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Natasha Lindstaedt

Professor, Department of Government, University of Essex
Natasha Lindstaedt is Deputy Dean (Education) (Social Sciences) and Professor in the
Department of Government at the University of Essex. Her teaching interests include International Relations and Comparative Politics, with specific interest in Development, Middle East Politics, African Politics and Latin American Politics.

She has taught MA and undergraduate courses at the University of Amsterdam, the Vrije Universiteit (VU), California State University (Long Beach), Ventura College and the College of the Canyons.

She has also served as a visiting scholar at Texas A&M and has served as the Coordinator UNISCA for the University of Amsterdam, the largest Model UN conference in the Netherlands.

Her research interests are Authoritarian Regimes, International Development, Third World Politics.

Ukraine war: how Zelensky rebuilt his relationship with Trump to turn the tables on Putin

Mar 22, 2025 05:35 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

After Donald Trumps very good and productive phone call with Vladimir Putin earlier this week, all eyes were on his subsequent call with Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Would it, when they last met in the flesh on...

How the Republicans are trying to use Trump’s revised court charges to energise the campaign

Aug 29, 2024 11:12 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

US special counsel Jack Smith has issued revised charges against former president Donald Trump for allegedly attempting to interfere in the 2020 election. This follows last months historic and widely criticised Supreme...

Global Geopolitics Series

Putin’s designs on a Baltic island are leading Sweden to prepare for war

May 27, 2024 06:53 am UTC| Insights & Views

Gotland has been a popular holiday destination for decades, but recently Swedish commander-in-chief, Mikael Bydén, claimed that Russian president Vladmir Putin has his eyes on the island. Concern was further ramped...

US under Trump Series

Trump-proofing Nato: why Europe’s current nuclear deterrents may not be enough to face biggest threats since WWII

May 02, 2024 06:00 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Though a second Trump presidency is not a foregone conclusion, Nato members are gearing up to Trump-proof the organisation and reviewing their defence strategies. Natos concerns about Trumps re-election were heightened...

Georgia is sliding towards autocracy after government moves to force through bill on ‘foreign agents’

Apr 23, 2024 08:06 am UTC| Insights & Views Law Politics

Georgias ruling party attempted to pass a controversial bill on foreign agents in March 2023. The law would have required civil society groups and the media to register as being under foreign influence if they receive...

US calls for UN vote on immediate ceasefire in Gaza – what this shift says about America’s relationship with Israel

Mar 25, 2024 05:07 am UTC| Insights & Views

The United States has significantly shifted its position on Gaza by submitting a UN security council resolution calling for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, tied to the release of the hostages kidnapped by...

US under Trump Series

Donald Trump and the ‘madman theory’ of foreign policy

Jan 26, 2024 11:02 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

With Donald Trump now looking more and more likely to be the Republican nominee for Novembers presidential election, the former president is now making the case that among other things, he would be much more effective than...

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Economy

Gold Prices Rise as Weak US Retail Sales Cut Fed Rate Hike Bets

Gold prices edged higher on Friday and headed for a weekly gain as weaker-than-expected U.S. retail sales further reduced expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in September. Spot gold rose 0.5% to $4,374.30...

S&P 500 Retreats From Record High as AI Stocks Slide, Retail Sales Disappoint

The SP 500 closed lower on Friday, retreating from its latest record high as weakness in AI-related stocks and disappointing U.S. retail sales weighed on investor sentiment. The SP 500 fell 0.17% to 7,785.76, while the...

Trump Imposes New Tariffs on Drone Imports Over US Security Concerns

President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on imported drones and drone components, citing national security concerns and the United States heavy dependence on foreign suppliers. Under a proclamation signed by Trump,...

Strait of Hormuz Shipping Near Standstill After New Vessel Attacks

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill on Friday after two more vessels were attacked, while the United States signaled it could maintain its naval blockade of Iran indefinitely. The disruption...

US Dollar Slips as Weak Retail Sales Reduce Fed Rate Hike Bets

The U.S. dollar edged lower on Friday as weaker economic data prompted traders to scale back expectations for another Federal Reserve rate hike. Despite the decline, the greenback was poised to end a two-week losing streak...

Politics

US Presses Netanyahu to Condemn West Bank Settler Siege

The United States is urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn militant Israeli settlers accused of besieging Palestinian families in Qusra, a village in the occupied West Bank, according to U.S....

Haftar Helps Broker Release of American Hostage Held by ISIS Affiliate

Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar helped broker the release of an American hostage held by an Islamic State affiliate in West Africas Sahel region, according to four sources familiar with the negotiations. Kevin...

Israeli Troops Enter Palestinian Homes as Settler Siege Grips West Bank Village

Israeli troops took positions inside Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra on Thursday as a settler siege left families trapped without electricity or water, according to the village mayor and...

Jared Kushner May Visit Israel for Gaza Talks Next Week

U.S. President Donald Trumps envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, could travel to Israel next week for talks aimed at advancing the administrations Gaza peace plan, according to a source familiar with the matter. Axios...

Albanese Says AUKUS ‘Full Steam Ahead’ After Trump Call

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the AUKUS defence pact remains full steam ahead following a lengthy phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, as Canberra also pushes Washington for a complete exemption...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Alphabet’s SpaceX Investment Soars 100-Fold to $94 Billion

Alphabets early investment in SpaceX has delivered extraordinary returns, with the Google parents stake valued at roughly $94.2 billion at the end of June. The company originally invested $900 million in Elon Musks rocket...

Stripe, Advent Reportedly Pursue $53 Billion PayPal Takeover

Stripe and private equity firm Advent International reportedly offered to acquire PayPal for $60.50 per share in July, valuing the payments company at roughly $53 billion. PayPal rejected the proposal as too low, but...

J.P. Morgan Upgrades SanDisk, Sets $2,250 Price Target on AI NAND Growth

J.P. Morgan upgraded SanDisk to Overweight from Not Rated and set a December 2027 price target of $2,250, citing stronger long-term growth prospects following the flash memory companys 2026 Investor Day in New York....

Micron Stock Upgraded to Buy as New Street Sees $2 Trillion Valuation Potential

New Street Research has upgraded Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) to a Buy rating with a $1,250 price target, arguing that the semiconductor company is entering a fundamentally different memory cycle driven largely by...

Apple Develops China-Specific AI Model With Alibaba as Apple Intelligence Launch Nears

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has reportedly developed a large language model specifically for China in collaboration with Alibaba (HK: 9988), signaling a significant shift in the iPhone makers artificial intelligence strategy...