Category: Academic Analysis
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As mining returns to Cornwall, lithium ambitions tussle with local heritage
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jamie Hinch, PhD Candidate in Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford Two remnants of Cornwall’s mining heritage, Flatty and Pointy loom over the village of St Dennis. Jamie Hinch, CC BY-NC-ND The woman’s eyes blazed as I scanned the feedback form she was showing me.…
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Labour conference: Starmer takes aim at political opponents but ties his own future to Reform
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alex Prior, Lecturer in Politics with International Relations, London South Bank University At Labour’s 2025 conference, Starmer’s chosen political narrative has been to draw a line between himself and Nigel Farage, between Labour and Reform – a choice between “decency and decline”. Labour represents a progressive…
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UK expands chemical castration pilot programme for sex offenders – but what are the risks?
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Daniel Kelly, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, Sheffield Hallam University Honcharuk Andrii/Shutterstock.com The UK government has announced plans to expand its trial of using drugs to reduce the libido of male sex offenders. The approach, often described as “chemical castration”, is controversial. But how does it work…
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Labour’s plan for migrants to ‘earn’ permanent residency turns belonging into an endless exam
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nando Sigona, Professor of International Migration and Forced Displacement and Director of the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity, University of Birmingham In her address to the Labour party conference, the new home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, confirmed plans to overhaul the rules for indefinite…
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Where does the Arab and Muslim world stand on Trump’s Gaza peace plan? Expert Q&A
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics, Clinton Institute, University College Dublin The US president, Donald Trump, unveiled a 20-point proposal to end the war in Gaza on September 29. The plan proposes an immediate end to the fighting and the release of all Israeli hostages held…
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Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza is deeply flawed but it may be the best offer Hamas can expect
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Julie M. Norman, Senior Associate Fellow on the Middle East at RUSI; Associate Professor in Politics & International Relations, UCL The 20-point Gaza peace plan thrashed out under the leadership of the United States and agreed to by Israel is one of the most comprehensive outlines…
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University ranking systems are being rejected. African institutions should take note
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Sioux McKenna, Professor of Higher Education, Rhodes University, South Africa, Rhodes University The Sorbonne University, founded in Paris in 1253 and known globally as a symbol of education, science and culture, has just announced that, starting in 2026, it will stop submitting data to Times Higher…
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Tanzania’s ruling party has crushed the opposition – the elections are a mere formality
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Nicodemus Minde, Researcher, United States International University Tanzania has conducted regular polls since the first multiparty elections in 1995. But they have often failed to meet democratic standards. The opposition has been persistently excluded and restricted, and media freedoms and civil rights have been suppressed.…
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Museum in a box: on the road with South Africa’s heritage
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tim Forssman, Senior Lecturer, University of Mpumalanga Museums are usually in cities. So, where transport is poor and it’s expensive to travel, many people can’t visit them. We decided to experiment with a way of getting around the problem: we built a travelling museum. I’m an…
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Our AI model can help improve indoor ventilation during wildfire season
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Hoda Khalil, Adjunct Research Professor and Lecturer, Systems and Computer Engineering, Carleton University A recent report from the University of Chicago’s Air Quality Life Index found that wildfires are worsening air quality in Canada. The report found that in 2023, wildfires caused concentrations of particulate matter…