Assassinations and invasions – how the US and France shaped Haiti’s long history of political turmoil Jean Eddy Saint Paul, Brooklyn College The powerful earthquake that struck Haiti on Aug. 14, 2021, followed a long series of natural and human-caused disasters to rock the country. Unfortunately, if history offers any clues, earthquake relief efforts will be complicated by the nation’s recent political unrest. President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated less than six weeks earlier, on July 7. Many Haitians felt hatred for the controversial president who, while running for office, was bribed by the oligarchy that has run Haiti’s economy since the … Continue reading How the US and France shaped Haiti’s long history of political turmoil

Will the world ever accept non-alcoholic wine? Sylvaine Castellano, EM Normandie – UGEI; Insaf Khelladi, Pôle Léonard de Vinci – UGEI, and Rossella Sorio, ICN Business School Many people have responded to the uncertainty, boredom and anxiety of the pandemic by drinking more. In a recent study of 11 major OECD countries, 36% of people said they increased their alcohol consumption during lockdown. Women, parents of young children and those on high incomes saw their alcohol consumption increase the most. The OECD suggests a range of solutions to this concerning rise, including “limiting the promotion of alcohol among young audiences”, “strengthening … Continue reading Non-Alcoholic Wine – Options?

Indonesia butuh semakin banyak orang bisa bahasa Mandarin, tapi banyak kendala menghambat Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) Dengan semakin besarnya pengaruh Cina di dunia global, banyak orang di seluruh dunia semakin menyadari pentingnya memahami Cina dengan lebih baik. Di negara-negara tempat Cina berinvestasi seperti Korea Selatan dan Afrika, minat belajar bahasa Mandarin sedang meningkat pesat. Mereka percaya dengan menguasai bahasa Mandarin (bahasa nasional Cina) akan membantu mereka memahami norma, budaya, dan kebijakan Cina, yang akan membantu mereka berinteraksi dengan Cina. Namun, hal ini tidak terjadi di Indonesia, tempat pengaruh Cina telah tumbuh secara eksponensial dalam beberapa tahun terakhir. Kegagalan … Continue reading Indonesia needs more people who can speak Mandarin Chinese

Two terrorism experts on the group behind the deadly Kabul airport attack and its rivalry with the Taliban Amira Jadoon, United States Military Academy West Point and Andrew Mines, George Washington University An attack on a crowd gathered outside Kabul’s airport on Aug. 26, 2021, has left at least 100 people dead, including at least 13 U.S. troops. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the coordinated suicide bomb and gun assault, which came just days after President Joe Biden warned that the group – an affiliate of the Islamic State group operating in Afghanistan – was “seeking to target the airport and attack … Continue reading What is ISIS-K?

Can Labour fix its relationship with its Muslim voters before it’s too late? Farah Hussain, Queen Mary University of London Labour leader Keir Starmer celebrated victory in the recent Batley and Spen by-election by declaring his party “is back”. He hailed Kim Leadbeater’s win as the beginning of Labour’s fight to win the next general election. But the narrowness of the result has exposed festering doubts about the sustainability of Labour’s electoral coalition in many of the constituencies that it has long seen as strongholds. We know the party has been losing white voters in so-called red-wall towns but there are … Continue reading The Labour Party & British Muslims – Time for a more mature relationship?

Mindfulness meditation in brief daily doses can reduce negative mental health impact of COVID-19 Julia Kam, University of Calgary; Caitlin Mills, University of New Hampshire; Chelsie Miko Hart, University of Calgary; Jessica Andrews-Hanna, University of Arizona, and Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen, University of Calgary The uncertainties, loss and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions have disrupted many people’s emotional well-being. This has been exacerbated by the constantly evolving public health guidelines and news stories, which increase anxiety and fear in many people. The urgency of this problem has led mental health professionals and scientists to call for the further development … Continue reading Meditation reduces mental impact of Covid19

Taliban’s religious ideology – Deobandi Islam – has roots in colonial India Sohel Rana, Indiana University and Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University Following the Taliban’s rapid taking of power in what it describes as a reestablished “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” fears of a certain kind of Islamist ideology being brought back have led a large number of Afghans to flee, or fear for their lives. The Taliban were known for their oppressive rule. They ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, at which point they were pushed out of power by U.S. and British troops. Under the Taliban rule, religious minorities and other … Continue reading Taliban’s religious ideology

How ordinary people are convinced to become spies Chris Smith, Coventry University A new film starring Benedict Cumberbatch, The Courier, tells the story of the salesman, Grenville Wynne, caught up in the murky world of espionage during the Cuban Missile Crisis. This follows recent news that David Smith, a 57-year-old and apparently normal security guard at the British embassy in Berlin, had been spying for Russia. So why do seemingly ordinary people become spies? In 1988 the KGB defector, Stanislav Levchenko, described an American mnemonic, Mice, which stands for “money”, “ideology”, “coercion/compromise” and “ego”. Susceptibility to these factors, he claimed, was … Continue reading Can you be recruited as a spy?

Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley: the last stronghold of resistance to Taliban rule Kaweh Kerami, SOAS, University of London After a stunningly rapid offensive, the Taliban has occupied Kabul with minimal resistance and is consolidating its power across Afghanistan. But one unconquered area remains – Panjshir province in the country’s northwest, which has – over more than four decades – proved stubbornly resistant to outside interference and remains defiant in the face of Taliban dominance. On August 15, as the Taliban were closing in on Kabul, the president, Ashraf Ghani – who had previously promised to “fight to the death” – quietly fled … Continue reading Ahmad Massoud, Panjshir Valley & The Taliban – What now?

The five most impressive geological structures in the solar system David Rothery, The Open University When we talk about amazing geological features, we often limit ourselves to those on Earth. But as a geologist, I think that’s crazy – there are so many structures on other worlds that can excite and inspire, and that can put processes on our own planet into perspective. Here, in no particular order, are the five geological structures in the solar system (excluding Earth) that most impress me. The grandest canyon I left out the solar system’s biggest volcano, Olympus Mons on Mars, so I could … Continue reading The Sol System and its impressive geological structures.