Topic: George Mason University

Professor Mark Katz of George Mason University analyzes how Russia's military focus on the Ukraine war led to the withdrawal of naval vessels from Tartus and the eventual abandonment of the Assad regime. The collapse suggests that Putin's reputation as a reliable ally in the Middle East has been severely undermined.

John Cook, a cognitive scientist at George Mason University, is testing a "vaccine" against climate change denial. The method involves "inoculating" people by warning them about strategies used in misinformation campaigns, drawing parallels to historical tactics used by the tobacco industry.

Law professor Michael Greves of George Mason University argues that states are not legally required to enforce federal prohibitions, such as those against marijuana. He cites the case *Bond v. United States*, involving a chemical weapons convention law applied to a local dispute, to illustrate federal over-criminalization. Greves suggests that local officials should stop cooperating with federal agencies to render ludicrous federal laws ineffective.