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Dafydd Townley

Teaching Fellow in International Security, University of Portsmouth
Dr. Dafydd Townley is a a Teaching Fellow in International Security and part of theUniversity of Portsmouth's Military Education Team at RAF College Cranwell. He teaches history, politics, international relations and security studies to officer cadets int eh Royal Air Force. He was previously a Lecturer in history at the University of Reading. He has also been a visiting postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford's Rothermere American Institute.

Dr. Townley was awarded his Ph.D in 2018 at the University of Reading. His research areas include the US Congress, notably its oversight of the intelligence community and cybersecurity policy. He is author of "The Year of Intelligence in the US: Public Opinion, National Security and the 1975 Church Committee (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021" and has written per review articles about presidential elections, the intelligence community and presidential scandal.

In 2021, Dr. Townley was elected as Vice Chair of the American Politics Group (APG) UK, the major professional organisation for the researchers and teachers in the UK whose work concentrates on the government and politics of the USA.

The key takeaways from Donald Trump’s inauguration speech

Jan 21, 2025 06:36 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Donald Trump has been sworn in as president of the US for a second term and this time there wont be any arguments about crowd sizes. The most glaringly obvious difference in optics this time round for both those in...

Joe Biden’s legacy: four successes and four failures

Jan 14, 2025 05:59 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The Biden administration comes to an end on January 20. Joe Biden joins Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush on the list of single-term presidents in the modern era. So, how will the Biden presidency be...

Why Kamala Harris has a head start in the race to replace Joe Biden

Jul 23, 2024 05:59 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Joe Bidens decision to step down from the 2024 campaign is yet another significant moment in this years US election, following on from the attempted assassination of Donald Trump the previous Saturday, July 13. Not...

Trump guilty verdict: the fallout for US democracy

Jun 03, 2024 11:01 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The USs democratic reputation and institutions may have been undermined by the trial of Donald Trump, analysts said as the former president was found guilty of 34 charges. Kim Lane Scheppele, a professor at Princeton...

Global Geopolitics Series

Russia’s space weapon: anti-satellite systems are indiscriminate, posing a risk to everyone’s spacecraft

Feb 20, 2024 11:06 am UTC| Insights & Views

In a week where national security has taken centre stage in Washington, the White House confirmed on Thursday that it had evidence that Russia was developing a space-based nuclear anti satellite weapon. John Kirby, the...

US election: how a Trump victory could embolden Russia, China and Israel

Jan 15, 2024 04:15 am UTC| Politics

A potential second term as president for Donald Trump is likely to result in an America-first, America-alone foreign policy. The ramifications for the rest of the world could be huge, potentially endangering...

Global Geopolitics Series

Joe Biden to meet with Xi Jinping – what a good result looks like for the US president

Nov 13, 2023 12:17 pm UTC| Insights & Views

US president, Joe Biden, will meet Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, in San Francisco as part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) conference, which runs until November 17. Although no exact time has been set for...

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Economy

China’s AI Manufacturing Boom Masks Weak Consumer Economy, Citi Says

Chinas economy continued to show a sharp divide in May, with a booming artificial intelligence (AI)-driven manufacturing sector helping sustain growth while domestic demand remained weak, according to a recent research...

Trump Says No Hormuz Strait Tolls During 60-Day Iran Ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that no tolls will be charged for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz during the proposed 60-day interim ceasefire period with Iran. Trump also stated that no fees...

Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Index Hits New 52-Week Low; Gold Falls and Oil Mixed

Russian stocks closed flat on Saturday, with the MOEX Russia Index ending unchanged at 0.00% and touching a fresh 52-week low during trading. The lack of movement across the market reflected cautious investor sentiment,...

Oil Prices Steady as U.S.-Iran Truce Uncertainty and Middle East Tensions Keep Markets on Edge

Global oil prices stabilized on Friday, but Brent crude remained on track for a weekly decline of more than 8% as investors assessed the uncertain future of the U.S.-Iran peace agreement and ongoing geopolitical risks in...

Asian Stocks Surge as Oil Prices Fall and Strong US Dollar Weighs on Markets

Asian stock markets rallied on Friday, with Japan and South Korea reaching record highs as easing tensions in the Middle East and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices lower, reducing global inflation...

Politics

Andy Burnham Leadership Speculation May Boost FTSE 100 as Gilt Yields Rise

Andy Burnhams recent victory in the Makerfield by-election has sparked speculation about a potential future challenge to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, raising questions about the outlook for U.K. government bonds, gilt...

US Military Says Strait of Hormuz Remains Open Despite Iran Closure Claim

The U.S. military has rejected Irans claim that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed, emphasizing that one of the worlds most important oil shipping routes remains fully operational. Speaking to Reuters on Saturday, U.S....

Keir Starmer Faces Growing Pressure as Reports Suggest Possible Resignation

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting political pressure after reports emerged that he could announce plans to step down, although government officials insist he remains focused on leading the country....

Gaza Death Toll Rises as Israeli Strikes Kill Nine Amid Ceasefire Stalemate

At least nine Palestinians, including a child, were killed in separate Israeli strikes and shootings across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to local health officials, highlighting the continued violence despite an...

Zelenskiy Returns Polish Honor as WWII History Dispute Strains Ukraine-Poland Relations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has returned Polands highest state honor, the Order of the White Eagle, after Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the award over a growing dispute surrounding World War II...

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

John Jumper Leaves Google DeepMind for Anthropic Amid Intensifying AI Talent Race

John Jumper, the Google DeepMind researcher who shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking work on the AlphaFold artificial intelligence system, has announced that he is leaving Google DeepMind to join...

Trump Says Anthropic No Longer Seen as National Security Threat

U.S. President Donald Trump said he no longer views artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a national security threat, marking a significant shift from his stance just a week earlier. The comments came during an...

Meta Seeks Legal Shield From Child-Harm Lawsuits Amid KOSA Talks

Meta Platforms is reportedly lobbying U.S. lawmakers to include legal protections for social media companies in the proposed Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a move that could significantly impact thousands of lawsuits...

SpaceX Stock Slides After IPO Rally as Valuation Concerns Grow

SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) shares extended their pullback on Thursday after a remarkable post-IPO rally, as investors locked in profits and questioned the companys lofty valuation. The stock, which dropped nearly 10% earlier in...

US Raises Concerns Over Possible ASML EUV Machine Transfer to China

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has reportedly raised concerns with Dutch semiconductor equipment giant ASML regarding the possible transfer of one of its advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines to...