SIPA: School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

SIPA Faculty in the Media 2008

The faculty of the School of International and Public Affairs are frequently called upon by the news media to provide analysis and commentary on current events. Listed below are a few recent examples of our faculty contributions to reporting on critical public policy issues. If the articles are available to the general public, we have provided a direct link; if not, the link will lead to the publication's homepage.

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Jeffrey D. Sachs on Poverty, Disease and Hunger
Project Syndicate, December 21, 2008
Jeffrey D. Sachs, professor of sustainable development and director of the Earth Institute, authored an editorial for publication around the world: “At a time when the headlines are filled with financial crises and violence, it is especially important to recognize the creativity of many governments in fighting poverty, disease and hunger.”

Arvind Panagariya on Transnational Terror and India’s Options
The Economic Times of India, December 25, 2008
“The main realistic option left to India is to massively improve security at and inside the border,” said Arvind Panagariya, in an editorial examining India’s options for dealing with terrorist attacks.

Arvind Panagariya on the Myths of Mumbai
Indian Express, December 16, 2008
Following the Mumbai terror attacks, politicians, pundits and the press have created many myths, confusions and falsehoods. In an article authored by Professor Arvind Panagariya, the myths “deserve to be exposed in favor of clearer thinking.”

Claudia Dreifus on Honing the Scientific Narrative
Seed Magazine, December 2008
Professor and journalist Claudia Dreifus addresses the public’s perceptions of science and scientists: “Some of the political problems the scientific community encountered in the past decade had to do with scientists not getting out into the public square to tell their stories.”

Lincoln Mitchell on U.S.-Georgian Relations
Georgian Daily, December 22, 2008
Lincoln Mitchell co-authors with Alexander Cooley “No Way to Treat Our Friends: Recasting Recent U.S.-Georgian Relations.” The article says “Russia’s reckless decision to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia not only contravenes international law regarding sovereign statehood, but if allowed to stand, would establish the unacceptable precedent that countries can justify military intervention in the territory of a neighbor by invoking the rights of their ethnic citizens.”

Steven Cohen on President-elect Barack Obama’s “Green Team”
Popular Science, December 17, 2008
"It's clear that President-elect Obama is banking on innovation as one of our solutions to our energy crisis and these choices are an indication of it," says environmental policy expert Steven A. Cohen, who is the director of SIPA’s MPA program in Environmental Science and Policy and executive director of the Earth Institute.

Rodolfo de la Garza on Drug Violence in Tijuana, Mexico
World Focus, December 3, 2008
“Is the Mexican police force up to the job of combating this violence? No, and it never really has been.” Rodolfo de la Garza, professor of political science and an expert on Latino political behavior and immigration, speaks with host Martin Savidge on the firing of Tijuana’s police chief and the deaths of hundreds of people amid drug-related violence.

Guillermo Calvo on the Latin American Credit Markets
Financial Times, December 4, 2008
Guillermo Calvo, director of SIPA’s Program in Economic Policy Management and former chief economist at the Inter-American Development Bank, said Latin America is suffering what economists call a “sudden stop” of credit flows.

Arvind Panagariya on the Economic Cost of the Mumbai Tragedy
Forbes, November 29, 2008
Arvind Panagariya, professor of Indian political economy, comments on the economic cost of the Mumbai tragedy, extrapolating from 9/11 and New York City. “Several factors suggest that the effects of the Mumbai attacks, though devastating for far too many families at the personal level, will be less significant than those of the 9/11 attacks.”

Jeffrey Sachs on Poverty and the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals
U.S.News & World Report, November 19, 2008
Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute, Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, and professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University says “What I've learned on the ground is that poor people face very specific, very practical problems that have very specific and very practical solutions that don't reach these communities because they're too poor to undertake them on their own.”

Irene Finel-Honigman on the U.S.’s Role as the World’s Economic Leader
CNNMoney.com, November 14 2008
Irene Finel-Honigman, international affairs professor specializing in international banking, says “The Europeans see themselves as taking a position equal to the U.S. We're looking at a different composition of players and a different powerplay.”

Steve Hammer on the Sustainability of New York City
Deadline 22:30, November 3, 2008
Steve Hammer, SIPA’s Urban Energy Program director, appeared on the Danish public television program “Deadline 22:30.” Hammer was attending a conference in Copenhagen where he spoke on PlaNYC, a plan for the sustainability of New York City.

Albert Fishlow on Barack Obama and Latin America
Latin Business Chronicle, November 11, 2008
Albert Fishlow, Professor Emeritus at the School of International and Public Affairs, says Barack Obama's presidency, despite his campaign's modest concern with Latin America, will inevitably give greater weight to the region than has been true in recent years.

James Rubin on Russian Aggression and the Genocide Excuse
The New Republic, November 7, 2008
Why did Russia really invade Georgia? James P. Rubin, SIPA professor and former Assistant Secretary of State, writes that Russia’s foreign minister said it was his nation’s “responsibility to protect” South Ossetia from genocide. The principle arose from the world’s failure to stop genocide in Rwanda, and was endorsed by the U.N. Security Council in 2006.

David Dinkins on the Election of Barack Obama
The New York Times, November 7, 2008
David N. Dinkins, former mayor of New York City and professor at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, watched the election results on a Jumbotron screen on 125th Street in Harlem in the midst of a large gathering of Obama supporters. On whether he thought a black president would take office so soon he said: “…to have Obama succeed, and succeed in the way he has—this was a blowout—was amazing. I’m surprised, delightfully so.”

James Rubin on McCain Campaign
The Wall Street Journal, October 23, 2008
Byline: James Rubin, professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs
The McCain campaign is fond of citing the candidate's prominent role in public debates over foreign policy through the years. But John McCain's regular TV appearances have also made it wickedly easy to track his inconsistencies and erratic statements on key issues of war and peace.

Jeffrey Sachs on Financial Crisis Summit Meeting
Bloomberg News, October 22, 2008
World leaders, facing financial markets in turmoil and the possibility of global recession, will discuss ways to fix the crisis at a summit meeting in Washington next month. Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute in New York and a longtime adviser on economic and fiscal issues to governments worldwide, said the leaders' first goal should be to mitigate the effects of a global recession.

Joseph Stiglitz on Wall Street Reform
CNN, October 21, 2008
Members of Congress, fiscal experts and Wall Street lobbyists gathered this week to discuss ways to change regulation of the finance industry to shore up its foundations and prevent future crises. Dr. Joseph Stiglitz, a professor at Columbia University who won a Nobel Prize in 2001 on the subject of market transparency, testified that the "trickle-down economics" of bailing out Wall Street should be accompanied by a "comprehensive recovery program" to prevent further problems.

Jeffrey Sachs on China’s Economy
Bloomberg News, October 17, 2008
China's economy probably expanded at the slowest pace in almost four years in the third quarter, adding pressure for interest-rate cuts and government spending to prevent a slump. “If China continues to have rapid economic growth, that will hold up overall global growth so we won't have a generalized recession,” said Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute in New York. “If China were to tumble downwards, then we'd see a much more massive crisis.”

Sharyn O’Halloran on International Banking Efforts
PBS, World Focus, October 10, 2008
Sharyn O’Halloran, professor of political science at Columbia University, speaks with Martin Savidge about the difficulty of coordinating international banking efforts, pointing out that many international agreements have not worked in the past.

Lincoln Mitchell on Russia-Georgia Relations
The New York Times, September 25, 2008
Byline: Lincoln Mitchell, professor at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs
Russia’s aggression toward Georgia, which greatly exceeded what was necessary to achieve its stated goals, and Moscow’s continuing efforts to weaken and destabilize Georgia, make it clear that Russia is a real threat to several U.S. allies. From Azerbaijan to Latvia, the Kremlin’s actions have been duly noted. The next American administration will confront the fallout of this war and face a hard challenge: It is not possible to craft Georgia policy without looking at the broader U.S.-Russia policy, while it is not possible to craft a broader U.S.-Russia policy without recognizing the role the U.S. plays in creating tension between Russia and Georgia.

Lincoln Mitchell on Georgian Democracy
Newsweek, September 29, 2008
Lincoln Mitchell, a Georgia expert and Columbia University professor, says “Georgian democracy suffers from having no real line between state and party, and while it has made great economic strides under President Mikheil Saakashvili, he has never created a meaningful judiciary, has weakened the legislature and has centralized executive power.”

James Rubin on McCain’s Diplomacy Doctrine
The Huffington Post, September 24, 2008
Byline: James Rubin, professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs
The McCain campaign has certainly been clear about what diplomacy would look like in a McCain-Palin administration. Either you are in McCain’s club of friendly nations or you are not. The McCain camp is living in the past, still thinking that the diplomatic leverage of a White Hose visit or meeting is so overwhelming that the other countries will bow to our will. Such a view is simplistic, old-thinking that will not serve the American national interest.

Jeffrey Sachs on America’s Anti-Intellectual Threat
The New York Sun, September 23, 2008
Byline: Jeffrey Sachs, professor of economics and the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University
While many factors contributed to America’s destabilizing actions, a powerful one is anti-intellectualism, exemplified recently by Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s surging popularity. By anti-intellectualism, I mean especially an aggressively anti-scientific perspective, backed by disdain for those who adhere to science and evidence.

Richard Clarida on Economic Bailout
The Wall Street Journal, September 22, 2008
“The markets are going to have to look very closely at the substance of what these proposals do and not only their effect on the budget,” says Richard Clarida, an economics professor at Columbia University.

Sharyn O’Halloran on U.S. Bailout
Reuters, September 19, 2008
Sharyn O’Halloran, a professor of political science at Columbia University, said the government action addressed the short-term liquidity crisis as well as the medium term problem of dealing with bad assets. “On the longer term regulatory structure issue, there’s no strategic thought or plan in place and that’s really what’s problematic,” O’Halloran said.

Professor Karin Landgren Appointed Deputy Special Representative for Nepal
September 17, 2008
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Karin Landgren of Sweden as his Deputy Special Representative for Nepal. Mr. Landgren, an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, will bring to the United Nations Mission in Nepal many years of political, managerial and international law experience with the United Nations in a number of duty stations.

To read more about her work with the United Nations please click here.

Lisa Anderson on Muslim Students in the U.S.
Christian Science Monitor, September 16, 2008
Lisa Anderson, former dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, says that despite a few cases of visiting Muslim students being appalled by what they see as a decadent United States, most have a positive experience. “They tell stories for the rest of their lives about their host families, their classmates, roommates, faculty, and even ordinary people who went out of their way for them,” Dr. Anderson says.

Luicius Riccio on Congestion Pricing
The New York Sun, September 16, 2008
Luicius Riccio, a professor at Columbia, said that the city should consider selling the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges for $1 to the MTA, which could then charge tolls on commuters and use the revenue to finance mass transit improvements.

Joseph Stiglitz on U.S. Economy
Bloomberg News, September 18, 2008
Joseph Stiglitz, a Columbia University professor, said that the haphazard nature of the bailouts may discourage investors from putting money in the U.S. because it increases uncertainty about who will survive and who will fail. “We used to believe that America was a country or a government that was based on the rule of law,” Stiglitz says.

Stephen Sestanovich on U.S. Pulling Out of a Russian Nuclear Agreement
The Washington Post, September 8, 2008
The White House plans to formally pull from Congressional consideration an agreement with Russia for civilian nuclear cooperation, perhaps as soon as today, Bush administration sources said over the weekend. Stephen Sestanovich, a Columbia University professor who handled Russian affairs in the Clinton administration, said the agreement is “dead in this Congress, but a new administration will have a look.”

Lincoln Mitchell on Possible New Political Party in Georgia
The Wall Street Journal, September 8, 2008
Lincoln Mitchell, a professor at Columbia who specializes in Georgian politics, said the establishment of a new party in the country would be a positive step toward furthering democracy there. “Georgia is effectively a one-and-a-half party system,” he said, noting the government is dominated by the United National Movement.

Robbie Barnett on the Passing of the Dalai Lama’s Brother
Reuters, September 6, 2008
The death of Taktser Rinpoche marked more than the passing of a major figure from the heyday of the Tibetan independence movement because it comes amid growing concern about the Dalai Lama's health and the diminishing possibility of any negotiated settlement of the Tibet issue. "His death is likely to add a much-needed sense of urgency and seriousness to the dialogue process between China and the exiles," said Robbie Barnett, a Tibet expert at Columbia University in New York.

Steven Cohen on McCain’s Choice of Palin
Associated Press, September 3, 2008
Whereas Obama appeared to take the long road to selecting a VP, naming a committee that included Caroline Kennedy, McCain by contrast "appears like he was a student cramming at the last minute for an exam," said Steven Cohen, a professor of public administration at Columbia University.

Sanjay Reddy on Global Poverty
The Hindu, September 2, 2008
As Sanjay Reddy of Columbia University notes, “a human being could not live in the US on $1.25 a day in 2005 (or $1.40 in 2008), nor therefore on an equivalent amount elsewhere.”

Claudia Dreifus Interviews Nina V. Fedoroff
The New York Times, August 18, 2008
Byline: Claudia Dreifus, Adjunct Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University
Dr. Fedoroff, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, did fundamental research on plant transposons, or jumping genes, and was among the first to clone plant DNA. She is science adviser to the secretary of state and administrator of the Agency for International Development.  

James Rubin on the Politics of War
The Huffington Post, August 13, 2008
Byline: James Rubin, adjunct Professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs
“If Russia had continued its military assault all the way to Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, and overthrown the democratically elected government, as many feared a couple of days ago, this crisis would indeed have overshadowed almost everything else on the foreign policy agenda. A great power invading and occupying a neighbor over the objections of the rest of the civilized world would have been both an outrage and a world-historical event.”

Arvind Panagariya on the Doha Round
The Economic Times, August 12, 2008
“During the latest negotiations, approximately 75 developing countries tabled a proposal under which larger developing countries will have the authority to raise tariffs on 7 percent of agricultural products by  30 percent of the UR [Uruguay Round] bound rates or 30 percentage points, whichever is larger, in response to a 10 percent expansion of imports. . .  Though the United States categorically opposes this and other similar proposals. . .  there are at least three reasons why the developing countries have a strong case for a generous SSM [Special Safeguard Mechanism],” said Arvind Panagariya, Jagdish Bhagwati Professor of Indian Political Economy, International and Public Affairs and Economics at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.

Lincoln Mitchell on the Georgia-Russia Conflict
Columbia News, August 15, 2007
Lincoln Mitchell, Arnold A. Saltzman Assistant Professor in the Practice of International Politics with Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs was not surprised by Russia's military invasion of South Ossetia, a breakaway province within the country. He was surprised, however, by Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili's decision to send in the Georgian Army to reclaim South Ossetia, a main goal of his re-election platform earlier this year, on August 7. To view the full interview and video of Lincoln Mitchell by Columbia News, please click here.

Stephen Sestanovich on Russia and Georgia at War
WBUR, On Point, August 12, 2008
“The real issue is whether we begin to think about Russia in a fundamentally different way. The issue is whether we begin to think of Russia as a challenger, a disturber to European order,” says Stephen Sestanovich, professor of international diplomacy at Columbia University.

Lincoln Mitchell on Russian Invasion
CNN, Lou Dobbs, August 12, 2008
“We’ve heard some strong talk and I think strong words are necessary but far from sufficient in this conflict,” says Lincoln Mitchell, the Arnold A. Saltzman assistant professor of international politics at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Lincoln Mitchell on Georgia, Russia and Energy
The Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2008
“Russia is trying to send a strong message here. That message is, ‘we Russia are going to continue what we want in this sphere of influence, witness what we are doing in Georgia,’” says Columbia University professor Lincoln Mitchell.

Lincoln Mitchell on Unity, Nationalism and Bravado in Georgia
Radio Free Europe, August 11, 2008
Lincoln Mitchell, a professor of international politics specializing in Georgia at Columbia University in New York, says “Georgia's newfound unity—and the government's embrace of Western-style civic patriotism—could be short-lived if the conflict drags on. The more Saakashvili's government feels its very survival at stake, Mitchell says, the more likely it will be that they appeal to old-school nationalism.”

Lincoln Mitchell on Russian Strikes in Georgia
NPR, August 11, 2008
“Tensions between Russia and Georgia have been going on for awhile. Small skirmishes between the two lead up to Saakashvili sending troops into South Ossetia last Thursday,” says Lincoln Mitchell assistant professor in the Practice of International Politics at Columbia University.

Lincoln Mitchell on Search for a Free Georgia and South Ossetia
The Moscow Times, August 11, 2008
Byline: Lincoln Mitchell, the Arnold A. Saltzman assistant professor of international politics at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.
“If the hostilities continue and the conflicts continue for more than a few days, Georgia’s future and sovereignty may well be jeopardized. This is precisely what Russia has wanted since Mikheil Saakashvili committed to building a strong, independent and Western oriented Georgia in 2004.”

Lincoln Mitchell on Clash in Georgia
PBS, August 8, 2008
“To think of this as a conflict between South Ossetia breaking away from Georgia, I think, leaves Russia out of it in a way that's not entirely accurate. Russia is a party to this and is a player in this,” says Lincoln Mitchell, Columbia University professor.

Lincoln Mitchell on South Ossetia Crisis
NPR, August 8, 2008
Georgia’s offensive to retake South Ossetia has spurred a strong Russian military response. Lincoln Mitchell, assistant professor in the Practice of International Politics at Columbia University, says “a war may have started, but it remains to be seen if it can be stopped.”

To listen to full broadcast click here.

Sanjay Reddy on Changes in Global Economy
Slate.com, August 6, 2008
There are winners and losers for every major change in the global economy, and it stands to reason that some poor farmers will find a way to profit from inflation. Columbia University economist Sanjay Reddy says, “A few may have only to walk down the road and sell their produce for a lower price than people are paying.”

Robbie Barnett on Tension in Tibet
USA Today, August 6, 2008
Tibet exists “under a cloud of uncertainty, it’s in a shadow world where we don’t know what’s going on,” says Robbie Barnett, an expert on Tibet at Columbia University. Normal life “on the surface is picking up in terms of business and institutions, even though there are very few tourists,” says Barnett. “But from information leaking out very slowly, there are a significant number of people who have disappeared or are in prison.”

Jeffery Sachs on Global Food Crisis
New York Daily News, July 24, 2008
Byline: Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University
“The surge of world food prices this year came like a bolt out of the blue, but warning lights were in fact flashing. Imbalances of global food supply and demand had been building for years beneath the public view.”

Gary Sick on U.S. Compromising with Iran
Council on Foreign Relations, July 21, 2008
“Neither side wants to show that it is losing face, or that it is caving in or appeasing the other side, but both sides are interested in finding a way out of this conundrum,” says Gary Sick, professor at Columbia University.

James Rubin on U.S. Diplomatic Post in Tehran
The New York Times, July 14, 2008
Byline: James Rubin, professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs
“The more Iranians see the real America, rather than the propaganda version portrayed in their reactionary media, the more they will push for democratic rights at home and moderate behavior abroad. This is where our diplomats come in. The main purpose of sending them to Iran would be to simplify travel for Iranians to the United States.”

Robert Barnett on the Olympic Torch Diverted on Its Way to Tibet
NPR, June 16, 2008
Tibet has largely dropped off the Western radar since China’s devastating earthquake last month. But the tragedy hasn’t stopped the government from continuing its hard-line policies toward the Tibetan region. Robert Barnett, a Tibet specialist at Columbia University said, “Beijing has stepped up its campaign to make Tibetans denounce the Dalai Lama.”

Ester Fuchs on the Democratic Campaign
NDTV.com, May 20, 2008
Clinton’s convincing victories in white working class states have highlighted the shortcomings of the Obama campaign and what he will need to do to defeat presumptive Republican nominee John McCain in November. “This is good for the Democratic Party, because when John Kerry waltzed into the nomination and then ran into George Bush he did not know what hit him when they started the negative campaigning against him, and he, who was the war hero, got painted as the coward,” said Professor Ester Fuchs, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.

Steve Cohen on Climate Change and President Bush
The New York Observer, April 22, 2008
Byline: Steve Cohen, Executive Director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute
“In his ceaseless effort to maintain his record as the worst President on the environment since the creation of the EPA in 1970, President George W. Bush has somehow managed to outdo himself with his latest Rose Garden pronouncement on climate change.”

Steven Cohen on Environmental Issues and the Presidential Campaign
NY1, March 28, 2008
Steven Cohen, the Director of SIPA’s Program in Environmental Science and Policy, was interviewed for an article on how global warming is rarely discussed by presidential candidates...”Environment almost never gets into those issues because, generally speaking, this is something that people think government should be doing and it shouldn't be an issue of political controversy,’ said Cohen, who is also the Executive Director of Columbia’s Earth Institute.

Picker Center Director William Eimicke Co-authors Study on Ex-Offender Re-Entry
The March issue of the Manhattan Institutes Civic Bulletin published an important new study by SIPA's William Eimicke and his co-author Stephen Goldsmith on the re-entry of ex-offenders into mainstream society. The report surveys a wide variety of programs that have been analyzed and presents a set of recommendations, including closer coordination among branches of the justice system, emphasis on early intervention, a focus on employment, and the involvement of family and community.

Robert Barnett on Monk Protests in Tibet
The New York Times, March 14, 2007
Robert Barnett, a Tibet specialist at Columbia University said, “They were demanding specific changes on religious restrictions in the monastery.” He said monks wanted the authorities to ease rules on “patriotic education” in which monks are required to study government propaganda and write denunciations of the Dalai Lama.

Ester Fuchs on Lt. Gov. David Paterson
USA Today, March 12, 2008
“You’re not going to find anybody in the Republican Party who doesn’t think he’s a mensch, a man of his word, a guy you can trust in a negotiation,” says Ester Fuchs, a Columbia University political scientist. “When he became minority leader, it was the first time he could get Democrats to the table. Before that they were completely ignored,” Fuchs says.

Steven Cohen on Governor Spitzer Scandal
The Washington Post, March 10, 2008
“The problem is we don’t know when this behavior started for this person,” said Cohen, a professor of public administration at Columbia University. “Politicians are like the rest of us. The fact that they’re flawed and do stupid things shouldn’t surprise us.”

Aldo Civico on Colombia Raid in Ecuador
The New York Times, March 6, 2008
The Organization of American States approved a resolution declaring the Colombian military raid into Ecuador a violation of sovereignty. “These past days showed that a radicalization of the positions by the parties involved in the conflict are not in the interest of peace,” said Aldo Civico, director of the Center for International Conflict Resolution at Columbia University.

Elliott Sclar on Moynihan Station Plan
The New York Times, March 6, 2008
In 1999, Senator Daniel Moynihan unveiled plans to transform the classical elements and monumental scale of the James A. Farley Post Office on 8th Avenue into a gleaming new train station. In the nine years since, what has become known as the Moynihan Station project has evolved into a grander, costlier and more complicated proposal involving not just government funds but private development. “Public-private partnerships are now one-sided arrangements in which the public actors no longer plan public spaces in the public interest,” says Elliott Sclar a professor of urban planning at Columbia University.

Joseph Stiglitz on the Cost of Iraq War
Reuters, February 28, 2008
Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz, a Columbia University economics professor and former advisor to President Bill Clinton, told a congressional panel that the war has contributed to substantially higher oil prices and required more foreign borrowing by the United States since Bush and Congress have not raised taxes or cut spending to pay for the combat.

Rodolfo de la Garza on Castro’s Resignation
NY1, February 19, 2008
Rodolfo de la Garza, a Columbia University professor who specializes in Latin American studies, said “as long as Castro is alive he will still be a major influence on Cuba.” “Castro’s not dead, so if something happens and he decides to protest it, which could happen, that would be very serious,” said de la Garza. “So it’s symbolic and substantial, but it’s not definitive.”

Jeffrey Sachs on Benefit of Controlling Malaria
The Wall Street Journal, February 19, 2008
“There’s huge evidence that if you get malaria under control, you not only save more than one million lives a year, but you change everything else,” said Jeffrey Sachs, an expert in sustainable development and head of the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

Jeffrey Sachs on Cost of Halting Climate Change
Bloomberg News, February 11, 2008
“Unproven technologies such as capture and storage of carbon and hybrid cars may help achieve affordable cuts in carbon emissions that would slow climate change,” said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. These technologies “are so promising, though not yet proved, that ultimately the solution is going to be vastly lower-cost than imagined now,” said Sachs.

Steven Cohen on Giuliani’s Presidential Run
Newsday, February 6, 2008
Rudy Giuliani completed a transition from front-runner to footnote in the 2008 GOP race, stumping in Manhattan for Sen. John McCain after a spectacular campaign meltdown fanned by pockets of hometown dissent. “His political and personal issues were not going to wear well,” said Steven Cohen, a professor of public administration at Columbia University.

Rodolfo de la Garza on Why Clinton Can Count on Latinos
Los Angeles Times, January 30, 2008
Byline: Rodolfo de la Garza, Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University
“…Clinton has a decade and a half of experience and ties to prominent Latinos in the regions where most Latinos live. Obama has just two years in national public office and a political base in the Midwest. For the majority of Latinos it is the political calculus of long-established relationships combined with early outreach and the support of community influentials that are most likely to carry the day.”

Steven Cohen on Giuliani’s Presidential Run
NY1 News, January 28, 2008
“It seems like every mayor, because they’re in this media center, people say they should run for president. Of course, no New York City mayor has ever gone on to higher office. It’s something Mayor Giuliani is discovering right now,” says Steven Cohen, Columbia University professor.

Steven Cohen on Bloomberg Tax Cut
The Associated Press, January 18, 2007
Steven Cohen, a professor of public administration at Columbia University, praised the mayor’s plan saying, “taxes should not be raised in an economic downturn.” “The tax-cut plan should also help the mayor politically,” Cohen said.

James Rubin on Iraq Issue in Presidential Election
Financial Times, January 18, 2008
Byline: James Rubin, Professor of International and Public Affairs
“Even as the ‘surge’ of US troops has calmed fighting in Iraq, the war itself is heating up the American election in unexpected ways. It is not only the wisdom of war or its tragic execution that is at issue, but also whether and how America should extricate itself from that war-torn country.”

Rashid Khalidi on Bush’s Middle East Trip
Charlie Rose, January 17, 2008
Rashid Khalidi, director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University said, “President George W. Bush’s eight day Middle East tour accomplished very little. He tried to rally the ‘troops’ to his policy and I think it had very little affect.”

Jacqueline Klopp on Current Kenyan Violence
The Christian Science Monitor, January 14, 2008
Byline: Jacqueline Klopp, Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University
Hundreds have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the three weeks since Kenya’s hotly disputed presidential elections. The international community must realize that Kenya’s violence today is fueled by strongmen on both sides of the political divide. They are exploiting ethnic identity, pitting one community against another, as a means to gain power.

Gary Sick on Hormuz Incident
Time Magazine, January 10, 2008
The Pentagon video showed it clearly: Iranian speedboats buzzing dangerously close to three U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway at the base of the Persian Gulf, on January 6th. “The fact that it comes a couple of days before the President sets off on his trip raises questions,” says Professor Gary Sick, an Iran expert at Columbia University.

Review of Arvind Panagariya’s Book India: The Emerging Giant
The Hindu, January 8, 2008
“This is among the best books and certainly the most comprehensive study of the Indian economy since Independence. It is a valuable addition to the libraries of people interested in understanding the past, present and future of the Indian economy.”

William Eimicke on Second Chances for Former Inmates
San Diego Union Tribune, January 4, 2008
Byline: William Eimicke, Founding Director of the Picker Center for Executive Education
“There is considerable evidence, reported in a recent National Academy of Sciences study and elsewhere, that ex-offenders who are able to get and keep a job are less likely to return to prison. They have a good deal of trouble doing it on their own, but much less with the assistance of a variety of community-based programs.”

Lisa Anderson on U.S. Hosting Libya’s Foreign Minister
The New York Times, January 3, 2008
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will host Libya’s foreign minister, the first visit by the top Tripoli diplomat since 1972. Lisa Anderson, a Middle East politics expert at Columbia University, said “the Libyans are feeling a little impatient” at the slow pace of full diplomatic normalization, and Tripoli probably wants a U.S. invitation for leader Muammar Gaddafi-an unlikely prospect.

Steve Cohen on Bloomberg’s Candidacy
The New York Sun, January 2, 2008
If Mr. Bloomberg launches an official campaign, he is expected to explain his about-face by saying he changed his mind after the selection of the Democratic and Republican nominees for president. A professor of public administration at Columbia University, Steven Cohen, said that if Mr. Bloomberg decided to run, he'd likely say that neither party nominated a centrist candidate who could lead the country. "Depending on the nominees, that's where he'd get his rationale for his own run," he said.

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