Russia may declare war on Ukraine on May 9 – and use it as a reason to double down on attacks
Michael A. Allen, Boise State University The Russian government has consistently called its war on Ukraine a “special military operation.” But on May 9, 2022, Russia may officially declare war on Ukraine, Western officials have warned – more than two months after Russia first invaded. Ukrainians have also expressed fear that Russia could use May […]
Russia’s weaponization of natural gas could backfire by destroying demand for it
Michael E. Webber, University of Texas at Austin In December 2006, The Economist magazine published a cover drawing of Russian president Vladimir Putin, dressed like a 1930s gangster in a dark suit and fedora hat, under the headline “Don’t Mess with Russia.” Putin held a gasoline nozzle, gripping it like a machine gun. The target […]
Elon Musk won’t have a board to watch him when he takes Twitter private – does that matter?
Michael Withers, Texas A&M University and Steven Boivie, Texas A&M University It appears Twitter’s board of directors finally warmed to Elon Musk’ hostile bid and agreed to a sale – but not before it took a severe beating from the Tesla and SpaceX billionaire, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and other prominent users on their own […]
UN Security Council is powerless to help Ukraine – but it’s working as designed to prevent World War III
Thomas G. Weiss, CUNY Graduate Center A clearly anguished Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on April 5, 2022, castigated the U.N. Security Council members for their inaction on alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine: “Are you ready to close the U.N.? Do you think that the time of international law is gone?” We asked Thomas G. Weiss, […]
Ukraine war: Ordinary Belarusians are also being victimized by Russia
David Roger Marples, University of Alberta When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, one potential inroad was from the north, where Russian and Belarusian troops had been conducting an exercise called Allied Resolve. Missiles fired from bases in Belarus caused extensive damage to the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv. Yet to date, no Belarusian troops have […]
Madeleine Albright saw US as an ‘indispensable nation’ and NATO expansion eastward as essential
Peter Harris, Colorado State University Madeleine Albright may have not coined the phrase “indispensable nation,” but she will always be associated with the concept. By the time she became Secretary of State in 1997, the United States had become a beached superpower. During the Cold War, its forces had been deployed across the world for […]
Oscars: more international films are nominated than ever – here’s why
Georgia Thomas Parr, University of Sheffield The Academy Awards have not fared well in recent years. The Oscars’ dwindling reputation has been noted by many in light of its numerous fiascos and cancelled televised ceremonies, exacerbated by the pandemic. As the esteemed validator and spokesperson of Hollywood, the Academy has become accountable to an entertainment […]
Who gets to decide when the pandemic is over?
Ruth Ogden, Liverpool John Moores University and Patricia Kingori, University of Oxford It’s been two years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID outbreak a pandemic, and since then, people around the world have been asking the same thing: when will it end? This seems like a simple question, but historical analysis shows […]
6 wildfire terms to understand, from red flag warning to 100% containment
David Godwin, University of Florida Wildfires fueled by dry, windy conditions have destroyed dozens of homes in Texas and threatened hundreds of others there and in Oklahoma and Florida this March. They’re a sharp reminder to be prepared for what forecasters warn is likely to be a risky spring for wildfires, particularly in the southern […]
Why pregnant people should get vaccinated for COVID-19 – a maternal care expert explains
Stacy Potts, UMass Chan Medical School The Conversation is running a series of dispatches from clinicians and researchers operating on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. You can find all of the stories here. I don a gown, gloves and a mask to enter the hospital room of a new mother who is sick […]