The Conversation

With Hezbollah and Hamas assassinations, Netanyahu shows willingness to risk regional war for political survival

Written by Asher Kaufman, Professor of History and Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame

Israel’s apparent assassinations of Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s top military leader, in Beirut, and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, have raised again the specter of a regional war involving regional adversaries – one that could potentially drag the United States into the fray.

By targeting these two leaders, the...

Iceland’s recent volcanic eruptions driven by pooling magma are set to last centuries into the future

Written by James Day, Professor of Geosciences, University of California, San Diego

The April 2024 Sundhnúkur vent in Iceland.Geoff Cook/SIO, CC BY

To experience a volcanic eruption is to witness nature’s raw power. If you would like to see one for yourself, Iceland is a great location for it. Since 2021, seven eruptions have taken place along the Reykjanes Peninsula, close to Reykjavík.

These recent Icelandic...

This Supreme Court has redefined the meaning of corruption

Written by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, Professor of Law, Stetson University

Recent Supreme Court decisions have made it so that bribing a politician must be cartoonishly blatant to qualify as corruption.DigitalVision Vectors via Getty

The U.S. Supreme Court is deregulating corruption, with arguably grim consequences for American democracy.

The latest example of this troubling trend was the case known as Snyder v. United...

NRA legal judgment bans LaPierre but could signal the end of gun group’s fight with New York authorities

Written by Elizabeth Schmidt, Professor of Practice in Public Policy, Nonprofit Organizations, and Social & Environmental Enterprises, UMass Amherst

Former NRA leader Wayne LaPierre can't do any paid work for the group for the next 10 years.AP Photo/Seth Wenig

A New York judge on July 29, 2024, banned Wayne LaPierre, the former head of the National Rifle Association, from holding any paid position with the organization for a decade. The ruling came five months after a New York City jury found,...

Online fundraising may require different strategies for different devices − new research

Written by Kristen Ferguson, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Notre Dame

Does staring at your phone put you in a giving mood?AndreyPopov/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Most charities aren’t tailoring their online fundraising strategies to the electronic device donors may use when deciding whether to click a “donate” button. That’s what our marketing research team determined when we reviewed the...

Israel’s military starts drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews – but the battle over serving ‘the army of God’ vs. the army of the state isn’t over, and points to key questions for the country’s future

Written by Michael Brenner, Professor of Jewish History and Culture at Ludwig Maximilian University and Abensohn Chair in Israel Studies, American University

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men attend a rally against army recruitment in Jerusalem on June 30, 2024. AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean

In late July 2024, the Israeli military sent out the first 1,000 conscription notices to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, following a unanimous Supreme Court ruling that the government must stop exempting them.

But will these Haredim,...

Chinese warships off Alaska and Cambodia highlight the role of near and far waters in sea power dominance

Written by Colin Flint, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Utah State University

Chinese warships were recently spotted sailing close to the Aleutian Islands, just off the Alaskan coast. Meanwhile, naval boats have begun to dock at a Beijing-built military port in Cambodia.

While these two events took place on different sides of the globe, they’re both part of an important geopolitical development – one that may...

Harris brings joy to the presidential campaign − and GOP mockery of ‘laughing Kamala’ is nothing new to Black women

Written by Duchess Harris, Professor of American Studies, Macalester College

Vice President Kamala Harris laughs with supporters after speaking in Jacksonville, Fla., about the implementation of Florida's abortion ban, May 1, 2024. AP Photo/John Raoux

With Vice President Kamala Harris’ ascent to the top of the Democratic ticket, Republicans are rebuilding a campaign strategy that for months focused on running against...

Filling the silences in family stories − how to think like a historian to uncover your family’s narrative

Written by Andrea Kaston Tange, Professor of English, Macalester College

Excerpt from Faith's diary: "This evening did some ironing and helped G. with her English. I have just about decided to let my hair grow for who can stand $1.25 for a hair cut? I do the girls' so save some there."Andrea Kaston Tange

Great-grandmothers. We all have them. But most of us will never know them except through glimpses of fading bits of...

Offshore wind farms connected by an underwater power grid for transmission could revolutionize how the East Coast gets its electricity

Written by Tyler Hansen, Research Associate in Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College

Each offshore wind turbine can produce large amounts of power.AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Strong offshore winds have the potential to supply coastlines with massive, consistent flows of clean electricity. One study estimates offshore wind farms could meet 11 times the projected global electricity demand in 2040.

The U.S. East Coast is an ideal location...