The Conversation

What is a caliph? The Islamic State tries to boost its legitimacy by hijacking a historic institution

Written by Ken Chitwood, Journalist-fellow, University of Southern California's Center for Religion and Civic Culture / Lecturer, Concordia College New York, University of Florida

An image of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who died on Oct. 26, 2019..Department of Defense via AP

Just days after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Oct. 27, the Islamic State named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as the new “caliph.”

In 2014, IS conquered vast swaths of Iraq and Syria and declared itself to be the...

House impeachment inquiry may help restore the political and social norms that Trump flouts

Written by Sunita Sah, Associate Professor of Management and Organizations, Cornell University

Trump has broken a lot of norms.AP Photo/Seth Wenig

President Donald Trump regularly uses blatant violations of long-established social and political norms to signal his “authenticity” to supporters.

Asking foreign countries to investigate and deliver dirt on his political opponents, which prompted an impeachment inquiry in the U.S....

How higher ed can deal with ethical questions over its disgraced donors

Written by Deni Elliott, Eleanor Poynter Jamison Chair in Media Ethics and Press Policy; Co-Chief Project Officer on the National Ethics Project, University of South Florida

UCLA gave $425,000 back to Donald Sterling in 2014 after he disparaged Magic Johnson. AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Private donors are giving colleges and universities record amounts of money – along with increasingly frequent bouts of public shame when they turn out to have embarrassing baggage.

Revelations that Yale, Columbia, Cornell and...

Could the Hyde Amendment be repealed in 2020?

Written by Gretchen E. Ely, Professor of Social Work and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Abortion rights advocates wear pink shirts while opponents wear red at a public hearing in Boston.AP Photo/Steven Senne

In 1976, conservative Congressman Henry Hyde of Illinois introduced a bill that would ban the use of federal funding for abortion expenses except in instances of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother.

Today, the Hyde...

Could the Federal government start paying for abortions after the 2020 elections?

Written by Gretchen E. Ely, Professor of Social Work and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Abortion rights advocates wear pink shirts while opponents wear red at a public hearing in Boston.AP Photo/Steven Senne

Today, the Hyde...

DACA argued at the Supreme Court: 6 essential reads

Written by Aviva Rutkin, Data Editor

People rally outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments are heard in the DACA case on Nov. 12.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The future remains uncertain for a group of young people who were brought from other countries to the U.S. as children without legal authorization.

Currently, these young people are protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood...

DACA heads to the Supreme Court: 6 essential reads

Written by Aviva Rutkin, Data Editor

People rally outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments are heard in the DACA case on Nov. 12.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The future remains uncertain for a group of young people who were brought from other countries to the U.S. as children without legal authorization.

Currently, these young people are protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood...

To stop police shootings of people with mental health disabilities, I asked them what cops – and everyone – could do to help

Written by Jennifer Sarrett, Lecturer, Center for Study of Human Health, Emory University

Darren Spencer at a memorial for his childhood friend Saheed Vassell, a 34-year-old father of a teenage son, fatally shot by police in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, April 5, 2018. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

After Shukri Ali Said left her house during a mental health crisis on April 23, 2018, her sister called 911 for help....

What Ukrainians think about Trump and his 'quid pro quo' in 3 charts

Written by Erik C. Nisbet, Associate Professor of Communication, Political Science and Environmental Policy and Co-Director of the Eurasian Security and Governance Program, The Ohio State University

Ukrainians don't agree on how their president should have handled Trump's request.Andreas Wolochow/Shutterstock.com

As Americans turn their attention to the first public hearings in the House impeachment investigation, there is another country that has been affected by the scandal that’s fueling the investigation: Ukraine.

What do the...

Ukrainians are divided over Trump's 'quid pro quo'

Written by Erik C. Nisbet, Associate Professor of Communication, Political Science and Environmental Policy and Co-Director of the Eurasian Security and Governance Program, The Ohio State University

Ukrainians don't agree on how their president should have handled Trump's request.Andreas Wolochow/Shutterstock.com

What do the Ukrainian people think of the impeachment controversy?

The congressional investigation centers on Trump’s attempts to pressure Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy into opening a corruption investigation into...