By Natasha Lindstaedt, University of Essex | – Reports have emerged in recent days that Russian troops in Ukraine, stalled in their advance and suffering numerous military setbacks, have sabotaged their own equipment, refused to fight and carry out orders, and even, in one report, run over their own commander. Nato estimates that as many […]
In Victory against Coal, South African Court rules that clean Air is a Constitutional Right
By Rebecca Garland, University of Pretoria | – A court in South Africa has confirmed the constitutional right of the country’s citizens to an environment that isn’t harmful to their health. This includes the right to clean air, as exposure to air pollution affects human health. Air pollution also affects land and water systems, and […]
What is Ramadan and why does it require Muslims to fast?
Mehmet Ozalp, Charles Sturt University | – Intermittent fasting is now becoming popular, with many promised health benefits. But Muslims have been practising fasting in the lunar month of Ramadan for centuries. The Ramadan for 2022 will start on Saturday April 2 and go for about 30 days. It is then followed by the three-day […]
Afghan evacuees lack a clear path for resettlement in the U.S., 7 months after Taliban takeover
By Tazreena Sajjad, American University School of International Service | – Russia’s war against Ukraine has resulted in more than 4 million Ukrainian refugees fleeing the country. The United States said on March 24, 2022, that it would welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. The Ukrainian refugee situation continues to overshadow another refugee crisis. That crisis stems […]
Yes, Putin and Russia are fascist – a political scientist shows how they meet the textbook definition
By Alexander Motyl, Rutgers University – Newark | – When Vladimir Putin unleashed an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the Ukrainian media, public and policymakers almost unanimously began calling the Russian president and the state he leads “rashyst.” The term is a hybrid of a derogatory moniker for Russia – “rasha” – […]
Ukraine war shows it’s time to do away with the racist ‘Clash of Civilizations’ theory
By Katherine Bullock, University of Toronto | – “The clash of civilizations,” wrote the late American political scientist Samuel Huntington in a famous 1993 article, “will dominate global politics.” He predicted: “The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future.” Picked apart by critics for conceptual and empirical errors, the tragedy […]
The Taliban is holding girls’ education hostage in Afghanistan – the question is, why?
By Sippi Azarbaijani Moghaddam, University of St Andrews | – Afghan children and teenagers have not had much to look forward to since the Taliban took power in August last year. They have endured six months of uncertainty, anxiety and fear as they waited to see what Taliban rule would bring for them. Women could […]
In 20 years of studying how ecosystems absorb carbon, here’s why we’re worried about a tipping point of collapse
By Caitlin Moore, David Campbell, Helen Cleugh, Jamie Cleverly, Jason Beringer, Lindsay Hutley, and Mark Grant | – From rainforests to savannas, ecosystems on land absorb almost 30% of the carbon dioxide human activities release into the atmosphere. These ecosystems are critical to stop the planet warming beyond 1.5℃ this century – but climate change […]
Could Vladimir Putin be ousted over his Ukraine invasion?
Lisa McIntosh Sundstrom, University of British Columbia | – As the Russian invasion of Ukraine grinds on with no apparent solution through international diplomacy, some commentators are wondering if an end of the conflict could come from Vladimir Putin’s removal from power in Russia. Russian troops on the Ukrainian front lines are struggling, prominent Russian […]
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