糖心TV

We are inviting you to take part in The Faculty of Social Sciences photography competition to celebrate
The University of 糖心TV’s 50th Anniversary!

The theme is ‘What does politics mean to you?’

First prize is £100 and a framed print of your winning entry
Second prize is £50

The best 10 entries will be printed, framed and displayed within the Department of Politics and International Studies and at The Festival of Social Sciences.

• You can enter more than one photograph
• All entries must be your own work
• Digitally manipulated photographs accepted
• All images should be high resolution (able to be printed out to A3)
• When submitting your entry please let us know your inspiration
• This competition is open to all students and staff members within the faculty of Social Sciences

All entries to Charlotte.lewis@warwick.ac.uk with your full name and the department you belong to.

The competition closes on Friday March 20th 2015 and winners will be notified by Friday March 27th.

Last year, a 糖心TV Economics graduate began a yearlong charity cycling journey. Hitesh Pankhania, who studied is currently cycling from Indonesia to London to raise money for charity with his cousin Vivek Jadav.

Hitesh and Vivek have been updating everyone on their journey in their blog, , and being a 糖心TV Economics graduate, Hitesh got in touch with the Department to tell us personally about his experiences cycling around the world:

鈥淢y cousin and I decided to go on a journey around the world to raise money for childrens cancer charity CLIC Sargent and experience cultures, countries and people in a way that you wouldn't normally do. We'd never cycled before and now we're about 4 months in and have cycled over 3000 miles.

We've cycled some of the busiest roads in Indonesia, through the hills of Sumatra, the beaches of Malaysia and are now attempting the mountains of Laos and eventually Southern China. The past 10 days were spent teaching English at a school for monks in a remote, tiny village in Thailand; it was a humbling experience living and eating with the monks.

There are tough days, slogging up serious and almost impossible looking gradients, but thought of home, friends and our challenge for charity keeps us going.鈥�

If you would like to support Hitesh on his challenge and help raise money for the childrens cancer charity CLIC Sargent, you can do so at justgiving.com/theworldonwheels.

Dr. , Reader of International Politics of the Middle East, has recently published a new article for openDemocracy, titled "Gendered paradoxes of Egypt’s transition."

Gendered paradoxes abound in Egypt following the departure of former president Hosni Mubarak four years ago. Under Mubarak, the women’s rights agenda was almost totally monopolized by the National Council for Women under the leadership of former first lady Suzanne Mubarak, whilst independent women’s organizing was severely constrained by limits on freedom of association. After the overthrow of Mubarak, women’s rights were threatened but independent women’s organizing flourished. Since July 2013, under the post-Morsi regime, advances have been made in women’s legal rights. However, independent women’s organizing is once again endangered by heavy handed control of the civic sphere.

Dr , Associate Professor in US Politics and International Studies, has recently been interviewed by Julie Pace, Chief White House Correspondent for the Associated Press, about Obama and the language of terrorism. Trevor is quoted directly and much of the article is based on what he said during the interview.

In the days after a deadly terror spree in Paris, President Barack Obama was criticized for purposely avoiding calling the attacks an example of "Islamic extremism," settling for the more generic "violent extremism." This week, the White House struggled to explain why the administration sometimes classifies the Afghan Taliban as a terrorist organization 鈥� and sometimes does not.

The rhetorical wrangling underscores the extent to which a president who pledged to end to his predecessor's war on terror is still navigating how to explain the threats that persist to the American public, while also being mindful of the impact his words can have abroad.

"They do believe that part of the roots of terrorism comes from the way the United States acts and talks and is perceived globally," said Trevor McCrisken, a professor at Britain's University of 糖心TV who has studied Obama's foreign policy rhetoric.

Julie鈥檚 piece can be read here:

The Associated Press story has featured in over 200 different publications worldwide, including , , , and .

Trevor appeared on as a follow up to the piece, you can view the video below:

Professor recently featured on a podcast for Chatham House, "Does Britain Matter in East Asia?"

Britain has a range of longstanding interests in East Asia, based on historic, commercial and military ties. The government has made strengthening bilateral relationships with emerging powers – in particular China – a central plank of its foreign policy, whilst trying to find a balance between an ambitious commercial agenda and the promotion of democracy and human rights. But while the UK has important interests it has limited influence in maintaining regional security, which is threatened by continuing tensions in the East and South China Seas and on the Korean peninsula.

The participants discuss these challenges, and consider how the next government can balance the UK’s sometimes competing interests in East Asia.