Author: TheConversation

By Eve Darian-Smith, Professor of Global and International Studies, University of California, Irvine Around the world, many countries are becoming less democratic. This backsliding on democracy and “creeping authoritarianism,” as the U.S. State Department puts it, is often supported by the same industries that are escalating climate change. In my new book, Global Burning: Rising Antidemocracy and the Climate Crisis, I lay out connections between these industries and the politicians who are both stalling action on climate change and diminishing democracy. It is a dangerous shift, both for representative government and for the future climate. Corporate capture of environmental...

By Jeff South, Associate professor emeritus, Virginia Commonwealth University For decades, nine U.S. Army bases have carried the names of men who fought against the U.S. Army, in a war waged to defend and perpetuate the slavery of people of African descent. These military installations, all in Southern states, were named to honor such figures as General Robert E. Lee, who commanded the Confederate Army; John Bell Hood, an associate of Lee’s known for being both brave and impetuous; and Leonidas Polk, an Episcopal bishop who, thanks to his friendship with Jefferson Davis, began the war as a major...

By Terrence Guay, Clinical Professor of International Business and Director, Center for Global Business Studies, Penn State Russia’s war in Ukraine is upending the global arms industry. As the U.S. and its allies pour significant sums of money into arming Ukraine and Russia bleeds tanks and personnel, countries across the world are rethinking defense budgets, materiel needs and military relationships. Countries that historically have had low levels of defense spending such as Japan and Germany are bulking up, while nations that purchase most of their weapons from Russia are questioning their reliability and future delivery. My research in this...

By Royette T. Dubar, Professor of Psychology, Wesleyan University Check your phone. Are there any unanswered texts, snaps, or direct messages that you are ignoring? Should you reply? Or should you ghost the person who sent them? Ghosting happens when someone cuts off all online communication with someone else, and without an explanation. Instead, like a ghost, they just vanish. The phenomenon is common on social media and dating sites, but with the isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic – forcing more people together online – it happens now more than ever. I am a professor of psychology...