Academics and research in the news

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Will Trump's withdrawal from Iran deal make the U.S. a 'pariah state'?

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. The multi-nation agreement was designed to prevent Iran from pursuing nuclear armament in exchange for the elimination of sanctions against the country. The Iran deal was the result of a long negotiation process during the second term of President Barack Obama. Trump said the agreement’s 10-year life span was part of its inherent flaws, and that the United States will be safer pulling out of the agreement. Trump has explained how leaving the deal would make the U.S. safer. In fact, many experts say exiting the Iran deal only creates instability in an already fragile region, and hobbles the ability of the United States to negotiate agreements with other nations in the future. Wayne State University senior lecturer of Near and Middle East history and politics Saeed Khan agrees. “There’s no wisdom in this,” says Khan. “It…calls into severe question America’s credibility around the world in adhering to any deal beyond one presidential administration.” Khan says the move could even “aptly designate America around the world as a pariah state.” 
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(Column) Americans' enthrallment with British royalty

Janine Lanza, associate professor and director for the Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Program at Wayne State University, examines the intense interest many Americans have in the affairs of British royalty. “Our history and Constitution forbid noble titles from taking hold in this country. American culture traditionally prizes individual achievement and accomplishment rather than status conferred by birth,” she says. “However, the pomp and ceremony of Old World royalty have captivated a country with a brief history and no traditions to rival the pageantry that marks such royal events.”