The Conversation

What happens when leaders have loyalists in charge of men with guns: Lessons for the US from Nicaragua, Syria and other authoritarian countries

Written by Joe Wright, Professor of Political Science, Penn State

Syrian army special forces in 2005, wearing pictures of their president, Bashar Assad, his father, Hafez, and brother, Basil, on their uniform, stand guard at a Lebanese military air base.Patrick Baz/AFP via Getty Images

In what’s been called a “Friday night massacre” at the Pentagon, President Donald Trump removed six top...

The sun is setting on government transparency in Florida – and secrecy creep is affecting the rest of the US, too

Written by David Cuillier, Director of the Brechner Freedom of Information Project, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida

Exemptions to Florida's open records law now exceed high rises in Miami.DEA / V. GIANNELLA /via Getty Images

Florida, the “Sunshine State,” once known as a beacon of government transparency, is growing ever darker, and the clouds are spreading throughout the United States.

From March 16-22, 2025, the nation celebrates the 20th...

How the color of St. Patrick’s Day went from blue to green

Written by Bryan McGovern, Professor of History, Kennesaw State University

Since 1962, the Chicago River has been dyed green for St. Patrick's Day.Scott Olson/Getty Images

St. Patrick’s Day usually conjures images of partying, Catholicism, Irish nationalism and, perhaps most famously, the color green: green clothes, green shamrocks, green beer and green rivers.

So my students are often surprised when I tell them that...

George Washington, a real estate investor and successful entrepreneur, knew the difference between running a business and running the government

Written by Eliga Gould, Professor of History, University of New Hampshire

President George Washington delivers his first inaugural address in April 1789 in New York City.Painting by T.H. Matteson, engraving by H.S. Sadd, via Library of Congress

During his three presidential campaigns, Donald Trump promised to run the federal government as though it were a business. True to his word, upon retaking office, Trump put tech...

Taking a leap of faith into imaginary numbers opens new doors in the real world through complex analysis

Written by William Ross, Professor of Mathematics, University of Richmond

Imaginary numbers push the boundaries of calculus and other branches of math.Hill Street Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images

To a nonmathematician, having the letter “i” represent a number that does not quite exist and is “imaginary” can be hard to wrap your head around. If you open your mind to this way of thinking,...

DEI initiatives removed from federal agencies that fund science, but scientific research continues

Written by Filomena Nunes, Professor of Physics, Michigan State University

Collaboration is key in science – DEI programs intend to foster inclusivity in the field. sanjeri/E+ via Getty Images

As soon as President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025, he signed an executive order titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.” This order called for the termination of...

The dark parallels between 1920s America and today’s political climate

Written by Alex Green, Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

In the 1920s, some Americans' concern for a U.S. in decline led to a rise in various discriminatory policies and movements that hurt vulnerable minorities. iStock/Getty Images Plus

As promised, the second Trump administration has quickly rolled out a slew of policies and executive orders that the president says are all aimed at “Making...

The fear of deportation hangs over unauthorized workers trying to fight exploitation, but all workers in the US have rights

Written by Xóchitl Bada, Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, University of Illinois Chicago

Handcuffed food-processing workers are escorted into a bus after an ICE raid in Morton, Miss., in 2019.AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

The Trump administration has repeatedly said it wants to deport as many people as possible. What that means for the estimated 8.3 million unauthorized immigrants in the American workforce is unclear.

It is also unclear...

The FACE Act was enacted to protect reproductive health clinics − here’s why its history matters today

Written by Micki Burdick, Assistant Professor of Women & Gender Studies, University of Delaware

Anti-abortion activists protest in Orlando, Fla., on April 13, 2024.Photo by Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

Soon after taking office for a second time, President Donald Trump pardoned anti-abortion activists who had blockaded and restricted access to the entrance of a reproductive health clinic in Washington, D.C., in October 2020.

These...

Ann Arbor’s sustainable energy utility aims to build the electric power grid of the future − alongside the old one

Written by Mike Shriberg, Professor of Practice & Engagement, School for Environment & Sustainability, University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan's new sustainable energy utility doesn't have to rely on old power lines. Brittany Greeson for The Washington Post via Getty Images

An experiment is underway in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that could change how communities generate and distribute power in the future.

The city, with voters’ strong support, is launching its own...