It is a privilege to write a preface to this Symposium on Canada before International Courts and Tribunals, which includes many stimulating and insightful contributions. In this preface, I go back to the beginning and focus on Canada’s first cases at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and before international arbitral tribunals.

There are multiple intersecting crises afflicting society, from environmental devastation to the collapse of democracy, from economic exploitation to gratuitous violence, in the so-called “metacrisis.” Universities have both contributed to these crises in various ways, but have also tried to prevent them In this paper, we consider our responses to the metacrisis from our various disciplinary perspectives as four university educators from different scholarly traditions in one institution in Aotearoa New Zealand, We draw from our teaching experiences and our theoretical perspectives to engage in a reflective conversation with each other about how we may address the challenges of the metacrisis. Our conversation illustrates the potential benefits that such reflections, amongst colleagues who are intimately connected to a range of crises, may have to elucidate knowledge, power and performativity, and considers how humility, in a variety of forms, may be important to navigate the metacrisis.

Society faces an urgent need to move agriculture toward more environmentally sustainable practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and water pollution. Mandatory policy tools, such as regulations, are unpopular with farmers, notoriously difficult to enforce, and politically challenging in the United States. Instead, social norms—descriptive, dynamic, and injunctive—may be critical levers for scaling up conservation practices. In this study, we analyze the predictive power of social norms on three practices, two of which benefit conservation (no-till and cover crops) and one that is likely harmful to conservation (fall nitrogen fertilizer application). Farmers (N = 585) in four U.S. states (Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Pennsylvania) completed a survey indicating perceived social norms and adoption of each practice. Logit models of practice adoption demonstrate that different types of social norms predict each of the three practices. We find that social norms are correlated with practices that are both helpful and harmful to conservation outcomes. Descriptive norms are associated with no-till adoption, while dynamic norms are associated with the use of cover crops. Both descriptive and injunctive norms are associated with fall nitrogen fertilizer application. In line with previous work, we also find that self-efficacy, response efficacy, farm size, and farm income are statistically significant predictors of the adoption of each practice. Future research would benefit from examining the role of different types of social norms in more contextually specific areas of farm management and at different junctures in the prevalence of management practices within a farming community, whether emerging, well-established, or declining in use.

Drawing from an interpretivist framework, this paper proposes Black Embodied Political Subjectivity (BEPS) as a conceptual framework that foregrounds the body, affect, and historical memory as critical to political subjectivity. BEPS draws on Black political thought to challenge dominant epistemologies that prioritize disembodied rationality and abstract ideological commitments over lived, felt, and corporeal political experiences. Rather than treating the body as an inert vessel or secondary site of politics, BEPS argues that the body is central to the ways Black people negotiate, contest, and reconstitute power in lived political contexts.

This article prefaces our Special Issue on “AI and the Decision to Go to War.” We begin by introducing the prospect of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled systems increasingly infiltrating state-level decision making on the resort to force, clarifying that our focus is on existing technologies, and outlining the two general ways that this can conceivably occur: through automated self-defense and AI-enabled decision-support systems. We then highlight recent, on-going developments that create a backdrop of rapid change and global uncertainty against which AI-enabled systems will inform such deliberations: (i) the widespread tendency to misperceive the latest AI-enabled technologies as increasingly “human”; (ii) the changing role of “Big Tech” in the global competition over military applications of AI; (iii) a conspicuous blind spot in current discussions surrounding international regulation; and (iv) the emerging reality of an AI-nuclear weapons nexus. We suggest that each factor will affect the trajectory of AI-informed war initiation and must be addressed as scholars and policymakers determine how best to prepare for, direct, and respond to this anticipated change. Finally, turning to the pressing legal, ethical, sociotechnical, political, and geopolitical challenges that will accompany this transformation, we revisit four “complications” that have framed the broader project from which this Special Issue has emerged. Within this framework, we preview the other 13 multidisciplinary research articles that make up this collection. Together, these articles explore the risks and opportunities that will follow AI into the war-room.

This article explores the use of composition as a methodological tool in ethnomusicology. By reflecting on the creation, rehearsal, and performance of the Suíte Afro-Brasileira—an original piece blending a big band with choir, capoeira, samba, and Candomblé ensembles—the author contends that the knowledge gained through composition parallels that acquired through bi-musicality, the established ethnomusicological practice of learning to perform music for research purposes. The multiple musicalities developed by composer-researchers in cross-cultural projects such as the Suíte Afro-Brasileira result in a form of compositional poly-musicality. This application of composition, however, intensifies the ethical issues of bi-musicality, forcing composer-researchers to rethink representational issues.

Clinical work with people who are seriously unwell and overwhelmed by psychotic functioning can be profoundly rewarding yet uniquely demanding. Beyond visible symptoms lie powerful unconscious forces that affect all involved. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory from Bion, Money-Kyrle, Menzies Lyth and Lucas, this article explores how psychotic processes such as splitting, projection, denial and rationalisation are transmitted to those providing care. Recognising and working with these dynamics not only deepens clinical understanding, enabling meaning to be found in apparently chaotic presentations, but also enhances the capacity to engage therapeutically with distress. Reflective practice, supervision and organisational containment are identified as essential clinical interventions to help clinicians understand the unconscious impact of psychotic processes and to preserve their capacity for thought and compassion.

Recent research has shown that adult learners can rapidly acquire novel words of a foreign language by tracking cross-situational statistics, but learning is substantially reduced when the target words are phonologically similar and contain non-native contrasts. We expand on this research by investigating whether perceptual discrimination training on non-native target contrasts facilitates cross-situational learning of new words (CSWL). Our design combines perceptual training and CSWL to test the transfer of perceptual gains to lexical learning—an approach that integrates methods from L2 speech and statistical learning. In two studies, we tested English-native and Portuguese-native speakers’ learning of 24 Portuguese pseudowords via a CSWL task. In Study 1, we examined baseline learning in both language groups without prior training. In Study 2, English-native speakers were assigned to one of three conditions: phonetic training with an AX discrimination task, phonetic training with an oddity discrimination task, or no phonetic training prior to the CSWL task. Results confirmed that adults can learn non-native words from cross-situational statistics, and that phonological overlap between words decreases learning. Perceptual training improved the discrimination of target contrasts, but this did not transfer to statistical learning of words that contain these contrasts. These findings suggest that phonetic training alone may not be sufficient for vocabulary acquisition, suggesting the need for instructional approaches that integrate phonetic training with more explicit teaching methods or meaning-based practice.

The stewardship of wahi kūpuna (Hawaiian ancestral places and resources and the knowledge systems and practices inherently tied to them.) requires an interdisciplinary approach that weaves together Hawaiian and Western knowledge systems. However, for the past century, those not native to Hawaiʻi have held the authority to “manage” Hawaiian heritage. To transform and restore this unbalanced system, there remains a critical need to increase opportunities for Native Hawaiians to care for our own cultural heritage. In 2010, the Native Hawaiian-led non-profit organization, Huliauapa‘a, established the Wahi Kūpuna Internship Program (WKIP). The primary goal of the WKIP is to develop leaders and advocates in Hawaiʻi’s cultural heritage fields by training the next generation of stewards in both Indigenous and Western knowledge systems, so they have a strong cultural foundation, elevate their roles and responsibilities to our lands and communities, obtain higher education degrees, and gain professional career-ready skillsets. The Internship takes a progressive approach that recognizes the constraints of a conventional indoor learning environment, and instead creates an authentic experience for students outside the classroom, on the land, and in the community. Our goal is to re-establish our connections to and care of these ancestral places in order to re-invigorate our cultural practices as a key element of perpetuating our Hawaiian identity and self determination.

Literature reviews are core parts of the research process with most conducted in the early research stages. The way a literature review is done can differ depending on the type of research, its aims and goals. This means some view literature reviews as best being done through a systematic approach that has set stages and ways to analyse the literature. This editorial article discusses the main reasons for literature reviews in terms of being helpful, educative and progressive. This is useful in furthering the way researchers collect, interpret and analyse data. As more business management researchers and practitioners utilise review articles it is important to remain vigilant about their purpose and usefulness to business practices.

Increased consumption of pulses can support healthy and sustainable diets; however, consumption of pulses in Western populations is low. Adolescents are an often overlooked yet important target group as they develop attitudes and behaviours that influence food choices into adulthood. To understand patterns of consumption, this study aimed to analyse characteristics and consumption patterns of Australian adolescents who consume pulses. Secondary analysis of the Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey data from 2011–2012 was carried out to identify adolescent (12–17 years, n 1007, nationally representative of n 101 130) pulse consumers, compare their nutritional and demographic characteristics with non-consumers and describe frequency, types and amounts of pulses consumed. Consumption of pulses amongst adolescents is low, with only 6 % of adolescents (48 % males) reporting consumption of pulses. Pulse consumption was associated with healthier weight and diet characteristics. After adjusting for age, sex and socio-economic index, overweight or obese adolescents were less likely to consume pulses than adolescents of a healthy weight or underweight (OR = 0·82; 95 % CI 0·69, 0·99; P = 0·043). Adolescent pulse consumers reported consuming more vegetables, dietary fibre and Fe and less discretionary foods, saturated fat and added sugars than non-consumers. Baked beans were the most commonly consumed type of pulses, followed by pulses as an ingredient in a vegetarian meal such as dahl. Future strategies are recommended to promote the consumption of pulses amongst adolescents due to the low consumption level, with consideration of familiar and appealing dishes to support adolescents in achieving healthier and sustainable diets.

Around the start of the 21st century, countries began to experience a unique demographic transition. After generations of declining dependency and expanding labor forces, increasing longevity and persistently low fertility have reversed dependency trajectories. This paper examines the political consequences of rapid demographic aging and retirement reforms. An empirical assessment of 41 countries from 1980 to 2020 suggests that efforts to postpone retirement are politically destabilizing. In particular, increases in average retirement age and labor force participation among older cohorts may increase political instability. Demographic forecasts for rich and middle-income countries indicate a massive growing demand for age-related public services, alongside a rapid decline in the relative size of economically active populations. Policy reform is therefore urgently needed to sustain pension systems, maintain economic growth, and mitigate political instability. The paper concludes that governments must consider country-specific demographic, political, and economic conditions when designing alternatives to potentially destabilizing retirement reforms.

In the contemporary ‘age of participation’, referendums are often celebrated as cornerstones of democratic engagement. Yet political parties sometimes take the seemingly paradoxical step of calling for referendum boycotts, urging citizens to abstain from direct democratic processes. This paper investigates the conditions under which such boycott calls occur and the motivations behind them. While previous research has largely focused on single cases or experimental designs, we offer the first comprehensive, comparative study of party-led referendum boycotts across Europe since 1972. Drawing on a novel dataset of 223 referendums in 37 countries, we combine quantitative and qualitative methods to explore how regime context, institutional design, and issue type shape boycott behavior. Our regression analyses show that turnout quorum requirements, lower levels of democratic maturity, and sovereignty-related referendum issues significantly increase the likelihood of boycotts. To complement these findings, we qualitatively analyze boycott justifications and develop a typology of six motivation types: legitimacy-based, procedural unfairness, instrumental, tactical, minority interest, and ideological boycotts. These results reveal a complex interplay between democratic institutions and political strategy, challenging the assumption that referendums are universally inclusive tools. Our findings have implications for the design, interpretation, and normative evaluation of direct democratic practices across diverse political systems.

Longevity risk significantly impacts the reserve adequacy ratio of annuity issuers, thereby reducing product profitability. Effectively managing this risk has thus become a priority for insurance companies. A natural hedging strategy, which involves balancing longevity risk through an optimised portfolio of life insurance and annuity products, offers a promising solution and has attracted considerable academic attention in recent years. In this study, we construct a realistic portfolio scenario comprising annuities and life insurance policies across various ages and genders. By applying Cholesky decomposition, we transform the portfolio into an uncorrelated linear model. Our objective function minimises the variance in portfolio value changes, allowing us to explore the impact of mortality on longevity risk mitigation through natural hedging. Using actuarial mathematics and the Bayesian MCMC algorithm, we analyse the factors influencing the hedging effectiveness of a portfolio with minimised variance. Empirical findings indicate that the optimal life-to-annuity ratio is influenced by multiple factors, including gender, age, projection period, and forecast horizon. Based on these findings, we recommend that insurance companies adjust their business structures and actively pursue product innovation to enhance longevity risk management.