The Conversation

The US and the Philippines' military agreement sends a warning to China – 4 key things to know

Written by Michael A. Allen, Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, center, arrives at a military camp in Quezon City, Philippines, on Feb. 2, 2023.Rolex Dela Pena/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The United States and the Philippines announced on Feb. 2, 2023, that the U.S. is expanding its military presence across more military bases in the Southeast Asian country, giving the U.S. a...

As climate change and overuse shrink Lake Powell, the emergent landscape is coming back to life – and posing new challenges

Written by Daniel Craig McCool, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Utah

The white 'bathtub ring' around Lake Powell, which is roughly 110 feet high, shows the former high water mark.AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

As Western states haggle over reducing water use because of declining flows in the Colorado River Basin, a more hopeful drama is playing out in Glen Canyon.

Lake Powell, the second-largest U.S. reservoir, extends from...

Diversity and moderation over tradition – why Democrats moved South Carolina to the start of the 2024 presidential campaign

Written by Gibbs Knotts, Professor of Political Science and Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Charleston

Caucusgoers stand beneath the sign for the South Carolina delegation at the Democratic National Convention.Bill Clark /CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images

The Democratic National Committee approved a proposal on Feb. 4, 2023, that puts South Carolina first on the party’s presidential nominating calendar, upending 50 years of tradition. For...

Chinese spy balloon over the US: An aerospace expert explains how the balloons work and what they can see

Written by Iain Boyd, Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder

A Chinese surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace before it was shot down by the U.S. military.Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The U.S. military shot down what U.S. officials called a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, 2023. Officials said that the U.S. Navy planned to recover the debris, which is in...

Biden's plan for ending the emergency declaration for COVID-19 signals a pivotal point in the pandemic – 4 questions answered

Written by Amy Lauren Fairchild, Dean and Professor of Public Health, The Ohio State University

COVID-19 emergency status prompted coordinated vaccination efforts by health care providers, paramedics, volunteers and others.Wesley Lapointe / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

President Joe Biden announced on Jan. 30, 2023, that he intends to end both the national emergency and the public health emergency declarations related to COVID-19 on May...

Native Americans have experienced a dramatic decline in life expectancy during the COVID-19 pandemic – but the drop has been in the making for generations

Written by Allison Kelliher, Assistant Professor, Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of North Dakota

Indigenous patients who live in rural areas often have limited access to medical care. THE PALMER/E+ via Getty Images

Six and one-half years.

That’s the decline in life expectancy that the COVID-19 pandemic wrought upon American Indians and Alaska Natives, based on an August 2022 report from the National Center for Health Statistics.

This...

A brief history of the Black church's diversity, and its vital role in American political history

Written by Jason Oliver Evans, Ph.D. Candidate in Religious Studies, University of Virginia

The exterior view of the Bethel African American Methodist Episcopal Church at 125 S. 6th St. in Philadelphia.Breton, William L., circa 1773-1855 Artist via the Library of Congress, World Digital Library

With religious affiliation on the decline, continuing racism and increasing income inequality, some scholars and activists are soul-searching...

Police traffic stops can alienate communities and lead to violent deaths like Tyre Nichols' -- is it time to rethink them?

Written by Derek Epp, Assistant professor in the Department of Government, The University of Texas at Austin

The fatal beating of Tyre Nichols started after he was pulled over by cops.City of Memphis via AP

The killing of Tyre Nichols has raised questions about the use and risks of a routine part of U.S. policing: the traffic stop.

Nichols died in the hospital on Jan. 10, 2022, from injuries sustained in a beating by five officers three days earlier. The...

Civil rights legislation sparked powerful backlash that's still shaping American politics

Written by Julian Maxwell Hayter, Associate Professor of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond

A group of voters lining up outside the polling station, a small Sugar Shack store, on May 3, 1966, in Peachtree, Ala., after the Voting Rights Act was passed the previous year. MPI/Getty Images

For nearly 60 years, conservatives have been trying to gut the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the crowning achievement of the civil rights movement. As a...

40 years of legal sports betting in Australia points to risks for US gamblers – and tips for regulators

Written by Alex Russell, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, CQUniversity Australia

The country's history of state-sanctioned gambling goes back to the early 19th century.William West/AFP via Getty Images

Australians love to gamble. It’s often said that if they could, they would bet on two flies crawling up a wall. The Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge were funded, in part, by government lotteries.

It’s only...