By Sven Teske, University of Technology Sydney (The Conversation) – Is climate action a lost cause? The United States is withdrawing from the Paris Agreement for the second time, while heat records over land and sea have toppled and extreme weather events have multiplied. In late 2015, nations agreed through the Paris Agreement to try […]
IDF firing ‘Warning Shots’ near Diplomats sets an unacceptable Precedent in International Relations
By Andrew Forde, Dublin City University (The Conversation) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) appears to have “crossed the Rubicon” in the West Bank town of Jenin, when it opened fire in the vicinity of a group of visiting diplomats on May 21 – in flagrant violation of international law. The group of diplomats representing […]
What Malnutrition is doing to Gaza’s Starving Babies in their 1st 1000 Days of Life
By Nina Sivertsen, Flinders University; Annette Briley, Flinders University, and Tahlia Johnson, Flinders University (The Conversation) – Last week, the United Nations warned more than 14,000 babies would die of malnutrition in 48 hours if Israel continued to block aid from entering Gaza. After the figure was widely reported, that timeline has been walked back, […]
For many Island Species, the next Tropical Cyclone may be their Last
By Simon Valle, Bangor University and David Jorge Pereira, University of Birmingham (The Conversation) – When a major cyclone tears through an island nation, all efforts rightly focus on saving human lives and restoring livelihoods. However, these storms have permanent consequences for other species that are often forgotten. As the world continues to heat, cyclones […]
Why ‘The Coin’ by Palestinian writer Yasmin Zaher has won the Dylan Thomas Prize
(The Conversation) – Daniel G. Williams, Swansea University (The Conversation) – Yasmin Zaher’s remarkable novel The Coin has won the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize for writers under the age of 40. This is not a story that begins at the beginning. Instead, its narrator starts with dirt and an obsession with cleanliness, but suggests […]
Israelis’ Blinkered Media Drive Public Doubts on Gaza’s Hunger Plight
By Jori Breslawski, Tel Aviv University and Carlo Koos, University of Bergen (The Conversation) – Under mounting international pressure, Israel announced on May 19, 2025, that it would lift its monthslong humanitarian blockade on Gaza. The aid, which the Israeli government said would include a “basic amount” of food to stave off starvation, comes as […]
Israel’s Policies have already Created Catastrophic Starvation Risk for Millions in Gaza: a Trickle of Aid won’t Avert It
By Yara M. Asi, University of Central Florida (The Conversation) – After 18 months of punishing airstrikes, raids and an increasingly restrictive siege in Gaza, the United Nations on May 20, 2025, issued one of its most urgent warnings yet about the ongoing humanitarian crisis: an estimated 14,000 babies were at risk of death without […]
Trump Lifting Syria Sanctions is a win for Middle Power Turkey
By Hyeran Jo, Texas A&M University and Ece Göztepe Çelebi, Bilkent University (The Conversation) – President Donald Trump announced while in Saudi Arabia on May 14, 2025, that the United States would lift sanctions on Syria. The turnaround was a huge victory for the government of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he attempts to consolidate […]
The Gulf States have Long Boosted US Economic Dominance, even if not every President Got a Free Private Jet
By Adam Hanieh, University of Exeter (The Conversation) – After signing a US$142 billion (£107 billion) arms deal with Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump said the US bond with that country was “more powerful than ever”. He was also reportedly quite pleased with the gift of a private jet from Qatar. But these arrangements are just […]