In May voters across the UK will go to the polls. Our colleague Dr Anwen Elias is one of five experts in politics and elections who contributed to this piece in @uk.theconversation.com, identifying important issues and trends to watch for.
theconversation.com/may-election...
💻 Join our colleague Dr Elin Royles on Thursday, 23 April from 1-2pm for an online seminar "Our generation's opportunity: The Welsh Language Commission's 5 year report" hosted by the WISERD Language Network. It's free and open to all. Register via the link below ⬇️
arsyllfa.cymru/wiserd-langu...
This is a great opportunity for current students and recent graduates of the department - apply for an internship with NATO - deadline for applications is 30 April
www.nato.int/en/work-with...
The seminar series, hosted by the Folke Bernadotte Academy, brings together researchers with policymakers and practitioners. Berit and Rachel discussed their report published by the International Peace Institute. 2/2
www.ipinst.org/2026/03/loca...
On 15 April our colleague Professor Berit Bliesemann de Guevara & Rachel Julian (Leeds Beckett University) presented their work on community led unarmed civilian protection as part of a series of online seminars on the topic of the future of the protection of civilians. 1/2
fba.se/en/what-we-d...
A fascinating webinar that will include our colleague Dr Jana Wattenberg as discussant! ⬇️
Congratulations to our colleague @guttmannaviva.bsky.social whose book Operation Wrath of God has been shortlisted for the Kjetil Hatlebrekke Memorial Book Prize, awarded for research in global intelligence studies by King's Centre for the Study of Intelligence
kcsi.uk/kjetil-hatle...
Photo of a group of colourful collages on a white wall
Photo of the description of the collages: First year students were asked to engage with the method of collage in their module, Globalisation and Global Development, during a seminar on Refugee Politics. Using the prompt: how have refugees been framed? The student have addressed central themes of borders, sovereignty, securitisation, human rights, as well as issues such as belonging and identity.
Close up of four collages that use words such as 'freedom', 'gaza', 'safer space' and 'save'
Close up of several collages that include the words 'Sarajevo', 'nowhere to return to' and 'the fighting never feels far away'
This semester first year undergraduates taking Globalisation and Global Development, convened by @gillianmcfadyen.bsky.social, have been creating collages to reflect the way that refugees are framed. The collages are now on display in the entrance foyer in the Department.
A man speaks to an audience, standing in front of a screen showing photographs of swifts with the words 'giving swifts a home in the Dyfi Biosphere' is written in English and Welsh
Two people sit at a table with a vase of daffodils, in front of a screen with logos from the Dyfi Biosphere and UNESCO. A woman stands next to the table, addressing the watching audience
The topic of nature and peace was explored through fascinating and thought-provoking discussions throughout the day. Check out the blog post for links to the presentations! 1/2
🧵 In March our departmental Director of Research Professor Bliesemann de Guevara organised a workshop with the Dyfi Biosphere project to explore the connections between nature and peace - as described in this blog post. 1/2
www.dyfibiosphere.wales/post/a-voice...
Our colleague @guttmannaviva.bsky.social was recently interviewed by the US public radio station "The World" about the way that intelligence agencies are being used in the US-Israeli war against #Iran, including by hacking street cameras to prepare for assassinations.
theworld.org/segments/202...
The University of Northampton, with large sign ("University of Northampton") prominent in the foreground of the photograph
A table with a laptop, colourful pamphlets and an open cardboard storage box. Next to the table is a cart with stacks of closed cardboard storage boxes
Our colleague @equusonthebuses.bsky.social is on research leave this semester and has been spending time in @searchlightarchive.bsky.social, going through materials that cast light on British far-right attitudes towards the Middle East from the 1960s through to the 1990s.
Five smiling students wearing bright yellow Aberystwyth University t shirts stand outside the International Politics building at Aberystwyth University.
Dr Jana Wattenberg led a post conflict reconstruction workshop, ably assisted by the student ambassadors, who generally made sure that all visitors were made to feel welcome and had their questions answered. 4/4
A man stands on a stage, speaking to an audience sitting in rows of seats facing him. Also visible in the foreground is a desk with computer equipment showing the slides he is speaking about
A woman stands in a seminar room, speaking to a group of people sitting around an oval table, next to a screen with a slide projected onto it about studying politics and international relations through the medium of Welsh
Dr Alistair Shepherd & Dr Jenny Mathers gave a talk about studying in the department, while Dr Catrin Wyn Edwards met Welsh-speaking applicants & their families to tell them about studying the subject through the medium of Welsh. 3/4
A woman stands on a stage, speaking to an audience seated in front of her in rows of chairs, while behind her a photo of an iceberg in the ocean is projected onto a large screen, with the words: Greenland and the Politics of Global Order
Professor Milja Kurki gave an amazing taster lecture, demonstrating how different theoretical lenses can be applies to a contemporary issue - choosing the Trump administration's demands to control Greenland. 2/4
Racks of brochures and leaflets about studying in the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University sit on a wooden table around a small glass jug full of blooming daffodils
🧵 On Saturday, 28 March we held the third and final applicant visiting day of this application season, welcoming applicants and their friends and families to the department. 1/4
Chris's module was praised for: the module's structure and accessibility; the range of assessment & feedback opportunities; optional exercises for developing essay writing and critical thinking skills; the organisation of the reading list; and embedding learning outcomes throughout the course. 2/2
A man sits at a table covered in a purple tablecloth in front of a computer, looking at some papers and advising the student sitting opposite him
Congratulations to Dr Chris Phillips, one of this year's joint winners of the @aberuni.bsky.social annual exemplary course award. Chris's award was for his undergraduate module, Warfare since Waterloo, which is a core module for students on the military history degree. 1/2
A group of smiling students sitting in rows of seats holding tubs of popcorn, ready to watch a film
Here are Catrin's students at a film viewing about Harriet Tubman as part of their discussions on the 'underground railroad', abolition, freedom and containment. Students also analysed work on acts of escape via the Mediterranean and its 'underground seaways' today. Congratulations Catrin! 3/3
Catrin's course is a Master's module: Race, (Im)mobility, Incarceration. The panel noted areas of exemplary practice including: community ethos & student co-creation activities; seminar packs with clear guidance & additional materials; ethos of the module as part of student orientation. 2/3
🧵 This year @aberuni.bsky.social made a joint award for exemplary course design to two lecturers in the department: Catrin Wyn Edwards and Christopher Phillips. In this post we will feature Catrin's course and in a future post we will focus on Chris's course. 1/3
Gillian and Arddun conduct research with forced #migrants and host communities in #Wales, using the methods of digital storytelling and deep value conversations. They shared some preliminary findings from their research that explores the question: what does #peace in Wales mean to you? 2/2
An austere grey stone building with four columns and steps leading up to the entrance in the early morning light
🧵 On Saturday, our colleague @gillianmcfadyen.bsky.social and Dr Arddun Arwyn (Department of History and Welsh History) presented their Pathways to #Peace Project to Academi Heddwuch Cymru's annual conference, 'Building Peaceful Communities'. 1/2
Three men and a woman stand in a university building holding coffee mugs and smiling
A group of smiling students wearing bright yellow Aberystwyth University t shirts cluster around a desk waiting to welcome visitors to the department of international politics
Jana Wattenberg led a post conflict reconstruction workshop and the student ambassadors made sure all the visitors felt welcomed and had all their questions answered. 3/3
A man wearing glasses stands on a stage. Next to him a slide with the words Trade Wars and an image of shipping containers is projected onto a large screen. In front of the screen there are two chairs next to a low blue table and a vase of daffodils
A man and a woman sit on chairs on a stage next to a low table with a vase of daffodils, answering questions from the audience watching them
A man stands on a stage, talking to an audience that is out of shot. On the large screen next to him, a slide is showing asking 'what do our graduates do?' with photos of graduates of the department of international politics at aberystwyth university
A man stands outside on a university campus, with smiling students either side of him, both of them wearing bright yellow Aberystwyth University t shirts. The man is holding a brochure in Welsh about studying in the department of international politics at aberystwyth university
Haris Efstathopoulos gave a fascinating taster lecture on trade wars, Alistair Shepherd and Jenny Mathers gave an overview of studying in the department, while Huw Lewis explained how students can study in the department through the medium of Welsh. 2/3
A smiling woman student in a bright yellow Aberystwyth University t-shirt sits at a desk welcoming applicants to the department of international politics
A vase full of daffodils sits on a blue and wooden table, between English and Welsh brochures about studying in the department of international politics at Aberystwyth University
🧵 On Saturday, 21 March we welcomed applicants and their family and friends to the second of three applicant visiting days this month. 1/3
Four men and one woman sit side by side in front of a table, with notes and laptops open in front of them, ready to lead a discussion
This week's International Politics Research Seminar was a roundtable discussion led by early career researchers in the department, asking: Should International Relations take Area Studies Seriously? Insightful presentations and lively discussion followed!
Fantastic engagement from students in the Climate Governance simulation module - one of several simulation modules that we offer to our second and third year undergraduates. 🌍
Our colleague Dr Anwen Elias chairs the Innovating Democracy Advisory Group that has just produced this report "Towards a Thriving Welsh Democracy" - well worth reading by anyone with an interest in #democracy, #Wales, or both!
www.gov.wales/towards-a-th...
Our colleague @guttmannaviva.bsky.social is quoted in this @telegraph.co.uk article by @rolandoliphant.bsky.social shedding light on some of the intelligence dynamics of the US-Israeli war against Iran
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03...