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Christoph Bluth

Professor of International Relations and Security, University of Bradford

My research interests are international security studies, nuclear weapons policies and the prevention of the spread of weapons of mass destruction, Cold War History. Regional expertise in Russia and Eurasia, Pakistan, Iraq, Germany, and North East Asia (especially Korea). I am involved in a Leeds University initiative on terrorism and also the Korean Research Hub (University of Leeds and Sheffield)

Prior to coming to the University of Bradford, I was Professor of International and European Studies at the University of Reading and subsequently Professor of International Studies at the University of Leeds.

While at King's College London, I worked with Sir Lawrence Freedman and Robert O'Neill on the four-nation Nuclear History Programme, before taking up a lectureship in International Relations at the University of Essex.

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine war: Vladimir Putin ups the ante on his nuclear blackmail – the big question is how the west will respond

Sep 30, 2024 02:13 am UTC| Insights & Views

Vladimir Putin has announced what appears to be a dramatic strengthening of Russias nuclear doctrine. The Russian president was responding to speculation that the west may relax its restrictions on Ukraines use of its...

Global Geopolitics Series

An Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear weapons programme is unlikely – here’s why

Apr 19, 2024 06:24 am UTC| Insights & Views

Israels prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has vowed to retaliate against Iran for the unprecedented aerial assault on April 13. He has made it clear that we will make our own decisions, and the state of Israel will do...

Global Geopolitics Series

How Iran controls a network of armed groups to pursue its regional strategy

Feb 08, 2024 12:29 pm UTC| Insights & Views

It took the US several days to respond to the January 28 attack on its military base in Jordan that killed three of its service personnel. But when it did, it hit at least 85 targets across Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon...

Global Geopolitics Series

Mongolia: squeezed between China and Russia fears 'new cold war'

Apr 05, 2023 13:27 pm UTC| Insights & Views

Mongolias prime minister, Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, recently expressed his countrys fear that the world is heading towards a new cold war as the relations between Russia and China and the west particularly Nato have...

Global Geopolitics Series

Crimea: Ukraine uses new tactics to attempt to take back strategic territory from Russia

Aug 21, 2022 17:21 pm UTC| Politics

Russian president Vladimir Putin has reportedly replaced the commander of his Black Sea fleet just three days after an attack on the Russian Saki airbase in Crimea, as Ukraines military strategy shifts towards regaining...

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine: US deploys more troops in eastern Europe -- here's how it compares with the cold war

Jul 04, 2022 16:39 pm UTC| Politics

US president Joe Biden is beefing up the US military presence in eastern Europe as a reaction to the Ukraine war. Biden plans to redeploy troops from Germany to Poland and Romania and send more destroyers to strengthen...

How Ukraine war could boost tensions between US and China over future of Taiwan

May 28, 2022 11:03 am UTC| Politics

China is becoming more repressive at home and more aggressive abroad, according to the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken. Blinken made a major statement on US foreign policy on May 26 at George Washington University....

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Economy

RBI Cuts Repo Rate to 5.25% as Inflation Cools and Growth Outlook Strengthens

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) delivered a widely expected 25-basis-point cut to its key repo rate on Friday, lowering it from 5.50% to 5.25% as policymakers moved to support economic growth amid easing inflation. The...

Asian Markets Mixed as RBI Cuts Rates and BOJ Signals Possible Hike

Asian stock markets traded mixed on Friday as investors assessed contrasting signals from major central banks, while most regional indexes held steady ahead of key U.S. inflation data. Market sentiment was shaped by Indias...

Asian Currencies Edge Higher as Markets Look to Fed Rate Cut; Rupee Steadies Near Record Lows

Asian currencies strengthened slightly on Friday as traders grew more confident that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week. The US Dollar Index slipped 0.1% in Asian hours, hovering near a one-month...

Oil Prices Hold Steady as Ukraine Tensions and Fed Cut Expectations Support Market

Oil prices traded mostly steady in Asia on Friday, holding on to gains from the previous session as geopolitical uncertainty and growing expectations of a U.S. Federal Reserve rate cut continued to support sentiment. As of...

BOJ Faces Pressure for Clarity, but Neutral Rate Estimates Likely to Stay Vague

Investors hoping the Bank of Japan will reveal clearer guidance on how high interest rates might rise may be disappointed, according to several former BOJ officials. Governor Kazuo Uedas recent hawkish tone has pushed...

Politics

Cuba Reaffirms Anti-Drug Cooperation as Tensions Rise in the Caribbean

Cuban authorities announced that the island is intensifying its fight against narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean, emphasizing ongoing cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard despite heightened political tensions and an...

Drones Spotted Near Zelenskiy’s Flight Path in Ireland Trigger Security Alert

An Irish naval vessel detected as many as five drones operating close to the flight path of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiys aircraft as he arrived in Ireland for a state visit, according to local media reports on...

Australia Progresses AUKUS Review as U.S. Affirms Strong Support

Australia is moving forward with the newly received United States review of the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine partnership, signalling renewed confidence in the trilateral defence pact with the U.S. and the United...

Trump Administration Tightens H-1B Visa Vetting With New Focus on Free Speech and Censorship

The Trump administration has introduced stricter vetting measures for H-1B visa applicants, targeting professionals in highly skilled fields often recruited by major U.S. tech companies. According to an internal State...

China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to direct his focus toward revitalizing Chinas weakening economy rather than pursuing territorial expansion, highlighting widening economic contrasts...

Science

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

EU Prepares Antitrust Probe Into Meta’s AI Integration on WhatsApp

The European Commission is reportedly preparing to launch a new antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) over the companys recent rollout of artificial intelligence features within WhatsApp....

Sam Altman Reportedly Explored Funding for Rocket Venture in Potential Challenge to SpaceX

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly explored raising significant capital to acquire or partner with a rocket company, a move that could have created direct competition with Elon Musks SpaceX. According to a report from the...

Wikipedia Pushes for AI Licensing Deals as Jimmy Wales Calls for Fair Compensation

Wikipedia is seeking additional licensing deals with major technology companies to address the growing financial burden caused by artificial intelligence firms heavily scraping its platform, according to co-founder Jimmy...

Firelight Launches as First XRP Staking Platform on Flare, Introduces DeFi Cover Feature

Firelight reaches 25M XRP deposit cap within hours of launch; ushers in a new era for decentralized XRP staking. A new XRP staking platform, Firelight, has officially launched on the Flare blockchain, marking the first...

OpenAI Moves to Acquire Neptune as It Expands AI Training Capabilities

OpenAI has confirmed plans to acquire Neptune, a startup known for its advanced tools that help companies track, monitor, and optimize AI model training workflows. Although the company did not release the financial details...