By Rodney Tiffen, University of Sydney | – (The Conversation) – You can’t help but feel sorry for Rupert Murdoch. In Mary Shelley’s famous novel, Dr Frankenstein created a monster that took on a life of its own, and which he could no longer control. Murdoch has outdone Frankenstein and created two monsters over which […]
Gaza war: 75 years after signing of the Geneva Conventions, Israel’s deadly attack on a Palestinian school shows their limitations
By Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, University of Bristol | – (The Conversation) – Gaza is reeling after a missile strike launched by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) targeted a building and mosque within a school complex in Gaza City on August 10. The Israeli military said the school was operating as a Hamas command and control post, but […]
The Geneva Conventions at 75: do the laws of war still have a fighting chance in today’s bloody world?
By Marnie Lloydd,New Zealand Centre for Public Law and Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington | – (The Conversation) – It has been 75 years since the adoption of the Geneva Conventions on August 12 1949. In theory, these rules of war are universally agreed by every nation. In practice, they are routinely […]
The World Court says Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian Land is Illegal: 4 steps Other Countries can take now
By Myra Williamson, Auckland University of Technology | – Peace in the Middle East seems further away than ever. The assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, the threat of Iranian retaliation against Israel, and the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza have all put the region on a knife edge. At first glance, there might seem to […]
Refusing to call out Islamophobia has emboldened the Far Right – and Britain’s current Violence is the Result
By Chris Allen, University of Leicester | – (The Conversation) – As someone who has researched Islamophobia in Britain for a quarter of a century, it is clear to me that the current violence on the streets of Britain is an example of it. This was true from the first outbreak of violence, after a […]
Qatar, Upset with failed Israeli-Palestinian Talks and Haniyeh Assassination, may Turn to Mediating between Iran and West
By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University | – (The Conversation) – When the longtime political chief of Hamas was assassinated in late July 2024, it didn’t just leave the entire Middle East on edge. It also created a political headache in Qatar. That’s because the death of Ismail Haniyeh, the result of an apparent Israeli […]
Assassination is always unlawful – Regardless of who is Killed and on whose Orders
By Mary Ellen O’Connell, University of Notre Dame | – (The Conversation) – >Assassination is a particular form of murder. Regardless of who carries out the act, on whose orders or why, it is always unlawful. This is the reason Vadim Krasikov was languishing behind bars in Germany prior to being released on Aug. 1, […]
As Far Right Islamophobic Mobs riot in the UK, Online Merchants of Hate work their Audiences
By Richard Fern, Swansea University | – The frightening scenes of far-right extremists clashing with police and even rioting in British towns and cities in recent days have many wondering how to stop the spread of the propaganda that encourages racism, violence and misogyny. The tough truth is that in seeking to fact check misinformation […]
German Colonialism in Africa left Hundreds of Thousands Dead: Its Chilling Afterlife
By Henning Melber, University of Pretoria | – (The Conversation) – Germany was a significant – and often brutal – colonial power in Africa. But this colonial history is not told as often as that of other imperialist nations. A new book called The Long Shadow of German Colonialism: Amnesia, Denialism and Revisionism aims to […]