World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

Researchers have found evidence of a violent clash between two groups of hunter-gatherers near Lake Turkana in modern-day Kenya.  Realists would seize upon this evidence to prove their proposition that violence is an inherent part of human nature,  But the evidence uncovered tells us nothing about the reasons why the fighting occurred so it is hard to accept such straightforward conclusions.

Armed militants attacked Bacha Khan University in the city of Charsadda in the northwest part of Pakistan.  The  Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack which killed at least 20 people and perhaps as many as 40.  The militants have a considerable presence in the northwestern parts of the country, and seek refuge in Afghanistan for protection against the Pakistani government.   Efforts to control the militants increased after a massacre of over 130 students over a year ago, but it is clear that those efforts have not been successful as of yet.

As expected, 2015 was the warmest year ever recorded in human history, and the evidence suggests that 2016 might be even warmer.  As the map indicates, the northern parts of the planet–with the significant exception of the area around Greenland–were significantly warmer than the historical record.  The cooler area around Greenland may be associated with ice melting because of the higher temperatures.