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David White

Lecturer in Politics, Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies, University of Birmingham

I have been a member of Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies since 2000, formerly as a PhD student and, since 2003 as a member of the academic staff.

My broad research interests are in the dynamics between power and opposition in authoritarian and semi-authoritarian regimes, democratisation in contemporary Europe and Russian domestic politics, particularly the evolution of the party system and specifically the development of the liberal-democratic and opposition forces.

My most recent research project, funded by the ESRC, analysed political opposition strategies to the Medvedev-Putin regime and involved two periods of fieldwork in Moscow involving interviews with leading opposition actors, party and civil society activists and political analysts. Given the unprecedented opposition protests in Russia following the parliamentary elections of December 2011, such research is certainly timely. In April 2013 I was awarded a small British Academy to continue this research.

Combined with my earlier PhD research on the Yabloko party I have developed a network of contacts with the Russian democratic opposition (broadly defined). Today's opposition, of course, may be tomorrow's political leaders, even in an electoral authoritarian system such as Russia!

Russia's World Cup was a success – now normal service resumes

Jul 17, 2018 14:39 pm UTC| Insights & Views Sports

That was a great World Cup, wasnt it? It had memorable matches played in magnificent stadia, great goals and plenty of shocks. In Russia, the success of the much-derided national team was an unexpected treat for the host...

Economy

EUR/USD Eyes 1.17 as Fed Decision Could Weigh on Dollar

EUR/USD could climb back toward its summer highs near 1.17 if next weeks Federal Reserve decision sparks a sell the news reaction in the U.S. dollar, according to Citi strategists. However, geopolitical tensions and...

Central Banks Could Buy 20,000 Tonnes of Gold: BofA

Central banks may have significant capacity to continue buying gold even after several years of record demand, according to Bank of America (BofA). The bank estimates that institutions currently underweight in gold could...

UK Businesses Urge Government to Cut Electricity Levies

British businesses are pressing the government to remove levies from electricity bills as high energy costs put increasing pressure on energy-intensive sectors such as steel, chemicals and manufacturing, Bloomberg reported...

UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July, Beating Forecasts

Britains economy expanded by a stronger-than-expected 0.4% in July, maintaining solid momentum from the first half of 2026 despite economic pressures linked to the U.S.-Iran war, according to data released Friday by the...

US Treasury Yields Near 5% as Oil Fuels Inflation Fears

Global bond markets came under heavy selling pressure on Friday, pushing the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield close to the critical 5% threshold as soaring oil prices and expectations for higher interest rates intensified...

Politics

Sweden Election Puts Far Right and Centre Left in Tight Race

Swedish voters head to the polls on Sunday in a closely contested parliamentary election that could either bring the far-right Sweden Democrats into government for the first time or return the country to centre-left...

Russian Strikes Across Ukraine Kill Nine, Injure Dozens

Russian air strikes across multiple Ukrainian regions killed at least nine people and injured dozens on Saturday, damaging homes, businesses and critical infrastructure as attacks intensified away from the front lines....

Ukraine Prepares for October Peace Talks With Russia and US

Ukraine is preparing for a possible resumption of trilateral peace talks with Russia and the United States in October as diplomatic efforts to end the more than four-and-a-half-year war regain momentum. Kyrylo Budanov,...

Trump Backs United Ireland During Dublin Visit

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would love to see Northern Ireland unite with Ireland, breaking with the traditionally neutral position taken by previous U.S. presidents on the politically sensitive issue. Speaking...

BRICS Calls for Restraint as Middle East War Escalates

BRICS leaders unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration on Saturday, expressing deep concern over escalating tensions in the Middle East and calling for maximum restraint as fighting between the United States and Iran...

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

Hyundai Delays In-House ADAS, Turns to Nvidia

Hyundai Motor Group plans to introduce vehicles running its proprietary driver-assistance software in late 2029, delaying the technology by about two years as the South Korean automaker expands its partnership with Nvidia....

SpaceX Nasdaq 100 Weight Set to More Than Double

SpaceX is poised to receive a substantially larger weighting in the Nasdaq 100 later this month, potentially driving billions of dollars in purchases by passive investment funds that track the technology-heavy index....

Meta’s AI Shopping Push Grows as Agentic Commerce Remains Below 1%

Agentic commerce still accounts for less than 1% of overall e-commerce activity, despite a wave of new AI shopping agents from Meta, Anthropic and other technology companies. Meta this week launched Muse, a personal AI...

OpenAI Rules Out 2026 IPO as Altman Prioritizes AI Safety

OpenAI will not pursue an initial public offering in 2026 as the artificial intelligence company focuses on mounting safety and alignment challenges, CEO Sam Altman said in an interview with Fortune published Saturday....

OpenAI Agents Linked to RubyGems Cyberattack

OpenAIs AI agents were involved in a previously undisclosed cyber incident that disrupted RubyGems, a widely used software package distribution service, in May, according to a Wall Street Journal report. OpenAI confirmed...