The Conversation

Uneasy US-Mexico relationship will survive ambassador's resignation — but just barely

Written by Pamela K. Starr, Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

After two years on the job, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Roberta Jacobson has announced that she will retire on May 5, 2018 — the latest in a growing list of career diplomats to step down under Donald Trump.

Jacobson has worked in Latin America diplomacy for three decades, including in the Obama administration’s effort to reopen the U.S....

While Mexico plays politics with its water, some cities flood and others go dry

Written by Veronica Herrera, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut

Flooding is a common hazard in Nezahualcoyotl, a Mexican city just outside the nation's capital.AP Photos/Eduardo Verdugo

When Cape Town acknowledged in February that it would run out of water within months, South Africa suddenly became the global poster child for bad water management. Newspapers revealed that the federal government had been slow to...

DACA deadline passes, Congress fails to act and fate of 'Dreamers' remains uncertain: 6 essential reads

Written by Danielle Douez, Associate Editor, Politics + Society

Immigration advocates hold a rally on Capitol Hill.AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File

The final day for an Obama-era program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, was set to be March 5.

In 2017, President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced they would shut down the program.

However, immigrants and the University of...

GOP tax law snubs US expats and 'accidental Americans'

Written by Karen Alpert, Lecturer in Finance, The University of Queensland

It may opens doors but follows wherever you go.AP Photo/Benny Snyder

Since Congress began taxing incomes, American citizens have been unable to escape the reach of Uncle Sam: They must report their income, no matter where they live or where it’s earned. It’s known as a worldwide citizenship-based tax system.

Most other countries,...

How vaccination is helping to prevent another flu pandemic

Written by Nicole Iovine, Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases, University of Florida

An injectable flu vaccination. Flu vaccines lessen the likelihood of getting the flu and its severity. Flickr/, CC BY-SA

Researchers believe that over 50 million people worldwide died in the 1918 flu pandemic, making it possibly worse than even the Black Death that began in the 14th century.

Could another catastrophic pandemic like the 1918...

Bioengineers today emphasize the crucial ingredient Dr. Frankenstein forgot – responsibility

Written by Ian Haydon, Doctoral Student in Biochemistry, University of Washington

Victor Frankenstein’s mistakes serve as cautionary lessons.Etienne Marais/Pexels, CC BY

Mary Shelley was 20 when she published “Frankenstein” in 1818. Two hundred years on, the book remains thrilling, challenging and relevant — especially for scientists like me whose research involves tinkering with the stuff of life.

The...

For tech giants, a cautionary tale from 19th century railroads on the limits of competition

Written by Richard White, Professor of American History, Stanford University

Southern Pacific steam engine No. 1364 in 1891.Wikimedia Commons

Late 19th-century Americans loved railroads, which seemed to eradicate time and space, moving goods and people more cheaply and more conveniently than ever before. And they feared railroads because in most of the country it was impossible to do business without them.

Businesses, and...

Most panhandling laws are unconstitutional since there's no freedom from speech

Written by Joseph W. Mead, Assistant Professor, Cleveland State University

Derek Cote, a homeless man, panhandling in the median strip on a street in Portland, MaineAP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Thousands of U.S. cities restrict panhandling in some way. These ordinances limit face-to-face soliciting, including interactions that occur on sidewalks and alongside roads, whether they are verbal or involve holding a sign.

According...

Italy’s economy has 'cronyism disease,' but will its next government treat it?

Written by Bruno Pellegrino, PhD Candidate in Business Economics, University of California, Los Angeles

The Five Star Movement's Luigi Di Maio and founder Beppe Grillo won big in the March 4 elections. AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

On March 4, Italy went to the polls in one of the most chaotic and unpredictable elections in recent memory. The result was in line with expectations: None of the three competing coalitions attained an outright majority.

Under...

Cutting pollution in the Chesapeake Bay has helped underwater grasses rebound

Written by Bill Dennison, Professor of Marine Science and Vice President for Science Applications, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Healthy aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay.Cassie Gurbisz/University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, CC BY-ND

Seagrasses are the “coastal canaries” of oceans and bays. When these underwater flowering plants are sick or dying, it means the ecosystem is in big trouble – typically due to pollution that reduces...