The Conversation

If US attempts World Bank retreat, the China-led AIIB could be poised to step in – and provide a model of global cooperation

Written by Tamar Gutner, Associate Professor, American University

Donald Trump’s animosity toward multilateralism and international organizations is well known. Just hours after taking office on Jan 20, 2025, the U.S. president announced his intention to withdraw from the World Health Organization and the Paris agreement on climate change.

Could the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank be next?

Cert...

Francis − a pope who has cared deeply for the poor and opened up the Catholic Church

Written by Mathew Schmalz, Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

Pope Francis during the Palm Sunday Mass at St. Peter's Square on April 2, 2023, in Vatican City.Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

Pope Francis, who remains in critical condition and hospitalized as he battles pneumonia in both lungs, was elected pope on March 13, 2013, after the surprise resignation of Benedict XVI.

Prior to becoming pope, he was Jorge...

The murder rate in Venezuela has fallen − but both Trump and Maduro are wrong about why

Written by Rebecca Hanson, Assistant Professor of Latin American Studies, Sociology and Criminology, University of Florida

Members of government-backed militias take part in a march in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 7, 2025.AP Photo/Matias Delacroix

The body of former Venezuelan army officer Ronald Ojeda was found on Feb. 19, 2024, in a suitcase buried under 5 feet of concrete. Ojeda, accused by Venezuela of plotting against the government, had gone missing nine days...

How Elon Musk’s deep ties to – and admiration for – China could complicate Trump’s Beijing policy

Written by Linggong Kong, Ph.D. Student, Auburn University

Elon Musk holds an outsized influence in the new Trump administration.

As head of his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, the world’s wealthiest man has enjoyed nearly unfettered political power in slashing and refashioning the federal government as he sees fit. And it has quickly become clear that he has the president’s ear on...

Rising house prices don’t just make it harder to become a homeowner – they also widen the racial wealth gap

Written by Joe LaBriola, Research Assistant Professor, Survey Research Center, University of Michigan

Homeownership – long a cornerstone of the “the American dream” – is increasingly out of reach for the average American. Over the past four decades, U.S. house prices have risen by 75% in real terms, pushing the costs of homeownership for the typical first-time homebuyer to a record high. At the same time, these rising...

3 ways Trump is acting like a king and bypassing the Constitution’s checks and balances on presidential authority

Written by David Lopez, University Professor of Law, Rutgers University - Newark

Donald Trump's efforts to expand presidential power defy the Constitutional separation of powers.zimmytws/iStock via Getty Images

I learned basic civics in my public school. But mostly, because it was more interesting, I also learned civics after school watching the animated series “Schoolhouse Rock,” often with my abuela – my...

Why including people with disabilities in the workforce and higher education benefits everyone

Written by Lauren Shallish, Associate Professor of Disability Studies in Education, Rutgers University - Newark

The employment rate for people with disabilities is about half that of nondisabled people.Johner Images via Getty Images

Whether it’s declaring that blindness prevents government employees from doing their jobs or suggesting that hiring workers with intellectual disabilities contributed to Federal Aviation Administration safety lapses, the...

As Pennsylvania inches toward legalizing recreational cannabis, lawmakers propose selling it in state-owned dispensaries similar to state liquor stores

Written by Daniel J. Mallinson, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Administration, Penn State

Advocates believe Pennsylvania and Hawaii may be the next fronts in recreational cannabis legalization. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

After a long, largely successful march over 25 years to liberalize cannabis laws in the United States, the movement had a tough election in 2024.

Legalization ballot measures failed in Florida, North Dakota and South...

Can animals have mental disabilities?

Written by Rachel Blaser, Professor of Neuroscience, Cognition and Behavior, University of San Diego

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

Are there any animals with mental disabilities? – Adria G.

Max was a fun-loving Labrador retriever who enjoyed going for car rides and greeting clients at his owner’s office. But...

How Roman society integrated people who altered their bodies and defied gender norms

Written by Tom Sapsford, Assistant professor of Classical Studies, Boston College

A relief showing a gallus making sacrifices to the goddess Cybele and Attis.Sailko via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

A few weeks into his second term, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders restricting the rights of trans workers in the federal government. The first was a renewal of the ban on transgender people joining the U.S. military &nda...