The Conversation

Hamas isn't the first military group to hide behind civilians as a way to wage war

Written by Benjamin Jensen, Professor of Strategic Studies, Marine Corps University; Scholar-in-Residence, American University School of International Service

The exterior of Shifa hospital in Gaza City is seen on Nov. 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas near the facility. AFP via Getty Images

The Israeli military said on Nov. 15, 2023 that it had found weapons and a Hamas command center at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, after sending troops into the medical facility.

Shifa has become...

Fewer U.S. college students are studying a foreign language − and that spells trouble for national security

Written by Deborah Cohn, Provost Professor of Spanish and Portuguese, Indiana University

Between 2009 and 2021, nearly 30% fewer college students enrolled in a foreign language course.FatCamera/E+ Collection/Getty Images

When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, on Oct. 4, 1957, it did more than spark fears about America’s ability to compete technologically. It also raised concerns that the U....

Colleges face gambling addiction among students as sports betting spreads

Written by Jason W. Osborne, Professor of Statistics, Miami University

Around 6% of college students have a gambling problem. John Rowley/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Three out of four college students have gambled in the past year, whether legally or illegally, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling.

An estimated 2% to 3% of U.S. adults have a gambling problem. The portion of college students with a...

Jury convictions of Bannon and Navarro for refusing congressional subpoena may energize lawmakers' ability to hold powerful people accountable

Written by Elise J. Bean, Director of the Washington Office of the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, Wayne State University

At a January 2017 executive order signing, adviser Peter Navarro is third from left behind Trump and Steve Bannon is on the far right. Ron Sachs - Pool/Getty Images

On Jan. 25, 2024, Peter Navarro is scheduled to be sentenced – perhaps to prison – after his swift conviction by a jury on contempt of Congress charges. He has joined Steve...

Women's activism in Iran continues, despite street protests dying down in face of state repression

Written by Mona Tajali, Associate Professor of International Relations and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Agnes Scott College

An Iranian woman not wearing a mandatory headscarf walks past a group of young women who cover their hair in November 2023. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Large-scale protests that erupted in 2022 across Iran, centering on women’s rights, captured the world’s attention.

Iranians peacefully protested in the streets of...

No, you're not that good at detecting fake videos − 2 misinformation experts explain why and how you can develop the power to resist these deceptions

Written by Sam Wineburg, Professor of Education and (by courtesy) History, Stanford University

Are you sure you know what that emotionally jarring video clip really shows?F.J. Jimenez/Moment via Getty Images

Someone tracking the conflict raging in the Middle East could have seen the following two videos on social media. The first shows a little boy hovering over his father’s dead body, whimpering in Arabic, “Don’t leave...

FDA's latest warnings about eye drop contamination put consumers on edge − a team of infectious disease experts explain the risks

Written by Alexander Sundermann, Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh

This is the second FDA alert this year on contaminated eye drops.eternalcreative/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in late October 2023 urging consumers to avoid purchasing and to immediately stop using 26 over-the-counter eye drop products because of risk of eye infection that could result in partial...

'From the river to the sea' – a Palestinian historian explores the meaning and intent of scrutinized slogan

Written by Maha Nassar, Associate Professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Arizona

A pro-Palestinian activist in the U.K.Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images

What does the call “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” mean to Palestinians who say it? And why do they keep using the slogan despite the controversy that surrounds its use?

As both a scholar of Palestinian history and someone from the...

Volcanic Iceland is rumbling again as magma rises − a geologist explains eruptions in the land of fire and ice

Written by Jaime Toro, Professor of Geology, West Virginia University

The same region of Iceland saw an eruption in July 2023.Kristinn Magnusson/AFP via Getty Images

Thousands of earthquakes in recent weeks have shaken the Icelandic fishing town of Grindavík, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of the capital Reykjavik. They have triggered evacuations and warnings that a volcanic eruption may be imminent.

W...

Poor men south of Richmond? Why much of the rural South is in economic crisis

Written by Peter A. Coclanis, Professor of History; Director of the Global Research Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

For a brief moment in the summer of 2023, the surprise No. 1 song “Rich Men North of Richmond” focused the country’s attention on a region that often gets overlooked in discussions of the U.S. economy. Although the U.S. media sometimes pays attention to the rural South — often concentrating on guns, religion and opioid...