The Conversation

What are war crimes? 3 essential reads on atrocities in Ukraine and the likelihood of prosecuting Putin

Written by Amy Lieberman, Politics + Society Editor, The Conversation

Bodies lie on the ground after a strike in Bucha, a suburb on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2022. AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd

Russian troops retreated from Kyiv and the nearby town of Bucha in early April 2022, and new horrors of their occupation were revealed.

Ukrainian forces found the bodies of at least 410 civilians – among them...

Revolutionary changes in transportation, from electric vehicles to ride sharing, could slow global warming – if they’re done right, IPCC says

Written by Alan Jenn, Assistant Professional Researcher in Transportation, University of California, Davis

Electric vehicle sales are growing quickly.Michael Fousert/Unsplash

Around the world, revolutionary changes are under way in transportation. More electric vehicles are on the road, people are taking advantage of sharing mobility services such as Uber and Lyft, and the rise in telework during the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way people think...

Lessons in realpolitik from Nixon and Kissinger: Ideals go only so far in ending conflict in places like Ukraine

Written by Jeffrey Fields, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Supporters of Ukraine, like these demonstrators in Boston on Feb. 27, 2022, are likely to be disappointed by any peace deal. Vincent Ricci/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The U.S. has limited options in confronting Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

The Biden administration’s strategy is moderated by what’s known as...

Cyberattacks have yet to play a significant role in Russia’s battlefield operations in Ukraine – cyberwarfare experts explain the likely reasons

Written by Nadiya Kostyuk, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology

There is little evidence that Russia has coordinated cyber operations with conventional military operations in Ukraine.Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

Throughout the latter half of 2021, as it became clear that Russia was massing a large portion of its conventional combat power on the eastern borders of Ukraine, analysts offered...

Reliable death tolls from the Ukraine war are hard to come by – the result of undercounts and manipulation

Written by Neta C. Crawford, Professor of Political Science and Department Chair, Boston University

The body of a serviceman near a destroyed Russian military vehicle.Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images

Those who initiate wars often begin with an overly optimistic assumption that the fighting will be quick, controllable and that casualties will be low. When many bodies start coming home or are left on the battlefield, it is a sign that the war is...

Ketanji Brown Jackson set for historic Supreme Court confirmation vote: 3 essential reads

Written by Matt Williams, Breaking News Editor

The next Supreme Court justice?Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are scheduled to vote April 4, 2022, on Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination for the Supreme Court. It kicks off a potentially historic week in which a full Senate vote could set course for the nation’s highest court seating it’s first...

Humanitarian aid workers need security, rights and better pay

Written by Lauren Carruth, Associate Professor of International Service, American University School of International Service

International Committee of the Red Cross workers prepare bags with bodies of government soldiers to be handed over in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, in 2015.AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov

Professional humanitarian aid workers in war-torn places like Ukraine, Ethiopia, Syria and South Sudan do some of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

You might imagine...

Amazon, Starbucks and the sparking of a new American union movement

Written by John Logan, Professor and Director of Labor and Employment Studies, San Francisco State University

The start of a movement or a moment?AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez

April 1, 2022, may go down as a pivotal day in the history of American unions.

In a result that could reverberate in workplaces across the U.S., the independent Amazon Labor Union – first formed in 2020 by Chris Smalls, an Amazon worker fired for protesting what he saw as...

What is a dwarf planet?

Written by Vahe Peroomian, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Pluto, the largest of the dwarf planets. This image was taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

What is a dwarf planet? – Myranda, age 8, Knoxville, Tennessee

The word...

Nuclear fusion hit a milestone thanks to better reactor walls – this engineering advance is building toward reactors of the future

Written by David Donovan, Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee

Magnetic fusion reactors contain super hot plasma in a donut-shaped container called a tokamak.dani3315/iStock via Getty Images

Scientists at a laboratory in England have shattered the record for the amount of energy produced during a controlled, sustained fusion reaction. The production of 59 megajoules of energy over five seconds at the Joint...