By Robyn J. Whitaker; Mehmet Ozalp, Charles Sturt University, and Suzanne Rutland, University of Sydney (The Conversation) – Wars are often waged in the name of religion. So what do key texts from Christianity, Islam and Judaism say about the justification for war? We asked three experts for their views. The Bible Robyn J. Whitaker, […]
‘Come meet us in Dubai’: the new Offshoring of grand Corruption
By John Heathershaw, University of Exeter and Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, Sciences Po (The Conversation) – During an interview one of us (Ricardo Soares de Oliveira) carried out in 2017, an African high net-worth individual said he was told by an executive whose business had long served him out of London: “Come meet us in […]
Plans to Concentrate Gaza Palestinians in Rafah Camp a Crime against Humanity
By James Sweeney, Lancaster University (The Concversation) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are refusing to implement a government plan to move hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into a what it calls a “humanitarian city” in Rafah on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt. Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, chief of the IDF general staff said the […]
Grok’s MechaHitler Antisemitic Rant shows how Generative AI can be Weaponized
By James Foulds, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Phil Feldman, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Shimei Pan, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (The Conversation) – The AI chatbot Grok went on an antisemitic rant on July 8, 2025, posting memes, tropes and conspiracy theories used to denigrate Jewish people on the X platform. It […]
Did the US and Israeli Attack leave the Islamic Republic of Iran Stronger?
By Bamo Nouri, City St George’s, University of London (The Conversation) – Israel’s attack on Iran last month and the US bombing of the country’s nuclear facilities, the first-ever direct US attacks on Iranian soil, were meant to cripple Tehran’s strategic capabilities and reset the regional balance. The strikes came after 18 months during which […]
Extreme Weather alone doesn’t Change Views on Climate Change, People need to Link Them
By Omid Ghasemi, UNSW Sydney (The Conversation) – Climate change has made extreme weather events such as bushfires and floods more frequent and more likely in recent years, and the trend is expected to continue. These events have led to human and animal deaths, harmed physical and mental health, and damaged properties and infrastructure. Will […]
Comics and Graphic Novels can empower Refugees to tell their Stories on their own Terms
By Dominic Davies, City St George’s, University of London and Candida Rifkind, University of Winnipeg (The Conversation) – There are more refugees in the world today than at any other point in history. The United Nations estimates that there are now more than 120 million people forcibly displaced from their homes. That is one in […]
Who’s the most American? Psychological Studies show a Bias toward White English-Speakers
By Katherine Kinzler, University of Chicago (The Conversation) – In the U.S. and elsewhere, nationality tends to be defined by a set of legal parameters. This may involve birthplace, parental citizenship or procedures for naturalization. Yet in many Americans’ minds these objective notions of citizenship are a little fuzzy, as social and developmental psychologists like […]
Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century Judge and Ambassador, travelled further than Marco Polo. The Rihla records his Adventures
By Ismail Albayrak, Australian Catholic University In our guides to the classics, experts explain key literary works. (The Conversation) – Ibn Battuta, was born in Tangier, Morocco, on February 24, 1304. From a statement in his celebrated travel book the Rihla (“legal affairs are my ancestral profession,”) he evidently came from an intellectually distinguished family. […]