What genocide means | Top 10

+ intersectionality, explained; China's approach to Middle East US Edition - Today's top story: Both Israel and Palestinian supporters accuse the other side of genocide – here's what the term actually means [View in browser]( US Edition | 12 November 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation. Here are a few of our recently published stories: - [Maine voters don't like their electric utilities, but they balked at paying billions to buy them out]( - [UN’s ‘global stocktake’ on climate is offering a sober emissions reckoning − but there are also signs of progress]( News coverage and social media posts on the Israel-Hamas war are full of loaded phrases that are fuzzily defined, weighted with history or just not part of the average person’s daily vernacular. “From the river to the sea” is one, recently used by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and cited in the House resolution to censure her. Tlaib says she used it to mean Palestinian liberation, not the violent call to erase Israel from the map that many others hear in those words. While it’s not easy to define the phrase or discern exactly what a person meant when they said it, fortunately there are some terms that we can drill down into for their actual meaning and usage – which is something we at The Conversation do frequently. One such term is “genocide,” a morally weighty word supporters of both Israel and the Palestinians have hurled at the other side. Politics editor Amy Lieberman wanted to help readers better understand what the word really means – at least as a matter of international law – so she tapped Alexander Hinton, director of the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University-Newark. His article, which [explored the history of the word]( and its use today, clearly struck a chord with readers as one of the most engaging stories we published last week. “Many appear to want a way to understand and label the images of horrific violence that fill their screens,” Hinton writes, while explaining how legal use of the term emerged after World War II. “Genocide, for all its conceptual limitations, provides a way of understanding the violence in Israel and Gaza. And so, people invoke the word genocide in its conventional sense, sometimes through genocide-related hashtags and slogans.” Next week we’ll bring you stories on mental illness and guns, Broadway musicals’ Greek roots and the looming government shutdown. Bryan Keogh Managing Editor Readers' picks People holding signs calling for an end to genocide in the Gaza Strip have been a common occurrence at pro-Palestinian protests. Christoph Reichwein/picture alliance via Getty Images [Both Israel and Palestinian supporters accuse the other side of genocide – here’s what the term actually means]( Alexander Hinton, Rutgers University - Newark People talk about genocide in a few different ways, ranging from technical to colloquial – but a war of words does not replace a path to peace, a genocide scholar writes. - [Israel-Hamas war puts China’s strategy of ‘balanced diplomacy’ in the Middle East at risk]( Andrew Latham, Macalester College Beijing’s tone on the Middle East crisis has shifted since Hamas’s initial attack, becoming increasingly pro-Palestinian. - [Why are US politicians so old? And why do they want to stay in office?]( Mary Kate Cary, University of Virginia Many years beyond the average American retirement age, politicians vie for power and influence. Their constituents tend to prefer they step back and pass the torch to younger people. - [It’s not just about facts: Democrats and Republicans have sharply different attitudes about removing misinformation from social media]( Ruth Elisabeth Appel, Stanford University One person’s content moderation is another’s censorship when it comes to Democrats’ and Republicans’ views on handling misinformation. - [What is intersectionality? A scholar of organizational behavior explains]( Christina Hymer, University of Tennessee First used in the 1970s, the social theory known as intersectionality triggered widespread debate on racial identifications and the interplay among categories. Editors' picks Owl chronotypes function better at night, while lark chronotypes are more energized in the morning. The Photo Matrix/Moment, nomis_g/iStock via Getty Images Plus [What’s your chronotype? Knowing whether you’re a night owl or an early bird could help you do better on tests and avoid scams]( Cindi May, College of Charleston Synchronizing your daily activities to your circadian rhythm could help you improve your performance on a variety of cognitive tasks − and even influence diagnosis of cognitive disorders. - [Abortion rights victories show this issue is unlikely to fade in 2024 elections − 3 things to know]( Nicole Huberfeld, Boston University; Linda C. McClain, Boston University The new constitutional amendment to protect the right to abortion in Ohio − as well as other wins for Democrats − shows the importance of ballot initiatives and focusing on abortion in elections. - [In Gaza, the underground war between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters in the tunnels is set to begin]( Brian Glyn Williams, UMass Dartmouth Tunnel warfare tends to lessen any advantages a stronger, more advanced attacker might otherwise expect – and to favor the defenders hidden underground. - [What is the rule of proportionality, and is it being observed in the Israeli siege of Gaza?]( Robert Goldman, American University An expert on the laws of war argues that the burden is now on Israel to show that the heavy death toll in Gaza is proportionate to the military advantage gained. - [Supreme Court considers whether to uphold law that keeps guns out of the hands of domestic abusers]( Morgan Marietta, University of Texas at Arlington An important tool in the fight against domestic violence is under scrutiny in a major US Supreme Court case. News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( Test your knowledge with a weekly quiz drawn from some of our favorite stories. Questions this week on a government shutdown, aging politicians, and Michael Caine. Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](