Western powers underscore long-term commitment to Ukraine with transfer of advanced weapons
By Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of International Politics and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, The Fletcher School, Tufts University President Joe Biden announced on January 25, 2023, that the U.S. would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, following...
Spy balloon drama: Why public attention adds pressure for the United States to confront China
By Michael A. Allen, Professor of Political Science, Boise State University; Carla Martinez Machain, Professor of Political Science, University at Buffalo; and Michael E. Flynn, Associate Professor of Political Science, Kаnsаs State University Seven days after a...
Why the devastating earthquake in Türkiye further threatens President Erdoğan’s grip on power
By Ahmet T. Kuru, Professor of Political Science, San Diego State University The earthquake that struck Türkiye on February 6, 2023, is first and foremost a human tragedy, one that has taken the lives of at least 50,000 people. The disaster also has major implications...
Excising exonyms: Why Turks have called their country Türkiye since the end of the Ottoman Empire
By Phillip M. Carter, Associate Professor of Linguistics, Florida International University Is Turkey’s recent spelling change about being more authentically Turkish? Or is there more to the story? In June 2022, the United Nations agreed to change the spelling of the...
Rethinking I-794: Advocates propose removing Milwaukee’s interstate overpass to rejuvenate the city
Before the freeways came in, Bronzeville, on Milwaukee’s North Side, was a vibrant neighborhood known for its restaurants, bars and jazz scene. The area had been home to successive waves of immigrants and most recently had become the heart of the city’s Black...
Cold War legacy of Jimmy Carter: How Human Rights strategies helped to dismantle the Soviet Union
By Robert C. Donnelly, Associate Professor of History, Gonzaga University Former President Jimmy Carter, who has entered hospice care at age 98 at his home in Plains, Georgia, was a dark horse Democratic presidential candidate with little national recognition when he...
Horror and Anguish: Mental health scars extend far beyond those directly affected by mass shootings
By Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University Yet another community is stricken with grief in the wake of the horrific shooting at Monterey Park, California, on January 21, 2023, that left 11 people dead and 9 more wounded. Families...
Governor Evers proposes expanded spending to cover unmet mental health needs in Wisconsin schools
The state of mental health in Wisconsin is a “quiet, burgeoning crisis,” and that includes unmet mental health needs in schools, Governor Tony Evers said during his State of the State address. He dubbed 2023 “the year of mental health” and laid...
Echo Chambers: Why the info ecosystem of cable news drives America’s polarization more than social media
By Homa Hosseinmardi, Associate Research Scientist in Computational Social Science, University of Pennsylvania The past two election cycles have seen an explosion of attention given to “echo chambers,” or communities where a narrow set of views makes people less...
How fake news drove the American colonies into a bloody fight for independence
By Jordan Taylor, Adjunct Instructor in History, Indiana University Misinformation is often at the root of political extremism. During the 2022 United States midterm election, some of the most radical politicians in the Republican Party were fueled by the unfounded...
Ranked-choice voting: Green Party leader pushes for broader changes in how Wisconsin elections are run
As ranked-choice voting gains steam elsewhere in the country, a leader of Wisconsin’s Green Party is calling for that method of electing government officials to be adopted here, as the future of democracy and a way to increase enthusiasm for voting. “The current...
Why the success of bringing manufacturing back to America hinges on training American workers
By Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Distinguished Professor, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, & Interim Head, Department of Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology Supply chain disruptions during COVID-19 brought to light how interdependent nations are...
