The Conversation

Why the flag of South Vietnam flew at US Capitol siege

Written by Long T. Bui, Associate Professor of Global and International Studies, University of California, Irvine

The yellow-and-red striped flag of the defeated American-backed Republic of Vietnam flies at the U.S. Capitol insurrection Jan. 6. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The violent mob that laid siege to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 carried symbols expressing the purpose of their insurrectionist campaign to derail Joe Biden’s electoral...

Anti-nutrients – they're part of a normal diet and not as scary as they sound

Written by Jill Joyce, Assistant Professor of Public Health Nutrition, Oklahoma State University

These compounds occur naturally in a number of healthy foods, including legumes and whole grains. foodism360/Unsplash, CC BY

Maybe you’re trying to eat healthier these days, aiming to get enough of the good stuff and limit the less-good stuff. You’re paying attention to things like fiber and fat and vitamins… and anti-nutrients?

Wh...

How can America heal from the Trump era? Lessons from Germany's transformation into a prosperous democracy after Nazi rule

Written by Sylvia Taschka, Senior Lecturer of History, Wayne State University

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 61. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Comparisons between the United States under Trump and Germany during the Hitler era are once again being made following the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Even in the...

I spoke to 99 big thinkers about what our 'world after coronavirus' might look like – this is what I learned

Written by Adil Najam, Dean, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University

Adil Najam, international relations professor at Boston University, interviewed 99 experts about what the post-pandemic future will bring.Pardee Center/Boston University, CC BY-SA

Back in March, my colleagues at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future at Boston University thought that it might be useful to begin...

Through her divisive rhetoric, Education Secretary DeVos leaves a troubled legacy of her own

Written by Mark Hlavacik, Associate Professor of Communication Studies, University of North Texas

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks during the daily briefing on COVID-19 on March 27, 2020, in Washington, D.C. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Editor’s note: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos resigned from her post effective Jan. 8, 2021, saying there was “no mistaking” the impact that President Donald...

Big Tech's rejection of Parler shuts down a site favored by Trump supporters – and used by participants in the US Capitol insurrection

Written by Alex Newhouse, Research Lead, Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, Middlebury Institute of International Studies

Parler is similar to Twitter but doesn't control or discourage hate speech or calls to violence.OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Image

Early in the morning of Jan. 11, the social media platform Parler went offline after Amazon withdrew the platform’s web hosting services. Parler sued Amazon in response.

Amazon’s move followed Google and...

How self-proclaimed 'prophets' from a growing Christian movement provided religious motivation for the Jan. 6 events at the US Capitol

Written by Brad Christerson, Professor of Sociology, Biola University

Supporters of President Trump put up a Cross outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6,Win McNamee/Getty Images

In addition to symbols of white supremacy, many of the rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6 carried signs bearing religious messages, such as “Jesus Saves” and “In God We Trust” while others chanted “Jesus is my savior...

Biden plans to fight climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before

Written by Bill Ritter Jr., Director, Center for the New Energy Economy, Colorado State University

Managing climate change requires a systems approach, with strategic coordination across all sectors.Elenabs via Getty Images

Joe Biden is preparing to deal with climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before – by mobilizing his entire administration to take on the challenge from every angle in a strategic, integrated way.

The...

A brief history of the term ‘president-elect’ in the United States

Written by Mark Satta, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Wayne State University

Statue of George Washington in front of Federal Hall in New York City.Getty Images

On Jan. 20, Joe Biden will be sworn in as president of the United States. Until then, he is president-elect of the United States.

But what exactly does it mean to be president-elect of the United States?

As a lawyer and philosopher who studies word meaning, I have...

Executions don't deter murder, despite the Trump administration's push

Written by David P. Barash, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Washington

The federal death chamber at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, as seen in April 1995.AP Photo/Chuck Robinson

Three more federal inmates are slated to be executed before the end of President Donald Trump’s term, though the first received a stay hours before she was slated to die on Jan. 12. Ten have already been put to death since...