Ukraine’s cabinet ministry fired several top government officials because of corruption this week, offering a reminder of sorts. Yes, Russia illegally invaded Ukraine and Ukrainian civilians continue to suffer the brunt of the devastating war, now in its 11th month.
But also, Ukraine had its own problems, like all other countries, long before the war began.
Human rights scholars David Cingranelli and Brendan Skip Mark note that Ukraine has had a mixed record in respecting its citizens’ rights. It scored a 42 out of 100 in the scholars’ new data set that analyzes countries’ human rights over several decades.
Systematically not respecting citizens’ right to protest, for example, may have ripple effects for Ukraine down the line. Human rights shortfalls can make it harder to achieve and maintain lasting peace, they write: “Research shows that human rights violations create social and political problems that can lead to conflict both within a country and internationally.”
Also today:
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Ukraine has a mixed human rights record over the past several decades, new data shows.
Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images
David Cingranelli, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Brendan Skip Mark, University of Rhode Island
New data from 2000 through 2019 shows that Ukraine’s human rights record is better than Russia’s – but worse than that of its Western European neighbors.
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Economy + Business
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Jacob Bauer, University of Dayton
The term, coined in 2011, refers to people who seek to use their money and time to make as much progress as possible toward solving the world’s most pressing problems.
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Ethics + Religion
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Paroma Chatterjee, University of Michigan
Fierce debates about visual depictions of the sacred have existed for centuries. An art historian explains the controversies in the Byzantine Empire over images of Christ.
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Environment + Energy
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Daniel Sperling, University of California, Davis
California is one of the world’s largest economies, and it’s aiming for net-zero emissions by 2045. A transportation expert involved in the plan explains why it just might succeed.
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Health + Medicine
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Jaimie Arona Krems, Oklahoma State University; Devanshi Patel, Oklahoma State University
While excess weight arises from a complex interplay of genes, environment, diet and activity, new research finds Americans hold parents responsible for excess weight in their kids.
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Politics + Society
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Monica Duffy Toft, Tufts University
The US tanks could give Ukraine an advantage in pushing back Russia from its territory – but no amount of money alone is enough to win a war.
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Education
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L. William Uhl, United States Air Force Academy
A US Air Force professor of philosophy weighs in on Prince Harry’s decision to disclose his ‘body count’ from his service in Afghanistan.
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