By Scott Lucas, University College Dublin (The Conversation) – The so-called “axis of the vulnerable” is breaking in Syria. Starting in 2016, Russia and Iran, propping up the regime of Bashar al-Assad, needed more than a year of bombing, ground assaults and siege to break the rebel opposition in the east of Syria’s largest city, […]
The spectacular Capture of Aleppo by Opposition Forces plunges Syria into an uncertain Future
By Mehmet Ozalp, Charles Sturt University (The Conversation) – The forgotten Syrian civil war has again flared up with the spectacular capture of Aleppo by opposition forces. A complex set of circumstances created the right time for rebels to strike, plunging Syria into an uncertain future and catching President Bashar al-Assad by surprise. The Syrian […]
How Hayat Tahrir al-Sham evolved from Radicalism to ruler of Northern Syria
By Sara Harmouch, American University A major offensive has seen rebel groups in Syria retake the country’s second city, Aleppo – and demonstrated the growing prominence of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the 13-year-long civil war. The surprise advance was led by members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, fighting alongside Turkish-backed groups opposing the […]
A tax on new Plastic would slash Waste – if built into the global Treaty on Plastics
By Amelia Leavesley, The University of Melbourne (The Conversation) – Earlier this week, the mining magnate Andrew Forrest made headlines calling for a global “polymer premium” – or plastic tax – to be placed on every tonne of newly manufactured plastics. A tax like this could form part of the Global Plastic Treaty being hammered […]
Gaza’s cultural Heritage has been devastated by the Conflict with Israel – this is how we’re documenting the Damage
By Michael Fradley, University of Oxford; Andrew Petersen, University of Bradford, and Bill Finlayson, University of Oxford (The Conversation) – Situated at the junction between Africa and Asia, Gaza is a critical archaeological landscape. But the region’s heritage is currently facing an unprecedented risk of loss. Alongside the widespread loss of life, homes and livelihoods […]
Universities should not silence Research and Speech on Palestine
By Heidi Matthews, York University, Canada; Fatima Ahdash, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and Priya Gupta, McGill University (The Conversation) – The International Criminal Court (ICC) recently issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif for war crimes and crimes against humanity. […]
Iran and Israel Seek to Control online Narrative of their Conflict in advance of Next Hot Exchange
By Shirvin Zeinalzadeh, Arizona State University | (The Conversation) – Is Iran poised for a succession in leadership? Well, that depends on what you read. For weeks, rumors have been swirling about the health of the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as a possible replacement. In late […]
Why the EU’s Stance on Israel is starting to Change
Catherine Gegout, University of Nottingham (The Conversation) – The EU has stood in solidarity with Israel since the start of the war with Hamas, and has been consistent in saying the country has the right to defend itself. But the EU has always said that this has to be done in line with international law, […]
Meltwater from Greenland and the Arctic is weakening Ocean Circulation, speeding up Warming down South
By Laurie Menviel, UNSW Sydney and Gabriel Pontes, UNSW Sydney (The Conversation) – A vast network of ocean currents nicknamed the “great global ocean conveyor belt” is slowing down. That’s a problem because this vital system redistributes heat around the world, influencing both temperatures and rainfall. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation funnels heat northwards through […]