University of Pennsylvania professor Marci A. Hamilton critiques President Donald Trump’s handling of foreign policy, particularly his recent Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and argues that Trump’s deference to Russian President Vladimir Putin stems from ideological alignment with the religious right rather than merely personal or financial motivations. Professor Hamilton argues that Trump’s pro-Russia stance reflects the religious right’s alignment with Putin’s anti-LGBTQ policies, and that evangelical leaders are willing to support autocrats who share their “family values” agenda while undermining democratic principles and the separation of church and state.

Dean Falvy, a lecturer at the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle, describes the parallels between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Mr. Falvy argues that even if Russia can wrest more territory from Ukraine in the short term, it is difficult to foresee an end to the war it has started.

Dean Falvy, a lecturer at the University of Washington School of Law, comments on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the Trump-Russia affair. Falvy points out nine deliberate choices Mueller made in conducting the investigation and drafting the report and highlights one choice Mueller notably deferred to the people.

Chapman University, Fowler School of Law, professor Ronald D. Rotunda compares the Russian interference with American democracy with an episode of Rod Sterling’s The Twilight Zone from over fifty years ago. Rotunda points out that even with a relatively modest budget, the Russian government was able to exploit the most dangerous enemy of any society—the people who comprise it.