Mel Levitsky

The University of Michigan has published an experts guide to the 2024 elections. Ford School faculty are available to offer insights on relevant issues impacting the elections, including the following:  Economics Betsey Stevenson, professor of...

Four current and former army officers stood before a set of maps on a screen in the Betty Ford auditorium, giving background on the on-going diplomatic standoff in Cyprus. The audience consisted of 24 undergraduate and graduate students from the...

Melvyn Levitsky, Money Control: "(Biden's visit to Ukraine) shows the US’s and NATO’s support for Ukraine. It is also a warning to Russia and Putin not to escalate. Putin knows that a nuclear exchange would destroy Russia as well as a number of...

University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy experts can discuss Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine and the ensuing war as the one-year anniversary approaches.  Javed Ali, associate professor of practice at the Ford School, is a former...

In the aftermath of Sunday's riots, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promises to bring rioters to justice. This morning, he met with Rosa Weber, president of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil, and other leaders to work "in defense of...

Ford School professor Melvyn Levitsky, a former U.S. ambassador to Brazil, has been commenting on the new relationship between the countries as President Lula da Silva takes office. BBC Brazil, January 2, 2023: "[Inviting Lula to the White House]...

WXYZ: "The administration has to have this at the top of its agenda in terms of the bilateral relationship. I'm pretty sure we'll eventually cut a deal, but that is subject to these...

Melvyn Levitsky, Folha de S. Paulo: "It's normal to have protests. But acts like the ones that happened in the U.S., fueled by public figures who appropriate people's emotions and encourage violence, are a real threat in our times. That's what I saw...

Melvyn Levitsky, The Dialogue: “Lula has attained almost mythical status among the lower-middle and lower classes in Brazil. His rise from poverty to trade union leader to president of Brazil in addition to popular programs to keep kids in school...

Melvyn Levitsky, The Hill: While lawmakers may ultimately fall in line behind the Biden administration, the divisions and political damage may not fade so quickly.  “On the progressive side, [it] makes them look like they’re weak in the sense of not...

The Biden administration has made an offer to Russia to swap a Russian prisoner in the U.S., convicted arms smuggler Viktor Bout, for two Americans currently being held in Moscow, Michigan's Paul Whelan and WNBA star Brittney Griner. Commenting to...

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...

As the Russian military surrounded and began its assault on Ukraine, Melvyn Levitsky, professor of international policy and practice, and Javed Ali, associate professor of practice, lent their expertise to numerous media outlets to break down the...

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...

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...

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...

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 U.S. and Russia are inciting collective déjà vu. With the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, memories of the Cold War are returning to the zeitgeist. The Mirror’s Oliver Milne highlights some of the most concerning...

The intrigue of espionage has hit close to home, as Novi man Paul Whelan was detained in Russia under the accusation of being a spy. Detroit ABC-affiliate WXYZ called upon Melvyn Levitsky, professor of policy and practice at the Ford School, to...