The Conversation

When Trump met NATO: Blunt talk and meaningful silences

Written by Simon Reich, Professor in The Division of Global Affairs and The Department of Political Science, Rutgers University Newark

World leaders met in Brussels for the NATO Summit 2017.AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Poo

Donald Trump’s electoral campaign was notable for his abrasive statements and blunt assessments about a variety of issues. Among his more unforgettable claims was his suggestion that NATO was “obsolete.”

This comment was largely founded, it seems, on a...

Poor and middle-income families need a better way than 529s to save for college

Written by Robert H. Scott III, Associate Professor of Economics, Monmouth University

A college education is increasingly necessary for success in today’s economy. It’s also increasingly expensive.

Americans with a college degree earn, on average, US$1 million more over the course of their lives than those without one. At the same time, the cost to attend a four-year school has been climbing 2 percent to 3 percent a...

How would engineers build the Golden Gate Bridge today?

Written by Hota GangaRao, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University

What could be better?Uladzik Kryhin via Shutterstock.com.

Ever since the Golden Gate Bridge opened to traffic on May 27, 1937, it’s been an iconic symbol on the American landscape.

By 1870, people had realized the necessity of building a bridge spanning the Golden Gate Strait to connect the city of San Francisco with Marin County. However, it...

Homeless vets with families: An untold part of veterans' struggles

Written by Roya Ijadi-Maghsoodi, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles

A homeless Vietnam vet begs for money on a Boston street in 2012. Joseph Sohm/Shutterstcok.com

In 2010, the Obama administration announced the ambitious goal of ending homelessness among veterans. Over the last year, the number of veterans who are homeless dropped 30 percent in Los Angeles County. Nationwide, veteran homelessness fell by almost 50...

Diplomat in chief: How did Trump do on his first Middle East visit?

Written by Jeremy Pressman, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut

President Donald Trump received both pageantry and a warm reception on his first trip to the Middle East.

Whether bowing his head to receive the King Abdulaziz al Saud Collar from Saudi Arabian King Salman, gathering around the “glowing orb” at the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh or standing at the Western Wall...

Why Montana just elected Greg Gianforte, a man charged with assault, to Congress

Written by Lee Banville, Associate Professor of Journalism, The University of Montana

Until just about 24 hours before the polls closed, the race for Montana’s sole congressional seat seemed to be focused on health care, Donald Trump and gun rights. Republican businessman Greg Gianforte appeared to be headed for a likely victory in the race against another political newcomer, musician and Democrat Rob Quist.

Then came...

Why a monthly period is especially hard for millions of women and girls around the world

Written by Marni Sommer, Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Medical Center

Girls in Tanzania listen to an instructor who is teaching them about menstruation. From menstrualhygieneday.org

Millions of girls and women are displaced and on the move right now globally – and the Trump administration’s proposed drastic cuts to humanitarian aid will have a major impact on these girls’ and women’s health.

A...

When image trumps ideology: How JFK created the template for the modern presidency

Written by Steven Watts, Professor of History, University of Missouri-Columbia

President John F. Kennedy watches as planes conduct anti-sub operations during maneuvers off the North Carolina coast in April 1962.Associated Press

Even at John F. Kennedy’s centennial on May 29, 2017, the 35th president remains an enigma. We still struggle to come to a clear consensus about a leader frozen in time – a man who, in our...

Trump says the IRS regulates churches too much. Here's why he's wrong

Written by Philip Hackney, James E. & Betty M. Phillips Associate Professor of Law, Louisiana State University

Who enforces regulations that bar churches from engaging in politics?www.shutterstock.com

President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order that he said would keep his campaign promise to defend religious groups from the IRS when they engage in political speech.

Like other experts, I believe this move does nothing to change IRS policy. But...

Designing games that change perceptions, opinions and even players' real-life actions

Written by Lindsay Grace, Associate Professor of Communication; Director, American University Game Lab and Studio, American University School of Communication

In 1904, Lizzie Magie patented “The Landlord’s Game,” a board game about property ownership, with the specific goal of teaching players about how a system of land grabbing impoverishes tenants and enriches property owners. The game, which went on to become the mass-market classic “Monopoly,” was the first widely...