The Big Q

In the Eastern Mediterranean, recent confrontations over the rights to drill natural gas have threatened to reignite conflict between Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. This conflict emerged after Cyprus’s independence in 1960 and was complicated by international interventions by Greece and Turkey on behalf of their ethnic populations on the island. Renewed Turkish interest in the access and exploitation of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves around the island have bought the conflict into a new focus with the potential of further conflict occurring. Doug Becker spoke with Aristotle Tziampiris and Nukhet Sandal about the latest standoff.

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Misinformation is rampant about COVID-19 and in some cases, it has caused death, blindness, emergency health issues, and widespread stigma, and social ostracization. Holly Seale and Md. Saiful Islam were part of a team that studied the rumors, conspiracies, and falsehoods spreading through social media. What are the costs of these mistruths? Maria Armoudian spoke to Seale and Islam about their research.

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Social media has become a key feature in politics and communication and will likely play a significant role in the 2020 US election. The Trump administration has threatened sanctions against social media sites TikTok and WeChat, a move which may have an important effect on the 2020 campaign. Doug Becker speaks to Glenn W. Richardson Jr. and Jennifer Petersen about the role of social media in politics. 

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Lebanon has experienced warfare, economic hardship, and terrorism throughout its recent history. From the war that raged in the country from 1975 to 1990, when an estimated 120,000 people were killed, to foreign occupation, to instability, Lebanon has had a difficult history. Last week, on August 4th, an explosion devastated Beirut killing over one hundred people and injuring thousands. This incident shocked the nation amidst a horrible economic crisis and a tremendous lack of faith in the competence of the government. Doug Becker speaks with Bassel F. Salloukh and Hannes Baumann about the ongoing political and economic crisis in Lebanon.

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