Other News

A Pinpoint Politics article by Martina Čičáková

Greece, a country referred to as the ancient cradle of democracy, is now standing before a decision crucial for the future of Europe. The two options between which the Greek people need to decide are both problematic in their seeming simplicity: either the continuance of the “draconian” austerity measures or a so-called “Grexit”, a term coined by Citigroup economists Willem Buiter and Ebrahim Rahbari referring to Greece’s exit from the EU. The second round of the Greek parliamentary election which will take place on June 17th is widely perceived as “the referendum on the euro,” since the results are going to influence not only Greece’s performance as a European Union (EU) member, but also the future of the currency and the other Eurozone countries.

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A KnowledgeCentre article by Prof Wyn Grant

This month CNN celebrates 32 years since it revolutionised television with the introduction of 24-hour news coverage. In news terms, social networks have largely taken the place of television, but has instant access to stories really been a positive thing for journalism? Prof Wyn Grant explores the 24-hour news phenomenon and asks whether print journalism may still have an important role to play in democracy.

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A Pinpoint Politics article by Scott Edwards

Since the 2004 coup which ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the UN peacekeeping taskforce has been charged with a multidimensional mandate, with a focus on providing security and a stable environment to Haiti’s civilian population, as well as promoting human rights and contributing to the political process. The division of MINUSTAH into three components – one military and two civilian – demonstrates the broader structural commitment of the mission and, similarly to most contemporary UN missions, its stronger focus on economic and social problems. The combined duration and breadth of the UN presence in Haiti has been dependent on significant resource and personnel mobilisation from a variety of UN member nations. In particular, the involvement of Brazil has been highlighted as indicative of the South American nation’s growing global presence and the country’s attempts to pursue a more active foreign policy.

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Prof Richard Aldrich, Professor of International Security in PAIS, was recently profiled on the Research Councils UK (RCUK)'s website highlighting policy-related case studies on researchers' interaction with government in its project entitled Pathways to Impact. These case studies provide guidance, top tips and best practice for helping researchers to realise the impact of their research.

Prof Aldrich led a project to analyse the public image of the CIA. He has engaged with a number of government and policy makers including the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Office and the UK’s most secret intelligence agency, GCHQ. He also highlights the impact of developing the early career researchers working on the grant, one of which is now advising the International Spy Museum in Washington.

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A Pinpoint Politics article by Lena-Sophie Demuth and Andrew Kelly

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Indo-German diplomatic relations, which by most accounts has been reliable and stable. This June the Goethe-Institute together with the Indian foreign ministry have organised a circus-esq "StadtRaume-Cityspaces Mela" that traverses the golden quadrilateral of India cities (New Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore, Chennai, Calcutta) with a series of public showings that focuses on all facets of urban development; mobility, migration, water, energy, sustainable development, architecture, engineering, education, cultural infrastructure, social issues and many more. Given India's increasing urbanisation and rural-urban migration, coupled with its emerging power status along with the BRICS, one can begin to understand the pertinence of such issues.

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