The Conversation

Despite his government's failure to anticipate Hamas' deadly attack, don't count Netanyahu out politically

Written by Brent E Sasley, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at Arlington

Since the brutal Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, news analysts and the public have focused on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his role in the intelligence failure that preceded the attack, in which 1,400 people were killed.

In other parliamentary democracies, a failure of this magnitude would normally cost leaders their jobs,...

What exactly caused the explosion at a hospital in Gaza? Without an independent, credible investigation, it will be hard for everyone to agree

Written by Stefan Schmitt, Project Lead for International Technical Forensic Services, Florida International University

The blast at Gaza City’s al-Ahli Arab Hospital’s parking lot on Oct. 17, 2023, has become a flash point in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

While Israel denies any responsibility for the explosion and disputes the number of people killed in the blast, Hamas continues to fault Israel for the explosion, which it says killed about...

Rupert Murdoch's empire was built on a shrewd understanding of how media and power work

Written by Bruce Drushel, Professor of Media, Journalism and Film, Miami University

The man at the center of the news.Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS/VCG via Getty Images

When businesspeople retire at an advanced age, it seldom makes headlines.

But when 92-year-old Rupert Murdoch announced in September that he was stepping away from his multicontinent media empire and turning it over to his son Lachlan, it was breaking news that generated...

Cancer has many faces − 5 counterintuitive ways scientists are approaching cancer research to improve treatment and prevention

Written by Vivian Lam, Associate Health and Biomedicine Editor

Cancer cells don't follow the typical rules that allow a multicellular collective to function.Dr. Cecil Fox/National Cancer Institute

How researchers conceptualize a disease informs how they treat it. Cancer is often described as uncontrollable cell growth triggered by genetic damage. But cancer can also be seen from angles that emphasize...

A century ago, a Black-owned team ruled basketball − today, no Black majority owners remain

Written by Jared Bahir Browsh, Assistant Teaching Professor of Critical Sports Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

The New York Rens played from 1923 to 1948.Black History Heroes/Twitter

For the first time in 20 years, the NBA began its season with no Black-owned franchises.

In fact, there’s been only one Black majority-owned team in league history.

In late 2002, the NBA awarded an expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats, to Black Entertainment Television...

American individualism lives on after death, as consumers choose new ways to put their remains to rest

Written by Diana Blaine, Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

LifeGem is a company that extracts carbon from cremated human remains and transforms it into diamonds to remember loved ones. Handout/LifeGem via Getty Images

Death may be inevitable and universal, but the ways people deal with it most certainly are not. Whether doing Tibetan Buddhist sky burials, attending a graveside service dressed in black or...

Language induces an identity crisis for the children and grandchildren of Latino immigrants

Written by Amelia Tseng, Assistant Professor in Spanish and Linguistics, American University

Many second- and third-generation Latinos feel insecure about their Spanish-speaking abilities.Shaul Schwarz, Verbatim/Getty Images for Be Vocal

A young Latina mother I was interviewing once laughed uncomfortably as she described her sons’ embarrassment when put on the spot by older Latinos.

They would speak to her sons in Spanish, before...

3 reasons the House GOP is not any more dysfunctional than the Democrats − even after the prolonged speaker chaos

Written by David R. Jones, Professor of Political Science, Baruch College, CUNY

Tabulating votes during one of the many ballots held by House Republicans to choose a speaker.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

For many observers, a key takeaway from the recent leadership struggle in the U.S. House is that Democrats skillfully manage their caucus while Republicans are uniquely dysfunctional.

This claim is based in large part on a c...

Young, female voters were the key to defeating populists in Poland's election – providing a blueprint to reverse democracy's decline

Written by Patrice McMahon, Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Donald Tusk looks set to lead the governing coalition, in large part thanks to female voters.Omar Marques/Getty Images

The results of Poland’s parliamentary elections held on Oct. 15, 2023, have been lauded as a blow against populism – and they may also hold important lessons for reversing democracy’s decline.

In the vote, the...

Are journalists serving Virginia's voters well? Election could offer insights on media on national level

Written by Jeff South, Associate professor emeritus, Journalism, Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin gives a thumbs-up during an Economic Club of Washington event on Sept. 26, 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

As Virginia holds elections on Nov. 7, 2023, to fill all 140 seats in the state legislature, the results will likely offer insights on the nation’s political pulse. Voters’ preferences for...