Section: The Conversation (USA)
Lesson one for Rick Perry: The Energy Department doesn’t produce much energy
The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration supervises the removal of 68 kilograms of highly enriched uranium (enough for two nuclear weapons) from the Czech Republic in 2013. NNSA/Flickr, CC BY-NDA former governor of Texas – the state that produces more crude oil, natural gas, lignite coal, wind power and refined...
The Anthropocene is a nuclear epoch – so how can we survive it?
The era in which we live is now officially described as an atomic Anthropocene or the “age of humans”, an epoch defined by humans’ impact on the planet – and one of its most distinctive features is radiation. The fallout (both literal and figurative) from international nuclear weapons testing, nuclear energy and nuclear disasters are...
By flirting with isolationism, Trump could be teeing up a third world war
Throughout his presidential campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly opined that the US should no longer serve as the world’s policeman. He publicly questioned what the US gets out of its military presence in South Korea and Japan, where it plays a strategic role in facing down China and North Korea. He also expressed admiration for Vladimir...
Ukraine peace plan follows a familiar path – but there are potholes in the east
More than two years after protests that defenestrated its president and kicked off a conflict, Ukraine remains a starkly divided country, with violence still simmering in the east among Russian-backed separatists. For most of 2016, it has been trying to solve these problems through a deal struck by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and...
Symptomless Ebola – questions need to be answered before the next outbreak
Jarun Ontakrai/Shutterstock.comScientists know that Ebola can cause anything from severe hemorrhagic fever to no symptoms at all (asymptomatic infections). What wasn’t known, until now, is the number of people who experienced asymptomatic infections during the 2013-2016 outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. This is not the first report of...
November 9 2016: the day the 21st century began
Donald Trump’s election was a lightning bolt in already ominous skies. “Winter is here,” tweeted Russian dissident Garry Kasparov, alluding to the title of his latest book Winter is Coming. This was also a clear reference to ties between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump’s team. As New Yorker editor David Remnick passionately...
Arrests and uncertainty overseas show why Australia must legalise compensated surrogacy
A lack of regulation of surrogacy in developing countries makes it easy for exploitation to occur. shutterstockCambodia is the latest country in our region to ban commercial surrogacy. As happened when India, Thailand and Nepal introduced such bans, dozens of Australians are now extremely anxious because they have no idea what is going to happen...
Trump, the unspeakable and democracy in America
A portrait of US President-elect Donald Trump guards a residential backyard in Iowa, complete with lights and security cameras. Tony Webster/flickr, CC BY-NDThis article is part of the Democracy Futures series, a joint global initiative with the Sydney Democracy Network. The project aims to stimulate fresh thinking about the many challenges...
How the International Criminal Court can survive Russian and African scorn
Russia has announced it will “unsign” the statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which its Foreign Ministry says has “failed to meet the expectations to become a truly independent, authoritative international tribunal”. Its decision comes after three African countries began the process of leaving; the Philippines’ president,...
Biscuit for breakfast – trench warfare was hard on soldiers’ teeth
nationallibrarynz_commons/flickrRewind 100 years and the Battle of the Somme would be grinding to a close. For 141 days soldiers had suffered the worst that modern warfare could deliver: bombardment, chemical weapons, failed advances and a level of casualties no one could have anticipated. In this centenary year, multiple articles have been...
