By Charlotte Al-Khalili, University of Sussex and Melissa Gatter, University of Sussex (The Conversation) – When news of Bashar al-Assad’s downfall broke on December 8 2024, 13 years after the beginning of the Syrian uprising, Syrians around the world rejoiced. We rejoiced along with them, having spent the last decade in conversation with Syrians displaced […]
Trouble at Tesla and Protests against Trump’s Tariffs suggest consumer Boycotts are starting to Bite
By Erin O’Brien, Griffith University and Justine Coneybeer, Griffith University (The Conversation) – When the United States starts a trade war with your country, how do you fight back? For individuals, one option is to wage a personal trade war and boycott products from the US. President Donald Trump has said no nation will be […]
Social Movements constrained Trump in his first Term – Much more than People Realize
By Kevin A. Young, UMass Amherst (The Conversation) – Donald Trump’s first term as president saw some of the largest mass protests seen in the U.S. in over 50 years, from the 2017 Women’s March to the 2020 protests after George Floyd’s murder. Things feel different this time around. Critics seem quieter. Some point to […]
Microplastics Hinder Plants’ Photosynthesis, threatening Massive Crop and Seafood Losses
By Jack Marley, The Conversation (The Conversation) – A graph I saw in high school appeared to show the Earth breathing. It was a graph that plotted carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the course of the 20th century and into the 21st. CO₂ had risen steadily, and then more rapidly, but it hadn’t gone […]
Middle Eastern Monarchies in Sudan’s War: what’s driving their Interests
By Federico Donelli, University of Trieste (The Conversation) – The civil war in Sudan that began in April 2023 involves several external actors. The conflict pits the Sudanese Armed Forces against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in a quest for political and economic power. The situation has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. […]
Israel’s war on Gaza is deliberately targeting Children – new UN Report
By Rachel Rosen, UCL and Mai Abu Moghli, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (The Conversation) – A fresh round of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza which has killed more than 400 Palestinians has destroyed any hope that the ceasefire negotiated in January would hold. A statement from the child rights group Defence for Children Palestine claimed […]
After mass Killings in Syria, can a fragmented Country stay United?
By Ali Mamouri, Deakin University Shortly after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, the new government led by rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa pledged to unite Syrians and establish a “civil peace” in the country. In recent days, this fragile peace has been tested. Late last week, clashes broke out between government security forces […]
Syria integration deal with Kurds brings Relief after Days of bitter Violence wracks war-torn Country
By Rob Geist Pinfold, King’s College London (The Conversation) – The new Syrian government has signed a deal with to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia into the regime, in what is a big step towards uniting the fractured country. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led (HTS) government has been struggling for legitimacy since it […]
Health-Care Workers in Gaza should not be a Target: Their Detention and Death affect the Whole Population
By Tania King, The University of Melbourne; Fiona Stanley, The Kids Research Institute Australia; Guy Gillor, The University of Melbourne; Rob Moodie, The University of Melbourne, and Tilman Ruff, The University of Melbourne (The Conversation) – A freeze on aid entering the Gaza Strip, imposed by Israel last week, means once again tons of urgent […]