Drew Paul, University of Tennessee (The Conversation) – For many low-budget, independent films, an Oscar nomination is a golden ticket. The publicity can translate into theatrical releases or rereleases, along with more on-demand rentals and sales. However, for “No Other Land,” a Palestinian-Israeli film nominated for best documentary at the 2025 Academy Awards, this exposure […]
Syria: Doubts Increase over new Regime’s Commitment to Women’s Right and Inclusivity
By Katya Alkhateeb, University of Essex and Faten Ghosn, University of Essex (The Conversation) – The capture of Damascus by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the collapse of the regime of Bashar al-Assad last December sent shockwaves through Syria’s political landscape, heralding an unprecedented shift in power. The rise to power of HTS, formerly the […]
Making America Sick Again: How Trump’s Drastic Layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control cripple our Response to Norovirus, Measles Outbreaks
By Jordan Miller, Arizona State University (The Conversation) – In just a few short weeks, the Trump administration has brought drastic changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health. Beginning with the removal of websites and key public health datasets in January 2025, the Trump administration has taken actions to dismantle […]
We’re Killing off Thousands of Species, damaging our Health, Economies and Connections to Nature
By Justine Bell-James, The University of Queensland and James Watson, The University of Queensland (The Conversation) – Almost 200 nations have signed an ambitious agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss but none is on track to meet the crucial goal, our new research reveals. The agreement, known formally as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, […]
What was the Sykes-Picot Agreement, and Why does it still affect the Middle East Today?
By Andrew Thomas, Deakin University (The Conversation) – Some national borders are determined by natural phenomena like seas, mountains and rivers. Most, however, are created by people. This means the creation of borders is often a political exercise – usually informed by the interests of those who create them, not the local populations to whom […]
Palestinians have long resisted Resettlement – Trump’s Plan to ‘Clean Out’ Gaza won’t Change that
By Maha Nassar, University of Arizona (The Conversation) – President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. should “take over” Gaza, displace its current population and turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East” is unsettling – in both a literal and, to Palestinians, a very personal sense. The remarks, which followed earlier comments […]
Efficiency − or Empire? How Elon Musk’s hostile Takeover could end Government as we know it
By Allison Stanger, Middlebury (The Conversation) – Elon Musk’s role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, is on the surface a dramatic effort to overhaul the inefficiencies of federal bureaucracy. But beneath the rhetoric of cost-cutting and regulatory streamlining lies a troubling scenario. Musk has been appointed what […]
Gaza: We Analyzed a Year of Satellite Images to Map the Scale of Agricultural Destruction
By Lina Eklund, Lund University; He Yin, Kent State University , and Jamon Van Den Hoek, Oregon State University (The Conversation) – The ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas makes provisions for the passage of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza. This support is much needed given that Gaza’s agricultural system has been severely damaged […]
Trump’s offshore Wind Energy Freeze: What States lose if the Executive Order remains in Place
By Barbara Kates-Garnick, Tufts University (The Conversation) – A single wind turbine spinning off the U.S. Northeast coast today can power thousands of homes – without the pollution that comes from fossil fuel power plants. A dozen of those turbines together can produce enough electricity for an entire community. The opportunity to tap into such […]