Schar School News for December 2023

Schar School Professor Mark Katz argues that the nations in the Middle East want more Russian and Chinese engagement in the region, in large part to enable them to play the great powers off one another.

With his master’s degree in global commerce and policy, Carter N. Coudriet aims to pursue a position at the Arctic-focused nexus of trade and national security.

Taking advantage of Mason’s myriad study-abroad opportunities, Schar School junior Maggie Reier journeyed to Oxford, England, for a semester and thrived.

Schar School associate professor Gregory Koblenz depicts as both symbolic but also impactful two recent efforts by both government and human rights organizations to hold the Syrian government accountable for its use of chemical weapons. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons passed a proposal to prevent Syria from acquiring the materials used to make chemical weapons. The proposal also calls for providing technical and legal support to efforts to prosecute the use of chemical weapons anywhere in the world. On the same day, 16 human rights and survivor organizations unveiled a separate proposal to create an international tribunal in which to prosecute parties accused of using chemical weapons.

Schar School professor Terry Clower suggests that Maryland has only a marginal initial advantage in efforts to retain the Washington Commanders, who have announced their intention to find a new stadium. Although Maryland already has designated land and an apparatus to provide public funding, the selection of a site for a new stadium will largely come down to the availability of public funding in the DMV region. Clower posits that the final decision will have more of a reputational impact than a financial one.

Schar School Visiting Professor Bill Bolling, who cast a record-setting number of tiebreaking votes while serving as Virginia’s lieutenant governor, offers insight into the unique role during a moment of divided government provided to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who just cast her 32nd tiebreaker in the U.S. Senate. With this vote, Harris, in only two-plus years, surpassed the mark set by John C. Calhoun.

A new project, led by Schar School associate professor Jennifer Victor, aims to increase voter awareness and turnout at Mason.

Lydia Sigman grabbed every Schar School opportunity to position herself for a career in government.

Maria Cuesta’s passion for global politics, economics, and community service led her to the Schar School.