Politics and Government

In the Iowa caucuses, expectations are nearly as important as votes, say University of Washington professors who are closely watching this year’s presidential race.

 "The role of the armed forces in shaping events is at once obvious and mysterious," writes Ellis Goldberg, professor emeritus of political science at the UW. 

KOMO radio interviews Jackson School Director Reşat Kasaba about what potential effects the lifting of sanctions will have on Iran and the U.S.

Saadia Pekkanen is associate director at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and is leading conversations about the frontiers of diplomacy. 

The issue of whether to raise minimum wage has business owners divided. Richard Morrill, professor emeritus of geography at the UW, is quoted. 

According to history professor John Findlay, Seattle's 1962 World's Fair promoted the city as a haven for engineers and techies with middle-brow culture for middle-class fairgoers.

"The state votes so consistently Democratic... that presidential campaigns generally don't even bother advertising in Washington," says Mark Smith, professor of political science at the UW.

A lawsuit against Volkswagen says the car maker willfully violated U.S. emission standards. Hendrik Wolff, assistant professor of economics at the UW, is quoted.

Professor Kirsten Foot says the Seattle-based team has managed to bridge the worlds of nongovernment organizations and diverse law enforcement agencies.

Saadia Pekkanen, professor of international studies, writes that Japan's quest for parity raises questions about the future of the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Megan Ming Francis, assistant professor of political science at the UW, says there's a long history of distrust between minority populations and police.

Matthew Powers, assistant professor of communication at the UW, writes about Greenpeace journalist posing as energy company representatives to expose academics-for-hire. 

"China's decision to allow more families to have a second child is an effort to confront the problem of an aging population," writes Kam Wing Chan, professor of geography at the UW.

Assistant professor Megan Ming Francis discusses what Americans can learn from the history of lynching in the U.S. 

Chinese officials are set to discuss ways to stimulate the country's sputtering housing market. Kam Wing Chan, professor of geography at the UW, is quoted.