The Conversation

Americans should welcome the age of unexceptionalism

Written by Alasdair S. Roberts, Director, School of Public Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst

July 4th in a Dallas suburb. AP/Michael Prengler

Exceptionalism – the idea that the United States has a mission and character that separates it from other nations – is ingrained in everyday talk about American politics.

It shapes high-level discussions about foreign policy – for example, in a recent argument by a foreign affairs...

Why Wikipedia often overlooks stories of women in history

Written by Tamar Carroll, Associate Professor of History, Rochester Institute of Technology

Less than a third of biographical entries on Wikipedia are about women. aradaphotography/shutterstock.com

Movements like #MeToo are drawing increased attention to the systemic discrimination facing women in a range of professional fields, from Hollywood and journalism to banking and government.

Discrimination is also a problem on user-driven sites...

Stephen Hawking warned about the perils of artificial intelligence – yet AI gave him a voice

Written by Ana Santos Rutschman, Jaharis Faculty Fellow in Health Law and Intellectual Property, DePaul University

Stephen Hawking both warned about and benefited from artificial intelligence.Hoo-Me.com/MediaPunch/IPX/AP

The late Stephen Hawking was a major voice in the debate about how humanity can benefit from artificial intelligence. Hawking made no secret of his fears that thinking machines could one day take charge. He went as far as predicting that future...

Sustainable cities need more than parks, cafes and a riverwalk

Written by Trina Hamilton, Associate Professor of Geography, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Small tankers unload along New York's Newtown Creek in 2008.Jim Henderson

There are many indexes that aim to rank how green cities are. But what does it actually mean for a city to be green or sustainable?

We’ve written about what we call the “parks, cafes and a riverwalk” model of sustainability, which focuses on providing new...

Zero tolerance discipline policies won't fix school shootings

Written by Derek W. Black, Professor of Law, University of South Carolina

The Trump administration aims to revisit school discipline policies. Roman Bodnarchuk/Shutterstock

As outrage over the Parkland school shooting persists, lawmakers are looking for actual policy solutions. Unfortunately, they sometimes misunderstand or misuse the facts that should drive policy.

The Trump administration and its supporters are latching...

What is a tariff? An economist explains

Written by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, Rochester Institute of Technology

Foreign goods wait to be unloaded at the Port of Los Angeles. AP Photo/Nick Ut

President Donald Trump recently slapped tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on foreign aluminum, prompting significant concern and discussion about the wisdom of this action.

As an economist who shares some of those concerns, I believe it’s...

Fearless leader or lame duck? Putin's certain triumph heralds fresh uncertainty

Written by Cynthia Hooper, Associate Professor of History, College of the Holy Cross

Russian President Vladimir Putin at a massive rally in his support n Moscow, March 3, 2018 AP/Pavel Golovkin

Long before it happened, Russia’s ruling party had already called it “the ultimate victory.”

On March 18, Russians go to the polls where they will – without doubt – re-elect President Vladimir Putin to a fourth...

Pompeo's rise will make Mideast war more likely

Written by Gregory Aftandilian, Lecturer, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University

The newly nominated secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, is a foreign policy hawk who opposes the Iran nuclear deal. Scrapping it could unleash a chain reaction of violence across the Middle East.AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

After U.S. president Donald Trump fired his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, many analysts have focused on how this high-level...

Can Haspel bring the CIA in from the cold?

Written by Brent Durbin, Associate Professor of Government, Smith College

Trump speaks at the CIA on Jan. 21, 2017AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

The CIA had a tough first year under President Donald Trump.

It started with the president making a brashly political speech in front of the agency’s Memorial Wall, which is hallowed ground to CIA officers. This was soon after Trump seemed to compare U.S. intelligence agencies to...

Haspel is Trump's chance to reset his bad start with the CIA

Written by Brent Durbin, Associate Professor of Government, Smith College

Gina Haspel addresses The Office of Strategic Services Society in 2017.OSS Society, CC BY

The CIA had a tough first year under President Donald Trump.

It started with the president making a brashly political speech in front of the agency’s Memorial Wall, which is hallowed ground to CIA officers. This was soon after Trump seemed to compare...