Section: The Conversation (USA)
Russian interference could be the greatest threat to European democracy
With important national elections scheduled this year in the Netherlands, France and Germany, European officials on edge about possible Russian interference are pursuing various measures to counter it. But with a daily onslaught of fake and misleading news, repeated attempts to hack computer systems of “anti-Moscow” politicians and political...
Good news in an era of fake news: the public is becoming wiser about how the media works
‘Believe me’ is one of Donald Trump’s most often-used catchphrases. Evan El-Amin/ShutterstockStorytelling is a key part of human culture. Where politics and power are concerned, stories become something not only to be told, but to be shaped and influenced – so that, in many cases, they are used to mislead or deceive. Recent...
Is cyberspace the latest conflict frontier on the African continent?
Cyber attackers lurk in the shadows wielding the ability to hit governments where it hurts the most. ShutterstockIn August 2012, terrorist group, Boko Haram, reportedly hacked into Nigeria’s secret service and acquired private data on current and former personnel. In April 2016, a group calling itself “Anonymous” was able to hack into the...
War, conflict, economic strife: the world in 2017 is rife with hot spots, but leavened by hope
Some of the global pressure points in 2017. Below is the analysis of each country, grouped by region. The ConversationIn all the attention rightfully given to the new US administration and Brexit, one could forgiven for forgetting that other difficult political situations exist around the world. But they do exist, and in the uncertainty that...
Ukraine
The Conversation/Zenobia Ahmed, CC BY-SA The emergence of a democratic and independent Ukraine is transforming the geo-strategic landscape of Central Europe. In the past three years, the 2013/2014 Euromaidan protests, the annexation of Crimea and the war in East Ukraine have reshaped the geopolitical map of Europe and derailed cooperation between...
Russia
The Conversation/Zenobia Ahmed This year will likely bring a significant improvement in relations between the United States and Russia, as well as a raft of possible changes to global politics. Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin clearly have much regard for each other and none for the post-Cold War conventions that have long framed...
Safe and ethical ways to edit the human genome
Human genome editing raises a lot of questions. Gene sequence image via www.shutterstock.com.The National Academies of Science and Medicine (NASEM) released a report on Feb. 14 exploring the implications of new technologies that can alter the genome of living organisms, including humans. Although scientists have been able to edit genes for...
A Pax Russica in the Middle East? Putin will have to do more to make it stick
Can Russia succeed where the West has failed, stabilising the Middle East and North Africa through some kind of Pax Russica? The question might have sounded strange not so long ago, but in less than two years, a mix of decisive action, unwavering and often ruthless use of military power, and bold political-diplomatic manoeuvring have given Moscow...
Cybersecurity of the power grid: A growing challenge
Called the “largest interconnected machine,” the U.S. electricity grid is a complex digital and physical system crucial to life and commerce in this country. Today, it is made up of more than 7,000 power plants, 55,000 substations, 160,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and millions of miles of low-voltage distribution lines. This web...
The shape of Brexit is probably already written in a 60-year-old document
Signing the Treaty of Rome in 1957. WikipediaFor the United Kingdom, March 2017 represents a significant turning point. Prime Minister Theresa May plans to trigger Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and the Brexit clock will start ticking. But March 2017 also marks the 60th anniversary of a seminal moment in the history of European...
