Other News
Richard Aldrich discusses GCHQ on Newsnight
On 10 June Prof Richard Aldrich appeared on Newsnight to discuss the recent issues about data mining and sharing between the NSA and GCHQ. You can watch the programme on BBC iPlayer; the section on cyber security starts at 1:20 into the show; the debate starts at 7:10.
WOMEN, GIRLS AND THE ARAB SPRING
A Knowledge Centre article by Dr Nicola Pratt
Are Arab women “the victims of eternal Arab-Islamic patriarchy?” and, despite their heavy involvement in the 'Arab Spring', are they facing a “rollback [of] their rights and under-representation in emerging political institutions?” Dr Nicola Pratt, joint editor of Women and War in the Middle East, looks at the West’s portrayal of the Arab Spring, and its consequences, with a focus on the women involved in, and affected by, the uprisings.
WHO’S IN CHARGE? GLOBAL LEADERSHIP IN TIMES OF CRISES
A Knowledge Centre Article by Dr Alex Homolar
With the prime ministers, presidents and chancellor of the G8 meeting at Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, in a little over a week’s time, to discuss “growth, prosperity and economic development for the world,” the global community will be looking at the Summit attendees for leadership as many nations continue to bear the pain of the financial crisis. But are these the people to seek leadership from? What can they do? And who is really in charge during a time of global crisis? Research by Dr Alexandra Homolar and members of the CLiGG project, has begun to explore the idea of leadership in times of crises.
Seminar Series - From The Ground Up: Women's Roles In Peacebuilding
On Wednesday 5th June, PaIS were lucky to welcome Lee Webster to give a talk as part of our Seminar Series.
Lee Webster is Policy and Advocacy Manager at Womankind Worldwide, a women's rights and international development NGO, and has an MA in Gender and Development from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.
In the lecture she examined the roles that women play in mitigating conflict and building peace at local level in Afghanistan, Liberia, Nepal, Pakistan and Sierra Leone. She showed that despite their active contribution to peace at local level, women are still marginalised from formal peace negotiations. The session explored how Womankind used new research, media and public pressure to influence the UK Government's policy and practice on women, peace and security.
Lee was also kind enough to answer questions afterwards.
Click the above image to read the report From the ground up: Women’s roles in local peacebuilding in Afghanistan, Liberia, Nepal, Pakistan and Sierra Leone.
You can listen to Lee's talk, and the question and answer session, on the multimedia page.
Call for Applications: 2013 GR:EEN - GEM PhD Summer School
2013 GR:EEN - GEM PhD SUMMER SCHOOL
The Arab Spring, Domestic Democratic Transitions and the Evolving Euro-Mediterranean Framework
August 18-23 2013 @ La Manouba International Summer School in Carthage, Tunisia
CALL FOR DOCTORAL APPLICATIONS
DEADLINE: JUNE 28th 2013
Engulfed in a wave of political, economic and social transitions; the countries in the Arab world have so far had great difficulty in: successfully negotiating their political, economic and social transitions; ensuring the safety of their citizenry; or striking a sustainable balance between the interests of those in power and their citizenry’s fundamental rights. Furthermore, Islamist regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya seem unlikely to meet the hopes articulated by the revolutions’ initial demonstrators. Overall, the “Arab revolution” therefore appears to some observers to be entering its 2nd phase: the necessary chaos before any reconstruction.
Accordingly, the Summer School will seek to discuss a range of topics concerned with the interactions – be they internal or external – affecting regions in transition with an eye on fostering information sharing and joint training. This common platform will thus bridge different communities sharing a common interest in transitional regimes and their implications for human security, human rights and democratic regime building. The Summer School will position its teaching and research within the broader debates regarding both the challenges facing post-revolutionary societies – be they social, economic, political, cultural or religious; as well as the wider global consequences they induce.
Keynote speakers will include:
- Prof. Gilbert ACHCAR (University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, UK)
- Prof. Mario TELÓ (Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institut d’Etudes Européennes, Belgium)
Read more about the programme, speakers, and entry criteria (PDF)