Opinion and analysis

Recent opinion and analysis pieces written by UW-affiliated experts. See The Conversation for only the analysis pieces.

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Full archive of opinion and analysis stories

• Opinion: Judge made right call in striking down RFK Jr.’s vaccine plan | The Seattle Times4 days ago
  "I was in graduate school studying infectious diseases in the early 2000s, just before rotavirus vaccines became available. When we learned about pathogens that cause diarrhea, I wrote in my notes, 'Rotavirus: the democratic diarrhea.' It earned that nickname because it infected children across the social order — rich and poor, in both low- and high-income countries. Nearly every child was infected with rotavirus by the time they reached their fifth birthday," writes Karen Levy, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW.
• Opinion: Over 400 million barrels will be added to the oil market soon – what are strategic reserves and what can they do? | The Conversation6 days ago
  "In the second week of the Iran war – with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, cutting off shipping of 20% of the world’s oil supply – the International Energy Agency announced the largest release of strategic oil reserves in history. Thirty-two countries will sell a combined 412 million barrels from their reserves into the global market over four months, beginning in late March 2026," writes Scott Montgomery, lecturer of international studies at the UW.
• Opinion: Dr. André Ritter: A month in Spokane to advance oral health | The Spokesman-Review6 days ago
  "Keeping your mouth healthy is one of the most important things you can do for your body and your mind," writes André Ritter, dean of the UW School of Dentistry.
• Opinion: From where I sit, ICE should target dangerous criminals, not random folks | Yakima Herald-Republic1 week ago
  "Yakima is experiencing an immigration raid upswing. In the past, ICE generally focused its arrests on immigrants with serious criminal records. A recent University of Washington Center for Human Rights report suggests the focus has changed," writes Yakima resident Peter Fretwell.
• Editorial: Indiscriminate ICE enforcement harms Eastern Washington farms | Tri-City Herald1 week ago
  "As spring arrives in Eastern Washington, farmers need workers to prepare their fields and orchards. It is getting harder to find those workers, however, because federal immigration enforcers have made the region a hot spot for arrests and deportations. These enforcement actions disrupt lives and communities with little regard for the disastrous consequences," writes the Tri-City Herald editorial board. A report from the UW Center for Human Rights is mentioned.
• Opinion: Iran is a $1.3M-a-minute war | The New York Times1 week ago
  "Let’s ponder for a moment the vast sums that we’re pouring into the war with Iran," writes Nicholas Kristof, an opinion columnist. Dr. Linda Eckert, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Opinion: Trump’s threats to judicial independence in United States | Tacoma News Tribune2 weeks ago
  "Although the phrase has not been used, the horror many Americans have felt over recent events is the breakdown in our rule of law. Warrantless searches, masked agents, the lack of independent investigations, the denial of court hearings, the defiance of court orders and the entire 'justice' process being carried out summarily on the street," writes Robert Harlan Henry, jurist-in-residence in law at the UW.
• Editorial: Dems ignore shaky legality of millionaires tax | The Columbian3 weeks ago
  "As of early Tuesday, the Legislature appeared poised to pass Senate Bill 6346, which would impose a 9.9 percent tax upon annual household earnings of more than $1 million. Washington is one of nine states that does not have an income tax, although the Legislature did pass a capital gains tax in 2021," writes The Columbian's editorial board. Hugh Spitzer, associate dean emeritus and retired professor in the UW School of Law, is quoted.
• Opinion: Iranian voices in Seattle may not be unified, but we still must listen | The Seattle Times3 weeks ago
  "As much as it might complicate the hyperpartisan, left-right U.S. political paradigm, local Iranian American perspectives on the war don’t fit into neat ideological boxes," writes Naomi Ishisaka. Aria Fani, associate professor of Middle Eastern languages and culture at the UW, is quoted.
• Opinion: Behind every ‘study rat,’ a struggling international student | The Seattle Times3 weeks ago
  "What looks like quirky internet humor to outsiders is, for many of us, a coping mechanism for deeper realities: intense academic pressure, cultural distance and an education system that demands constant performance without offering equal emotional support," writes Yvette Tian, graduate student of public policy and governance at the UW.
• Opinion: UW journalism students provide ‘civic infrastructure’ covering Olympia | The Seattle Times4 weeks ago
  "The 2026 legislative session is scheduled to end next week in Olympia, but as teaching professors of journalism at the University of Washington, we are thinking about the beginning," write Andrea Otáñez and Caley Cook, both teaching professors of communication at the UW.
• Opinion: Fix broken, profit-driven health care model | The Seattle Times4 weeks ago
  "Kevin Nollette’s tortured effort to find a new doctor or new Medicare insurance plan reveals the sad truth about the U.S. health care system: It is perfectly designed to maximize profits and profit-seeking behavior but poorly designed to make it easy for people to get the care they need from the right care provider at the right time for an affordable price," writes Aaron Katz, a principal lecturer emeritus of health systems and population health at the UW.
• Analysis: War in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz — are there winners and losers? | Forbes4 weeks ago
  "To say that investors are nervous about what lies ahead would be an underestimation. No one expected such a sudden and intense attack from the U.S. and Israel, let alone one that would succeed in killing Iran’s Supreme Leader, Khameini, plus key military leaders," writes Scott Montgomery, lecturer of international studies at the UW.
• Analysis: What decades of research reveal about involuntary substance use treatment – and why evidence points elsewhere | The Conversation4 weeks ago
  "Throughout my three decades in the field, my research has focused on what works when it comes to substance use treatment, including among people experiencing homelessness. What I have learned is that involuntary treatment for adults with substance use disorders is necessary in extreme cases, but it does not outperform voluntary care and raises serious concerns about patient safety," writes Susan Collins, co-director of the Harm Reduction Research & Treatment Center at the UW School of Medicine.
• Opinion: University of Washington is expanding access to health care, education for Eastern Washington | Spokane Journal of Business1 month ago
  "At a time when the public is questioning the value of higher education, UW’s contributions in Eastern Washington offer some of the strongest examples of the power of our partnerships — and our commitment to improving the lives of all Washingtonians," writes UW Provost Tricia Serio.
• Opinion: Driverless cars aren’t much of a revolution | The Seattle Times1 month ago
  "In late January, one of Waymo’s self‑driving vehicles struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, Calif. Although the company, which recently announced its plan to come to Seattle, has framed this as an isolated incident, the broader narrative that treats the machine as inherently superior and places blame on citizens is anything but accidental," writes Nassim Parvin, professor in the UW Information School.
• Opinion: Washington is being left behind as other states pass phone-free schools laws | Washington State Standard1 month ago
  "When you consider that Washington state spends more than $30 billion per biennium on public education, 25% of school hours being siphoned up by Big Tech’s addictive social media platforms adds up to a significant amount of money," writes Ashley Gross. Dr. Dimitri Christakis, professor of pediatrics in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Editorial: Tri-Cities has a lot on the line at WA legislative midpoint | Tri-City Herald1 month ago
  "New laws could shape how nuclear innovation takes root in the Tri-Cities, limit how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers may operate and impose a controversial income tax on millionaires," writes the Tri-City Herald's editorial board. A report by the UW is referenced.
• Analysis: Who does TrumpRx actually benefit? | STAT2 months ago
  "The Trump administration is preparing to launch TrumpRx.com, an initiative aimed at lowering drug costs by aggregating direct-to-consumer access to branded prescription medications at discounted cash prices. The promise is seductive: lower prices on brand-name medications, available to anyone willing to bypass their insurance and pay out of pocket. But for most Americans, this initiative represents not a solution to our prescription drug price dilemma, but rather a distraction from it," write the UW's Sean Sullivan, professor of pharmacy, and Ryan Hansen, professor and chair of pharmacy.
• Analysis: What parents need to know about kratom | Boston Herald2 months ago
  "You may have seen Kratom products at gas stations, vape shops or online. Marketed as “natural” and often sold in forms such as powders, capsules and gummies, kratom is gaining popularity in the U.S. among teens. But while it comes from a plant, that doesn’t make it safe," write Dr. Chris Buresh, associate professor of emergency medicine in the UW School of Medicine, and Dr. Gary Kirkilas.
• Analysis: Trying to unlock shrimp biology with baking soda | Chinook Observer2 months ago
  "Burrowing shrimp are a well-documented native pest species in Willapa Bay that have been a nuisance to bottom-culture shellfish farmers for over a century. Methods for controlling shrimp populations have varied over the years, including mechanical and chemical controls," writes Emma Guerrini Romano, UW doctoral student in biology. Andrea Durant, UW assistant professor of biology, and Jennifer Ruesink, UW professor of biology, are mentioned.
• Analysis: How Venezuelan oil, Hugo Chávez and geopolitics led to Maduro’s capture | Forbes2 months ago
  "Venezuela has long played a part in the global history of oil and its geopolitics, and the capture of its former president, Nicolás Maduro, should be viewed in this context," writes Scott Montgomery, lecturer of international studies at the UW.
• Analysis: How Trump’s Greenland threats amount to an implicit rejection of the legal principles of Nuremberg | The Conversation2 months ago
  "U.S. President Donald Trump has, for the moment, indicated a willingness to abandon his threat to take over Greenland through military force – saying that he prefers negotiation to invasion. He is, however, continuing to assert that the United States ought to acquire ownership of the self-governing territory," writes Michael Blake, professor of philosophy and of public policy and governance at the UW.
• Opinion: Improving how we track progress for river protection | Forbes2 months ago
  "Protection of the environment generally receives strong support from the public. Yet there has always been a paradox at the heart of that support: Protection for water resources is consistently the highest environmental priority for the pubic, yet the sources of that water—freshwater ecosystems—are often less protected and more degraded than terrestrial or marine ecosystems," writes Jeff Opperman. UW research is mentioned.
• Opinion: ICE killed Renee Good and the deaths didn't start there | South Seattle Emerald2 months ago
  "On Jan. 7, 2026, Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers for protesting the harm and violence inflicted on her immigrant neighbors. This tragedy is not an isolated event; the Trump administration has been killing and disappearing people of color long before this tragedy came to light," writes Georgina Olazcon Mozo, director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the UW.
• Opinion: Why WA’s tenant right-to-counsel law isn’t working | The Seattle Times2 months ago
  "In 2021, Washington lawmakers transformed the legal process of eviction when they passed a groundbreaking 'right-to-counsel' law meant to ensure legal representation for tenants who receive public assistance or who have very low incomes. But nearly five years later, eviction court in King County and other parts of the state remains deeply inaccessible — and thousands of tenants are still losing their homes without ever speaking to a lawyer," writes Will von Geldern, a doctoral student in public policy and governance at the UW. Rachel Fyall, associate professor of public policy and governance at the UW, and Karin Martin, assistant professor of public policy and governance at the UW, are mentioned.
• Opinion: Model MLK Jr. and ask: What am I doing for others? | The Seattle Times2 months ago
  "As we honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., it’s fitting to also honor service to others and challenge ourselves to give time and love to our communities. King believed that the central question in life was: 'What are you doing for others?'" writes Ed Taylor, UW vice provost and dean of undergraduate academic affairs.
• Analysis: What ending atmospheric research would really cost The US | Forbes3 months ago
  "NCAR is a legendary institution in the global scientific community. That it is now threatened with liquidation by the Trump Administration marks a blunt repudiation of its long history of support and denial of the recognized status it has earned over many decades of fundamental contribution," writes Scott Montgomery, lecturer of international studies.
• Opinion: Homelessness in Seattle: We can’t unsee it | The Seattle Times3 months ago
  "Visible homelessness, like a car wreck, both horrifies and transfixes us. Or many of us. We hate to witness the “squalor” of disheveled, desperate people. And then we crane our necks to see it more closely," writes Walter Hatch, affiliate professor of international studies at the UW. Gregg Colburn, associate professor of real estate at the UW, is mentioned.
• Letter to the Editor: Seniors’ mental health: Limit access to firearms, medication | The Seattle Times3 months ago
  "At Forefront Suicide Prevention, we’ve long been concerned about suicide among seniors. In the highest risk group, men ages 80 to 84, a shocking 85% of suicides involve firearm use. Medication overdoses are the most frequent type of suicide attempt," write Rebecca Vaux, communications director of the UW's Forefront Suicide Prevention center, and Dr. Jeffrey Sung, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the UW School of Medicine.

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