Other News
Article: 'Democratisation in the Middle East and North Africa'
The June 2013 issue of Third World Quarterly, vol. 34 issue 5, pages 838-5 publishes Prof Peter Burnell's article 'Democratisation in the Middle East and North Africa: Perspectives from Democracy Support,' which takes off from his earlier 'Lessons of Experience in International Democracy Support: Implications for Supporting Democratic Change in North Africa', available online as UNU-WIDER WP 2011/84.
Prof Franklyn Lisk speaks at Industry and Parliament Trust meeting
On 18 June, Prof Franklyn Lisk spoke at an IPT event entitled 'This is Africa: Is Africa Open for Buisiness?'. Representatives from the International Development Select Committee, the British Chambers of Commerce, both houses of Parliament, and major commercial stakeholders attended the breakfast meeting, which included discussion of the challenges and opportunities of investing in Africa, how the UK government can better support UK-African business, and how Africa might debunk some of the myths about doing business on the continent.
Civitatis International Global Thinking Summer School
The Department has received news of an exciting opportunity!
'The Civitatis International Global Thinking Summer School will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for aspiring young leaders to examine a range of global challenges and solutions of concern to Heads of State, The Club of Rome and human civilization as a whole. The School is also great for career development and will include a session on careers and will give constructive advice on how to get a job in politics.
The questions the School will address are: How to get a job in politics? What are the Global Challenges facing humanity today? And how can the next generation of future leaders face up to these challenges and devise solutions? The format of learning will go beyond academic styles and instead engage students in a real life policy environment. This will include skills training such as formulating briefing papers in a practising think-tank environment. We will encourage students to verbally present a paper to their fellow students to give them experience of a real briefing format. Learning will be facilitated by interactive discussion rather than lectures and will help to further develop students’ career skills. There will also be the opportunity for evening social events in the City of London.
Due to numerous requests we have extended the Summer School and now have extra places available. Further information on the Global Thinking Summer School, the deadline for applications and information on how students can apply is available online at http://www.civitatis.eu/summer-school'
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.