Jordan drone attack risks igniting wider war

+ history of trans medicine backlash; dog care in winter US Edition - Today's top story: Drone attack on American troops risks widening Middle East conflict – and drawing in Iran-US tensions [View in browser]( US Edition | 30 January 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Political parties centered on one person threaten democracy]( - [Better alternatives to plastic bag bans?]( - [Atmospheric rivers parade across Pacific Northwest]( Lead story Since the current war between Israel and Hamas began in early October, there have been warnings of the conflict spiraling and igniting proxy wars in the Middle East. Sporadic fighting on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon and Houthi raids in the Red Sea ratcheted up the tension, for sure. But until Sunday, the U.S. administration had avoided the need to address a deadly attack on any of its personnel in the region. But then a drone attack in Jordan killed three American troops and injured dozens more, forcing President Joe Biden’s hand. He immediately blamed Iran-backed militias; Tehran denied having any involvement. The relationship between [Iran and the group that claimed responsibility is not straightforward](, as Sara Harmouch, an expert on asymmetric warfare and militant groups in the Middle East at American University, explains. And that complicates the calculus in front of Biden now as he prepares a retaliatory response. How he acts, Harmouch adds, risks provoking an escalation and might even “reshape the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape and influence the dynamics of proxy warfare in the region.” [ [Sign up for our weekly Global Economy & Business newsletter, with interesting perspectives from experts around the world](. ] Matt Williams Senior International Editor Jordanian and U.S. tanks take part in joint maneuvers in September 2022. Khalil Mazraawi/AFP [Drone attack on American troops risks widening Middle East conflict – and drawing in Iran-US tensions]( Sara Harmouch, American University Three American troops were killed and dozens more injured in an attack on a base in Jordan. How the Biden administration responds could determine if conflict in the Middle East widens. Health + Medicine - [Backlash to transgender health care isn’t new − but the faulty science used to justify it has changed to meet the times]( G. Samantha Rosenthal, Roanoke College For as long as trans medicine has been around, so has its opposition. The tactics of prior waves of anti-trans policies are still in play today. - [Telehealth makes timely abortions possible for many, research shows]( Leah Koenig, University of California, San Francisco; Ushma Upadhyay, University of California, San Francisco People of color, young people and those with low incomes tend to benefit most from telehealth abortion. 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A hydrologist explains the good and bad of these flood-prone storms and how they’re changing]( Qian Cao, University of California, San Diego These giant rivers in the sky are bringing more intense rainfall as the planet warms. - [Boulder strengthens rules against plastic bags – but do bans and fines actually reduce waste?]( Eleanor Putnam-Farr, Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University Retail stores in Boulder, Colo., banned plastic bags and will charge 10 cents for paper bags in an effort to reduce plastic waste. But do bans and taxes like this really work? 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