By Eileen M. Ahlin | (The Conversation) | – The accusation of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, made by California professor Christine Blasey Ford, has been met with a variety of responses. Among those responses has been the idea that what happens when someone is young should not be held against them, […]
Climate Crisis: If we Keep Burning Fossil Fuels, Will People have to be Moved Away from Coasts?
By Luciana Esteves | – We are all too familiar with images of flooding in low lying areas after heavy rainfall or houses destroyed by coastal erosion after a storm. For an increasing number of people, coastal flooding and erosion is a real threat to property, the local economy and, in some cases, life. Hurricane […]
Could Massive Solar and Wind Farms make the Sahara Green Again?
By Alona Armstrong | – Switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy is an important and necessary step towards averting climate change. However, in our efforts to go green, we also need to be mindful of other consequences, both intended and unintended – and that includes how a mass deployment of renewable technology might affect […]
McCain & GOP: How Christian Right, Tea Party & Iraq War Blunder Marginalized Him
By Elizabeth Sherman | – Arizona Sen. John McCain – scion of Navy brass, flyboy turned Vietnam war hero and tireless defender of American global leadership – has died after a year of treatment for terminal brain cancer. “With the Senator when he passed were his wife Cindy and their family. At his death, he […]
Turkey’s big Problem isn’t Collapsing Currency, but Lack of Democracy under Erdogan
By Gary M. Grossman | – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is presiding over the damaging loss of value of the Turkish currency, the lira, against foreign currencies. It’s the most severe economic crisis the country has faced since he assumed power. Erdoğan has been the dominant figure in Turkish politics for almost two decades. […]
America, and the World, Cannot Afford Trump’s Dirty Coal Plan
By Daniel Fiorino | – Is climate change a problem? Consider the evidence: wildfires in California, Sweden and Siberia; flooding in coastal areas due to sea level rise; droughts in some places and extreme weather and rainfall in others; new and emerging patterns of disease; heat waves; and much more. Yet, looking at the policy […]
Making America Hated Again: Trump’s Mideast Policy of Strongmen and War
By David Mednicoff | – Donald Trump has shown little interest in encouraging democratic politics and human rights in other countries. This departure from decades of American foreign policy rhetoric has received comparatively little attention. However, in the Middle East, my area of expertise, I believe this Trump policy shift helps make countries less open […]
Turkey’s Economy has been Gliding for 16 Years but is it about to Crash?
By Can Erbil and Umit Ozlale | – If you happen to be a tourist in Turkey right now, consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, things look grim. The Turkish lira has lost as much as a third of its value relative to the U.S. dollar in less than a month and recently hit a record low. […]
Turkey’s Homemade Currency Crisis Could Roil Global Finance
By Clemens Hoffmann and Can Cemgil | – Stirling (The Conversation) – Turkey’s recently reelected president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is blaming the sudden and dramatic decline of the Turkish lira on an international conspiracy, variously railing against an “economic war” and a “currency plot”. On the surface, this looks like a reaction to US president […]