By Olivier Walther, Associate Professor in Geography, University of Florida
Alexander John Thurston, Associate Professor, Political Science, University of Cincinnati
Steven Radil, Assistant Professor of Geosciences, United States Air Force Academy
What’s the connection between roads and conflict in west Africa? This may seem like an odd question. But a study we conducted shows a close relationship between the two.
We are researchers of transnational political violence. We analysed 58,000 violent events in west Africa between 2000 to 2024. Our focus was on identifying…
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By Leonor Oliveira Toscano, PhD Candidate in Political Science, University of Oslo
Jana Krause, Professor of Political Science, University of Oslo
Marika Miner, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Oslo
Kenya has been praised as a “model for the world” when it comes to peacebuilding efforts to manage outbreaks of violence within its borders. The country has systematically put in place a peacebuilding architecture rooted in a history of local peace initiatives. These date back to the early 1990s.
Over this period, the Wajir Peace and Development…
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By Benjamin Muller, Professor & Program Coordinator in Migration and Border Studies, King’s University College, Western University
Canada’s ‘Strong Border Act’ is a recent chapter in the history of co-operation and coercion by the United States, but for Canadians, it could be even more troubling than Donald Trump’s travel bans.
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By Greg Beckett, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Western University
With no elected government, spiraling violence, and little international success, Haiti faces a multidimensional collapse few see a clear path out of.
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By Jeremy Hicks, Professor of Post-Soviet Cultural History and Film, Queen Mary University of London
A statue of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was unveiled in the Taganskaya metro station in Moscow in May, recreating a mural that was dismantled decades ago. It is the first such statue to be erected in central Moscow since Stalin’s death in 1953 and marks a disturbing new stage in Russia’s authoritarian path.
Tens of millions of people died as a direct result of Stalin’s policies between 1924 and his death. These policies included the forced
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By David Voas, Emeritus Professor of Social Science, UCL
The Bible Society recently published a report claiming that church attendance in England and Wales increased by more than half between 2018 and 2024. The revival was especially striking among young men, with reported church attendance jumping from 4% to 21% over this short period.
As a quantitative social scientist who has studied religious change in modern societies for more than 25 years, I’m surprised – and sceptical. I do not doubt…
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By Colin Alexander, Senior Lecturer in Political Communications, Nottingham Trent University
It’s ironic that many characters are offended by an animal capable of instinct alone, when they as humans – capable of reason and choice – behave so badly.
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By Justin Stebbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University
When you think of dinosaurs, you might imagine towering predators or gentle giants roaming prehistoric landscapes. But what if these ancient creatures could teach us about one of humanity’s most persistent challenges: cancer?
In a new study, my team and I explored how fossilised soft tissues, preserved for tens of millions of years, could reveal new insights into ancient…
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By Holly Ingram, Midwifery Lecturer, Anglia Ruskin University
Did you know that around one in two women in the UK will experience symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction at some point in their lives? And for women who engage in high-intensity exercise, that figure rises to 63%.
The female pelvic…
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By Brian Brivati, Visiting Professor of Contemporary History and Human Rights, Kingston University
Israel’s large-scale attack against Iran on June 13, which it conducted without UN security council approval, has prompted retaliation from Tehran. Both sides have traded strikes over the past few days, with over 200 Iranians and 14 Israelis killed so far.
The escalation has broader consequences. It further isolates institutions like the UN, International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), which have found themselves increasingly sidelined as Israel’s…
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