President Donald Trump has appointed CIA director Mike Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson as U.S. secretary of state. Pompeo is a foreign policy hawk who voted against the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 when he was a congressman. Trump is also critical of that Obama-era agreement, which lifted some sanctions on Iran after the country halted its uranium-enrichment program and submitted to international inspections. The consequences of scrapping the deal could be deadly, writes Gregory Aftandilian.
Meanwhile, John J Stremlau suggests that Pompeo's appointment is further proof that Africa-US relations are unlikely to improve as long as Trump remains president. Pompeo has little interest in, or knowledge of, African affairs.
Representatives from 10 Southeast Asian nations will gather in Australia this weekend for an important summit. Nicholas Farrelly and Adam Simpson explain that Myanmar's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is likely to receive a fairly cool reception. In particular, concerns will be raised over the Myanmar military’s appalling treatment of the Muslim Rohingya, and Suu Kyi’s refusal to denounce it.
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The newly nominated secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, is a foreign policy hawk who opposes the Iran nuclear deal. Scrapping it could unleash a chain reaction of violence across the Middle East.
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
Gregory Aftandilian, Boston University
Trump's pick to lead the State Department believes Iran is 'intent on destroying America.' But ending the Iran nuclear deal could unleash a violent chain reaction, a Mideast scholar says.
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US President Donald Trump after sacking Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
EPA-EFE/Shawn Thew
John J Stremlau, University of the Witwatersrand
Relations between the US and Africa are unlikely to improve while Trump remains president. But that doesn't mean the continent should remain passive.
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Aung San Suu Kyi has lost much of her goodwill since the 2017 Rohingya crisis.
Hein Htet/AAP
Nicholas Farrelly, Australian National University; Adam Simpson, University of South Australia
When Aung San Suu Kyi led her party to victory in 2015, many hoped Myanmar's worst days were behind them. But the government's complicity in the Rohingya crisis has tarnished her reputation.
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Politics + Society
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Cynthia Hooper, College of the Holy Cross
The result of Russia's upcoming election is already known: President Vladimir Putin will be re-elected. Will he be content to be a lame duck, or will he undermine democracy to suit his ambition?
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Anton Harber, University of the Witwatersrand
South African investigative journalists and civil society played a crucial role in bringing a country in the clutches of patronage networks back from the brink.
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Business + Economy
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Michael Wade, IMD Business School; Jialu Shan, IMD Business School
Old retail might be dying in the West, but it's been given new life in China.
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Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology
President Trump recently imposed steep tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum. An economist explains what they are, how they work and why they matter.
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Arts + Culture
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Daniel Cook, University of Dundee
Written by a teenager, Frankenstein is an extraordinary novel that still endures 200 years after its first publication.
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Environment + Energy
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Arjun Amar, University of Cape Town; Beckie Garbett, University of Cape Town
A new threat to vultures is emerging: lead poisoning from ammunition used by game hunters.
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Science + Technology
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Tamara Davis, The University of Queensland
Stephen Hawking was a highly creative scientist, pushing past assumptions and playing with "what if" scenarios to take physics to new levels.
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