Editor's note

Shock and horror – that is the overwhelming reaction to the Manchester bombing in which the latest victims of terrorism were young people and their parents attending a pop star’s concert. If the Islamic State is indeed behind the attack, says Georgia State terrorism expert Mia Bloom, it will only add to growing research on the warped world of terrorists in which children are stripped of their innocence and seen only as a means to an end – both weapon and target.

While news reports detailed what was known about the bombing, social media feeds filled with messages – families seeking missing relatives, but also locals offering total strangers who had been stranded in the chaos a ride, a meal or a place to stay overnight. As these impromptu gestures showed, social networks can provide powerful support for traumatized communities.

And, while the nation waits for a summer vote by the Senate to decide the fate of Obamacare, West Virginia University’s Simon Haeder writes that the White House can gut the law even without Senate approval. President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price have many tools at their disposal to significantly reshape the Affordable Care Act.

Danielle Douez

Associate Editor, Politics + Society

Top story

A girl leaves flowers for victims of an attack at Manchester Arena. Reuters/Peter Nicholls

The Islamic State group has weaponized children

Mia Bloom, Georgia State University

To the terrorist, children have become but a means to an end. Weapon and target.

Politics + Society

Health + Medicine

Education

Science + Technology

  • Neuromechanics of flamingos' amazing feats of balance

    Lena Ting, Emory University; Young-Hui Chang, Georgia Institute of Technology

    These birds spend long periods, often asleep, standing on one leg. Is it passive biomechanics or active nervous system control of their muscles that allows them to do easily what's impossible for us?

Ethics + Religion

  • What is the Shia-Sunni divide?

    Ken Chitwood, University of Florida

    Shia-Sunni conflicts are raging in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Pakistan. What is at the heart of this schism?

Environment + Energy

  • Getting ready for hurricane season: 6 essential reads

    Jennifer Weeks, The Conversation

    Major hurricanes threaten millions of people and billions of dollars in property along the Atlantic coast. Here experts advise on preparing, understanding forecasts and recovering after a storm.

Manchester Attack

Trending on Site

 
 

The Conversation is a non-profit and your donation is tax deductible. Help knowledge-based, ethical journalism today.