In Iran, grievance and frustration has built up over time with the political regime, the notorious morality police, and the economic situation. But the recent provocation that sparked a wave of still ongoing protests in Iran was the news that a young woman had died in the custody of the morality police. In protest, women now burn their hijabs and cut their hair in protest. Women undoubtedly play the main role in the Iranian uprising, but how unique is this, and what does it mean?

The multiverse theory is among the most fascinating recent developments in the field of theoretical physics. There may be other universes: some very similar to ours, but also some very different. Those universes may also coexist and even complement each other in ways we still cannot access. While some theoretical physicians hypothesize that different universes may clash, or destroy one another; others contend that they may merge, coexist, or just become something new. Political Scientists made similar speculations on what would happen when two universes of nuclear weapons politics meet one another. This is exactly what seems to have happened now: Two worlds of international nuclear politics are coming to light in two international conferences and now seem to exist side by side.

In the 1990s, political liberalisation opened up space for Islamist activism across Africa. While some Islamist actors openly embraced the electoral process, others advocated a rejectionist stance, negating the legitimacy of the nation-state. Driven by the rise of global jihadism and state repression, this rejectionist branch of Islamism turned increasingly militant.