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Stefan Wolff

Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham
The author of eighteen books and over fifty journal articles and book chapters, Stefan Wolff is Professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham, England, UK. He is also A political scientist by background, he specialises in the management of contemporary security challenges, especially in the prevention and settlement of ethnic conflicts and civil wars, and in post-conflict reconstruction, peace-building and state-building in deeply divided and war-torn societies. He has extensive expertise in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union, and has also worked on a wide range of other conflicts elsewhere, including the Middle East, Africa, and Central, South and Southeast Asia. Bridging the divide between academia and policy-making, he has been, and is, involved in various phases of conflict settlement processes, including in Iraq, Sudan, Moldova, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Kosovo.

Ukraine summit fails to provide a path to peace for Kyiv and its allies

Jun 20, 2024 05:37 am UTC| Insights & Views

Was the the first so-called Summit on Peace in Ukraine, held in Switzerland on June 15 to 16, a failure? Certainly not, if you listen to the fairly upbeat reactions of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and his western...

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine war: $60 billion in US military aid a major morale boost but no certain path to victory

Apr 23, 2024 08:04 am UTC| Insights & Views

It took months of delays and desperate pleas from Ukraine, but the US House of Representatives has finally passed a bill authorising US$60 billion (50 billion) worth of military aid to Ukraine. The bill is still subject...

China Crisis Series

China’s new world order: looking for clues from Xi’s recent meetings with foreign leaders

Apr 22, 2024 03:31 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

There is broad consensus that Chinese foreign policy has become more assertive and more centralised in the decade since Xi Jinping has ascended to the top of Chinas leadership. This has also meant that Chinese foreign...

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine is losing the war and the west faces a stark choice

Apr 18, 2024 06:24 am UTC| Insights & Views

Ukraine is now experiencing a level of existential threat comparable only to the situation immediately after the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. But in contrast to then, improvements are unlikely at least...

Global Geopolitics Series

Moldova: Russia continues its mischief-making in breakaway Transnistria

Apr 01, 2024 11:05 am UTC| Insights & Views

In mid-February, the leader of Moldovas breakaway region of Transnistria, Vadim Krasnoselsky, summoned deputies of all levels of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. The purpose of their meeting, he announced, would be...

Ukraine war: ten years after Putin annexed Crimea, Russia’s grip on the peninsula looks shaky

Mar 18, 2024 09:03 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

It is ten years since Russia illegally annexed Crimea on March 18 2014. Subsequent efforts to firmly integrate the peninsula into the Russian Federation, however, have been far from the success story that the Kremlin often...

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine war: stakes are high for EU and Ukraine ahead of crucial European summit

Dec 12, 2023 15:59 pm UTC| Insights & Views

When the EUs heads of state and government come together in Brussels for their final European Council meeting of the year on December 14 and 15, their agenda is likely to be dominated by the war in Ukraine. As youd...

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Economy

Asian Currencies Tumble as Indian Rupee Hits Record Low Amid Oil Market Turmoil

Asian currencies came under broad pressure Friday, with the Indian rupee sliding to a historic low as global markets grappled with escalating energy disruptions tied to the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran. The selloff...

Dollar Surges to Three-Month High Amid Iran War Crisis and Energy Shock

The U.S. dollar climbed to its strongest level in over three months on Friday, marking its second consecutive weekly gain since the outbreak of war with Iran. As global markets buckled under geopolitical pressure, the...

Asian Markets Slide as U.S.-Israel-Iran Conflict Stokes Inflation Fears

Asian stock markets declined broadly on Friday, as ongoing tensions from the U.S.-Israel war on Iran continued rattling investor confidence across the region. Fears that energy-driven inflation could push the Federal...

Global EV Sales Slump in February as China Records Steepest Decline Since COVID-19

Global electric vehicle registrations dropped 11% in February, marking the second consecutive month of decline, according to data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI). Worldwide sales barely cleared one million units ...

U.S.-China Trade Talks Head to Paris as Officials Push for Balanced Economic Relations

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Paris, France, from March 15 to 16, marking a significant step in ongoing efforts to stabilize the worlds most consequential bilateral...

Politics

US Prepares Record $14 Billion Taiwan Arms Deal Pending Trump's China Visit

A landmark arms package worth approximately $14 billion is awaiting President Donald Trumps approval, potentially making it the largest weapons deal ever offered to Taiwan. According to sources briefed on the matter, the...

New Iranian Supreme Leader Reported Injured Amid Ongoing U.S.-Israel Military Campaign

President Donald Trump stated that he believes Irans newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still alive but has sustained injuries, describing him as damaged during a Fox News interview on The Brian Kilmeade...

Brazil's Top Court Blocks Trump Official's Visit to Imprisoned Bolsonaro

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has denied a request allowing Darren Beattie, a senior Trump administration official, to visit former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in prison. The decision reversed...

TSA Funding Crisis Threatens Spring Break Travel as Senate Remains Deadlocked

The U.S. Senate failed Thursday to break a political standoff over Transportation Security Administration funding, raising serious concerns about airport security disruptions during one of the busiest travel periods of the...

Toronto Police Boost Security Ahead of Al-Quds Day Rally Amid Iran War Tensions

Toronto police announced Thursday they will significantly increase their presence across the city this weekend in response to expected protests tied to the ongoing Iran war. The announcement comes ahead of a scheduled...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

ByteDance Expands AI Cloud Infrastructure Using NVIDIA Blackwell Chips in Southeast Asia

ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant behind TikTok, is reportedly building advanced cloud infrastructure powered by NVIDIAs latest Blackwell chips outside of China. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the company is...

X Agrees to Overhaul Blue Checkmark System in EU After €120 Million DSA Fine

Elon Musks social media platform X is set to revamp its verification system across the European Union after agreeing to submit remedies in response to a 120 million fine, Bloomberg News reported. The move comes after EU...

Meta Delays 'Avocado' AI Model Release After Falling Short of Rivals

Meta Platforms is pushing back the launch of a highly anticipated artificial intelligence model after internal testing revealed it couldnt keep pace with competing systems from Google and other leading tech companies. The...

Stryker Cyberattack Disrupts Operations Amid Iran-Linked Hacking Claims

Medical device giant Stryker confirmed Thursday that a cyberattack is causing significant disruption across its global operations, affecting its ability to process orders, manufacture products, and fulfill customer...

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen Steps Down After 18 Years as Company Beats Q1 Earnings

Adobe Systems announced Thursday that longtime CEO Shantanu Narayen will be stepping down after leading the company for nearly two decades, triggering a 7.2% drop in after-hours trading despite the software giant posting...