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William Watkin

Professor of Contemporary Philosophy and Literature, Brunel University London

I am one of the leading experts on contemporary, continental philosophy in particular as regards how it relates to contemporary political situations. I specialise in the work of Agamben, Badiou, Derrida, Foucault, and Deleuze. I also work extensively on violence, conflict, terrorism, world politics and technology.

I teach a course on violence at Brunel University specialising in issues of capital punishment, technology, terrorism, surveillance and control. I have recently published articles in the media on ISIS decapitations and on the crisis in capital punishment in the US.

I have also published academic work on violence, for example: “Agamben, Benjamin and the Indifference of Violence” in Towards a Critique of Violence: Benjamin and Agamben. London: Bloomsbury, July 2015.

I am currently working with my agent on a book about the way digital technology has changed our relationship towards violence and death. Provisionally entitled "Snuff" it stretches from the use of social media to develop an intimate digital relationship with images of extreme violence, to the way digital technologies such as drones distances us from acts of war making them seem no more real than video games.

Briferendum Series

Referendum petition hack shows even democracy can be trolled

Jun 30, 2016 13:09 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The electronic petition submitted to parliament calling for a second referendum on Britains exit from the European Union is a notable development in digital democracy. The number of signatories has passed 4m how many will...

Tracking criminals' biodata is another step towards constant surveillance for us all

Jun 16, 2016 15:42 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

For some convicted criminals, punishment doesnt end when theyre released from prison. Thanks to new electronic tags, parole officers in the US can monitor recently released prisoners 24 hours a day. These dont just check...

Lethal injections and the tragedy of America's execution addiction

Jun 03, 2016 08:19 am UTC| Insights & Views Life Law

It began in Utah back in 1977. On January 17 of that year, Gary Gilmore became the first man to be executed in the US for more than a decade, ending a national moratorium on the death penalty. Gilmore, guilty of murdering...

Economy

BCA Research Warns U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Could Collapse, Maintains Cautious Equity Outlook

BCA Research is cautiously optimistic about the recently announced U.S.-Iran ceasefire but is warning investors that the truce remains highly unstable. The firms chief geopolitical strategist, Matt Gertken, puts the odds...

U.S. Natural Gas Market Faces Short-Term Pressure but Long-Term Demand Surge

Wall Street analysts remain divided on the U.S. natural gas outlook, citing near-term price weakness alongside robust long-term demand fundamentals driven by LNG exports and growing global power consumption. Benchmark...

Chinese Brands Are Taking Over Brazil — And It's Just Getting Started

Chinese businesses are making bold moves into Brazil, marking a significant shift in how China is expanding its global footprint. Leading the charge is Mixue, the ice cream and beverage giant that already operates more...

Bank of America Maintains Forecast for Two Fed Rate Cuts in 2026 Despite Inflation Risks

Bank of America is holding firm on its prediction that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates twice in 2026, even as inflation concerns linger. In a note to clients, U.S. economist Aditya Bhave outlined why the bank...

Trump Claims Oil Tankers Heading to U.S. Amid Iran War and Strait of Hormuz Crisis

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that a large number of empty oil tankers are currently sailing toward the United States, intending to load American crude oil and natural gas. Trump made the claim via Truth...

Politics

U.S.-Iran Peace Talks in Islamabad Pause With Key Differences Unresolved

High-stakes diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Iran wrapped up in Islamabad, Pakistan on Sunday after roughly 14 hours of intense discussion, marking the first direct engagement between the two nations...

Islamabad at a Standstill as U.S.-Iran Peace Talks Take Center Stage

Islamabad has been transformed into a virtual ghost town as high-stakes direct negotiations between the United States and Iran got underway for the first time in years. Pakistani authorities imposed a citywide lockdown,...

Costa Rica Receives First Wave of U.S.-Deported Migrants Under New Bilateral Agreement

Costa Rica officially welcomed its first group of U.S.-deported migrants on Saturday, marking a significant milestone in a bilateral deportation agreement signed between the two nations in March. The group comprised 25...

U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Resume in Islamabad Amid Strait of Hormuz Standoff

High-stakes diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Iran entered their second day in Islamabad on Sunday, with both sides still far apart on key issues particularly American demands over the Strait of...

Trump Warns China Over Iran Arms as Diplomatic Talks Intensify

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to China on Sunday, cautioning that Beijing would face serious consequences if it were to supply weapons to Iran. The statement, delivered to reporters outside the White...

Science

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...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

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...

Technology

OpenAI Addresses Security Vulnerability in macOS App Certification Process

OpenAI disclosed a security concern on Friday involving a third-party developer tool known as Axios, which is connected to the process used to verify the authenticity of its macOS applications. The company confirmed it has...

San Francisco Suspect Arrested After Molotov Cocktail Attack on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Home

San Francisco police arrested a 20-year-old suspect Friday following a pre-dawn attack on OpenAI CEO Sam Altmans residence in the citys North Beach neighborhood. According to the San Francisco Police Department, an...

SanDisk Joins Nasdaq-100, Replacing Atlassian on April 20

Nasdaq Inc. confirmed late Friday that SanDisk Corporation will enter the Nasdaq-100 Index, taking the spot previously held by Atlassian Corp Plc when markets open on Monday, April 20, 2026. The change signals a broader...

TSMC Posts Strong Q1 2025 Revenue, Riding AI Chip Demand Wave

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the worlds leading contract chipmaker, has reported first-quarter revenue of T$1.134 trillion (approximately $35.71 billion USD), surpassing analyst expectations and...

Lumentum Holdings Rides AI Wave With Order Book Filled Through 2028

Lumentum Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: LITE) is experiencing a surge in demand from the artificial intelligence sector, with its order pipeline now fully booked through 2028, according to a Bloomberg report published Thursday. The...