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The Conversation

Epidemics
Coronavirus Solidarity: A 13th Century Mystical Persian Poem about Humanity Shows why We need a Global Response

Coronavirus Solidarity: A 13th Century Mystical Persian Poem about Humanity Shows why We need a Global Response

The Conversation

By Arshin Adib-Moghaddam | – Coronavirus is all about human connectivity. From a philosophical perspective, I’ve been thinking about how this virus is forcing us to confront our common fate, highlighting our connections in the process. The novel coronavirus defies geography and national borders. There is no escaping it – exactly because humanity is inevitably […]

Corruption
There’s a name for Trump playing down the threat and failing to take action against the virus: Institutional betrayal

There’s a name for Trump playing down the threat and failing to take action against the virus: Institutional betrayal

The Conversation

By Anne P. DePrince and Joan M. Cook | – U.S. intel agencies issued dire, classified warnings to President Trump in January and February about the dangers posed by the coronavirus, according to revelations reported in The Washington Post. For weeks, U.S. communities coast to coast sounded the alarm. They didn’t have enough tests to […]

Epidemics
Thucydides’ Other War:  His Chilling Account of the plague of Athens and What it can Teach us Now

Thucydides’ Other War: His Chilling Account of the plague of Athens and What it can Teach us Now

The Conversation

By Chris Mackie | – The coronavirus is concentrating our minds on the fragility of human existence in the face of a deadly disease. Words like “epidemic” and “pandemic” (and “panic”!) have become part of our daily discourse. These words are Greek in origin, and they point to the fact that the Greeks of antiquity […]

Epidemics
A Psychologist Explains: Top 3 Ways the Coronavirus Pandemic is Changing Who We Are

A Psychologist Explains: Top 3 Ways the Coronavirus Pandemic is Changing Who We Are

The Conversation

By Arie Kruglanski | – For most Americans, the coronavirus pandemic represents a completely unprecedented circumstance, as novel as it is life-changing. No event in recent history has affected us as profoundly and pervasively. Not only does it remind us of our physical fragility, it undermines economic security, throws daily routines topsy-turvy, wreaks havoc on […]

Afghanistan
Did the US Commit War Crimes in Afghanistan?  International Prosecutors want to Find Out

Did the US Commit War Crimes in Afghanistan? International Prosecutors want to Find Out

The Conversation

By Hurst Hannum | – International prosecutors tasked with looking into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan have no shortage of potential targets. Afghan soldiers and warlords have been accused of rape, murder and kidnap almost since fighting began in late 2001. The deliberate targeting of civilians by the Taliban and other groups continues to this […]

Epidemics
Why the 'herd immunity' route to fighting coronavirus is unethical and potentially dangerous

Why the ‘herd immunity’ route to fighting coronavirus is unethical and potentially dangerous

The Conversation

By Arindam Basu | – As most of the world tries to suppress the coronavirus spread, some countries are going it alone – trying to manage the pandemic through so-called “herd immunity”. Herd immunity means letting a large number of people catch a disease, and hence develop immunity to it, to stop the virus spreading. […]

Far Right
Israel's Democracy at a Crossroads: Can Benny Gantz halt the Slide into Illiberalism?

Israel’s Democracy at a Crossroads: Can Benny Gantz halt the Slide into Illiberalism?

The Conversation

By Eitan Tzelgov | – After Israel’s third election in a year in early March, parties opposing Benjamin Netanyahu – the Israeli prime minister known as Bibi – secured a small majority in parliament. In a blow to Netanyahu, on March 15 these parties informed the Israeli president, Reuven Rivlin, that his rival Benny Gantz […]

Epidemics
Social distancing: What it is and why it's the best tool we have to fight the coronavirus

Social distancing: What it is and why it’s the best tool we have to fight the coronavirus

The Conversation

By Thomas Perls | – As the coronavirus spreads into more and more communities, public health officials are placing responsibility on individuals to help slow the pandemic. Social distancing is the way to do it. Geriatrician Thomas Perls explains how this crucial tool works. What is social distancing? Social distancing is a tool public health […]

Saudi Arabia
Night of Long Knives: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Grasps for Absolute Power

Night of Long Knives: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Grasps for Absolute Power

The Conversation

By Umer Karim and Scott Lucas | – The news seeped out of Saudi Arabia into international outlets late on March 6. King Salman’s brother, Prince Ahmad bin Abdul Aziz, had been detained along with the king’s nephew Prince Mohammad bin Nayef, former crown prince and interior minister. Reports disseminated to the media said the […]

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