Parliamentary Select Committees: Are elected chairs the key to their success?

Dr Mark Goodwin, Univeristy of Birmingham, Dr Stephen Bates, University of Birmingham, and Professor Steve McKay, University of Lincoln, explore the role of elected chairs in parliamentary Select Committees. In the past two months, two of Britain’s richest men have been forced by Parliament to admit to, and apologise for, serious failings in their business … Continue reading “Parliamentary Select Committees: Are elected chairs the key to their success?”

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The Next Cold War has Already Begun – In Cyberspace

Conor Deane-McKenna, is a Doctoral Researcher in Cyberwarfare at the University of Birmingham. The world is fighting a hidden war thanks to a massive shift in the technologies countries can use to attack each other. Much like the Cold War, the conflict is being fought indirectly rather than through open declarations of hostility. It has … Continue reading “The Next Cold War has Already Begun – In Cyberspace”

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Protectionist parties and antidumping in the US

This week Tommaso Aquilante, a lecturer in Managerial Economics at the Birmingham Business School an issue which is likely to be of increasing importance in inter-country relationships. The full article is available as a pdf, published by the Birmingham Business School. So what is antidumping? Antidumping (AD) is the most popular import restriction among industrialised … Continue reading “Protectionist parties and antidumping in the US”

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What is a Contested Conventions – and What Would One Mean for the GOP?

Adam Quinn, is a Senior Lecturer in International Politics at the University of Birmingham. The possibility that the Republican primary race could end in a contested convention is a journalist’s dream and one that the media has speculated on during every electoral cycle in recent memory. It was entertaining for those who cover politics as … Continue reading “What is a Contested Conventions – and What Would One Mean for the GOP?”

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Book Review: The Fence and the Bridge: Geopolitics and Identity Along the Canada-US Border by Heather N. Nicol

Iván Farías Pelcastre is a Postdoctoral Scholar and Visiting Fellow at the University of Southern California and a graduate of the PhD in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Birmingham. He is particularly interested in the analysis of policy interdependence and political integration between Canada, Mexico and the US resulting from the operation of … Continue reading “Book Review: The Fence and the Bridge: Geopolitics and Identity Along the Canada-US Border by Heather N. Nicol”

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What Is Going on in Ukraine Now?

Lance Spencer Davies, a Doctoral Researcher in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Birmingham, provides an update on recent developments in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. On the face of it, the conflict in Ukraine seems to have stabilised somewhat. Sporadic shelling aside, the last few months of 2015 saw … Continue reading “What Is Going on in Ukraine Now?”

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The Importance of Scooby-Doo to the Provision of Security in the Cyber Environment

In the first week of July I was fortunate enough to attend the annual Cyber Conference at Chatham House, writes Gavin Hall. Two significant trends became apparent, which enable the exploration of a long muted metaphor, of mine, for cyber-security: at the end of every episode of Scooby-Doo the ‘monster’ is unmasked and a human … Continue reading “The Importance of Scooby-Doo to the Provision of Security in the Cyber Environment”

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Hard Evidence: this is the Age of Dissent – and there’s much more to come

David Bailey is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Birmingham and provides a fascinating insight into how the nature of protest has changed. The year 2011 is widely viewed as the peak of protest and dissent in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and the … Continue reading “Hard Evidence: this is the Age of Dissent – and there’s much more to come”

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Jakarta Attacks: Is Islamic State’s Presence in South-East Asia Overstated?

In this article Scott Edwards, a Doctoral Researcher and part of the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security, explores the perceived rise of Islamic State in Indonesia and South-East Asia more broadly. A series of deadly suicide bombings and shootings in Jakarta have killed at least seven people, and been claimed by Islamic State (IS). … Continue reading “Jakarta Attacks: Is Islamic State’s Presence in South-East Asia Overstated?”

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