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When peace efforts to end the war in Syria are put into geopolitical and historical context, commentators often dismiss the possibility, tending instead to see the rise of the Islamic State as another example of the so-called clash of civilisations that has ostensibly been a relentless force since the bloody history of Jihadis, Crusaders and inter-sect violence that began in the Middle Ages, argue Maximilian Lau and Emily Jarratt.
But the story of the 12th-century Jihadi Imad ad-din Zengi and Christian Roman Emperor John II Komnenos offers a different take – one that might shine a light on the path to peace.
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Zoubeir Souissi/Reuters
Maximilian Lau, Hitotsubashi University; Emily Jarratt, King's College London
A case study from the height of the Crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries illustrates that even the most brutal leaders can choose to compromise for stability.
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Politics + Society
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Abraham Joseph, Ansal University
Should France apologise for committing war-time atrocities?
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Luc Rouban, Sciences Po – USPC
A survey shows that candidates who exploited populism in one way or the other during the first round of the French presidential election captured about half of the vote.
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Environment + Energy
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Jon Major, University of Liverpool
Scientists investigating an underwater mountain have found lots of tellurium, a mineral used in some solar panels.
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John R Campbell, SOAS, University of London
The western media's focus on events at home like the US elections and the UK Brexit referendum has come at the expense of reporting on the famine that's unfolding in Africa.
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