By Boaz Atzili, American University School of International Service | – Democracy is not just about holding elections. It is a set of institutions, ideas and practices that allow citizens a continuous, decisive voice in shaping their government and its policies. The new Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu and sworn in on Dec. 29, […]
New Israeli Power Broker seeks to rewrite History to justify Violence against Palestinians
By Curtis Hutt, University of Nebraska Omaha | – (The Conversation) – A right-wing Israeli politician is trying to recast a key part of American history. That’s not a usual subject for an Israeli Cabinet member. But Itamar Ben-Gvir is trying to make his anti-Palestinian movement seem less extremist and more appealing to Jews and […]
Why do so many Turkish people believe ‘Secret Clauses’ in the 1923 Great Power Lausanne Treaty will be unveiled this Year?
By Ozan Ozavci, Utrecht University | – (The Conversation) – Commonly regarded as the “birth certificate” of modern Turkey, the 1923 treaty of Lausanne was the last of the peace settlements signed at the end of the first world war. This year’s centenary has already provoked far more public anticipation than one might expect, thanks […]
How the Right-Wing Distortion of Martin Luther King Jr.‘s words enables more, not less, racial Division within American society
Hajar Yazdiha, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences | – U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas is just the latest conservative lawmaker to misuse the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to judge a person on character and not race. In the protracted battle to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker […]
Top 6 Ways 2023 could be a Pivotal Year for Climate Action
By Wesley Morgan, Griffith University | – (The Conversation) – Many people think of the annual UN climate talks as talkfests which achieve only incremental change, at best. Activist Greta Thunberg has described them as “blah blah blah” moments – grossly inadequate and too often hijacked by fossil fuel producers who would like the world […]
Mad World: Global Flashpoints to watch in 2023 in the Era of ‘Polycrisis’
By Susan Harris Rimmer, Griffith University | – (The Conversation) – When 2022 began, there was trepidation about what might happen in at least ten regions. Topping most lists were concerns about tensions in Ukraine, Afghanistan and Ethiopia. What actually transpired in 2022 were some of the most shocking humanitarian scenes in modern history – […]
Iran Executions: the Role of the ‘Revolutionary Courts’ in breaching Human Rights
By Simon Rice, University of Sydney | – (The Conversation) – The Iranian government has attempted to brutally suppress the widespread protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022. Central to Iran’s response have been the country’s “revolutionary courts”. They have conducted heavily-criticised trials resulting in at least […]
Climate Crisis: We’re Seeing Alarming Changes in the entire Global Water Cycle
By Albert Van Dijk, Australian National University | – (The Conversation) – In 2022, a third La Niña year brought much rain to Australia and Southeast Asia and dry conditions to the other side of the Pacific. These patterns were expected, but behind these variations there are troubling signs the entire global water cycle is […]
Islamic paintings of the Prophet Muhammad are an important Piece of History – here’s why Art Historians teach them
By Christiane Gruber, University of Michigan | – Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, recently dismissed Erika López Prater, an adjunct faculty member, for showing two historical Islamic paintings of the Prophet Muhammad in her global survey of art history. Following complaints from some Muslim students, university administrators described such images as disrespectful and Islamophobic. […]