The College of Arts and Sciences' communications office works closely with Cornell's Media Relations Office. As the College's representatives to media, we connect faculty experts and thought leaders to local, regional, national and international media organizations.
Contacts:
|
Linda Glaser, News & Media Relations Manager |
o: 607-255-8942 c: 973-650-8172 lbg37@cornell.edu |
|
Tricia Barry, Communications Director |
o: 607-255-7165 c: 607-377-6596 triciabarry@cornell.edu |
Current press statements from Arts & Sciences faculty:
Malaysian PM resigns
Malaysia thrust into political chaos as Mahathir resigns—Feb. 24, 2020
On Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed suddenly resigned, ending his coalition government’s rule after 20 months in office. Mahathir led the reformist political coalition called Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) that ousted the long-time ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition in 2018.
Tom Pepinsky, professor of government at Cornell University, is an expert on the politics and political economy of Southeast Asia, particularly the Muslim world. He says that Mahathir’s resignation has created an unclear future for Malaysia, in which a new multiethnic regime or Malay-first coalition could gain power.
Bio: https://government.cornell.edu/thomas-pepinsky
Pepinsky says:
“The details remain murky, but two factors led to the general instability of Pakatan Harapan (PH). The first is a long-term structural challenge of factional politics in multiethnic Malaysia: PH is a multiethnic coalition of parties that presents a broad challenge to the Malay-dominated politics of the Barisan Nasional (BN), yet many among its members (including Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad) are known for their Malay-first agendas.
“The second factor driving instability is the role of Mahathir Mohamad himself: at 94 years old, he has long dominated Malaysian politics and was himself the strongman ruler of the BN regime from 1981-2003. Since joining PH in order to help defeat the BN, rumors have swirled about the timeline for turning over authority to his longtime political rival (and erstwhile Deputy) Anwar Ibrahim.
“Malaysian politics enters a new phase of uncertainty in the wake of the government's collapse, with some PH politicians defecting and others adopting a wait-and-see approach. Mahathir, for his part, has resigned as Prime Minister, but was immediately named Interim Prime Minister. What comes next could be anything from a newly invigorated, multiethnic reformist coalition government to fresh elections that return an emboldened Malay-first coalition to power.”
For interviews contact:
Rachel Rhodes
Office: (202) 434-8036
Cell: (585) 732-1877
rer252@cornell.edu
Hanau Shooting
Germany shooting a sign that racist hate is no longer taboo - Feb. 20, 2020
Nine people were killed in the German city of Hanau after a gunman opened fire in a shisha bar. The attacker, whom authorities say had a “right-wing extremist background,” is thought to have targeted areas frequented by immigrants.
Mabel Berezin, professor of sociology at Cornell University, is an expert on far-right politics and the history and development of populism and fascism in Europe. Berezin is author of “Illiberal Politics in Neoliberal Times: Cultures, Security, and Populism in a New Europe” and “Europe Without Borders.”
Bio: https://sociology.cornell.edu/
Berezin says:
“The murder of nine persons in a bar favored by Muslim migrants is another iteration of the sea change that is occurring in German political culture where taboo breaking has become a norm.
“After World War II, Nazism and right-wing culture of any sort was banned in Germany. The taboo against the extreme right began to break down with the emergence of the far-right party the Alternative for Germany (AFD) in 2015. The AFD hardly existed as a political party. But three weeks ago Germany’s center right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) allied with it in local elections in Thuringia to oust a center left wing premier.
“The political legitimation of right-wing parties such as AFD has left an open space for unallied freelance right-wing extremists to carry out hate attacks against outgroups without the restraints of political party affiliation. Hate is increasingly no longer taboo in Germany and we can expect more violence.”
For interviews contact:
Rebecca Valli
office: 607-255-6035
cell: 607-793-1025
rv234@cornell.edu
Coronavirus disrupting Chinese politics
China delays political meetings, signals coronavirus disruption - Feb. 18, 2020
On Monday, China said it was considering delaying its two annual political meetings, the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPCC) scheduled for March because of risks related to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Jeremy Wallace, associate professor of government at Cornell University and an expert on Chinese politics, says that the decision to postpone the meetings is a sign of the outbreak’s ongoing disruption on China’s politics, as well as on its economics.
Bio: https://as.cornell.edu/jeremy-
Wallace says:
“The decision to delay the 2020 NPC and CPPCC meetings illustrates that the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak is not going away.
“Early on, economic impact assessments compared this coronavirus to what happened during the SARS crisis, but this outbreak has infected almost ten times as many people and killed two and half times as many as SARS. Serious economic and political consequences will be felt in 2020 in China, the Asia-Pacific region and the world.”
For interviews contact:
Rebecca Valli
office: 607-255-6035
cell: 607-793-1025
rv234@cornell.edu
"Pale Blue Dot" photo turns 30
Iconic ‘pale blue dot’ photo turns 30, time to spot other worlds - Feb. 14, 2020
The iconic photograph of planet Earth from distant space – the “pale blue dot” – was taken 30 years ago on Feb. 14, 1990, at a distance of 3.7 billion miles, by the NASA spacecraft Voyager 1 as it zipped toward the far edge of the solar system. The late Cornell astronomy professor Carl Sagan came up with the idea for the snapshot, and coined the phrase.
Lisa Kaltenegger, director of Cornell University’s Carl Sagan Institute and a professor of astrophysics, says that 30 years after that iconic picture we now have the technical means to spot other pale dots orbiting distant stars.
Bio: https://astro.cornell.edu/
Kaltenegger says:
“The ‘pale blue dot’ image shows our world as both breathtakingly beautiful and fragile. Urging us to take care of our home.
“To this day it is the furthest away image of our own world – showing its beauty and at the same time reminding us to safeguard our pale blue dot, ‘the only home we have ever known’ as Carl Sagan wrote.
“And now we are spotting other pale dots orbiting distant suns, wondering whether we are alone in the universe.”
For interviews contact:
Rebecca Valli
office: 607-255-6035
cell: 607-793-1025
rv234@cornell.edu