitsky discounted the threat of a potential military coup.
"I knew the Brazilian military very well. And although I...
A group of state and national lawmakers urged President Biden to discuss the release of Paul Whelan, a Michigander currently being held in Russia, during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week. John Ciorciari, associate...
With a generous gift from Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky, a Professor of International Policy and Practice, the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy will establish the Joan Levitsky Internship Fund. The Fund, established in memory of Joan Levitsky,...
Since its launch in 2019, the Weiser Diplomacy Center (WDC) has sought to develop new practical student training opportunities in foreign affairs. One key element is to expand the Ford School’s menu of international policy simulations.
“Reading...
Regardless of political or partisan stripes, few voters see the November election as anything less than consequential. And whether one advocates for a go-it-alone or go-with-friends approach to global relations, the world still carefully watches the...
Disinformation in sub-Saharan Africa, money laundering in the Western Hemisphere, space diplomacy, China’s domestic drug problem and international hostage negotiation are real-world issues that students will explore as the Ford School’s Weiser...
An ideological link that exists today between Brasilia and Washington, and between the personalities of Presidents Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, according to an article in O Globo, one of the most prominent newspapers in Brazil. Should Joe Biden...
Brazil’s Supreme Court on April 28 ordered an investigation of President Jair Bolsonaro after popular Justice Minister Sérgio Moro resigned and accused him of firing the country’s Federal Police chief in an attempt to interfere with investigations....
The 2019 Schuman Challenge will welcome undergraduate students from seventeen different U.S. colleges and universities to the EU Delegation to the United States in Washington DC on February 14-15, 2019. During the competition students will work in teams to develop and defend before senior international affairs professionals new policies for transatlantic cooperation supporting Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders
