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Stefan Wolff

Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham
The author of eighteen books and over fifty journal articles and book chapters, Stefan Wolff is Professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham, England, UK. He is also A political scientist by background, he specialises in the management of contemporary security challenges, especially in the prevention and settlement of ethnic conflicts and civil wars, and in post-conflict reconstruction, peace-building and state-building in deeply divided and war-torn societies. He has extensive expertise in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union, and has also worked on a wide range of other conflicts elsewhere, including the Middle East, Africa, and Central, South and Southeast Asia. Bridging the divide between academia and policy-making, he has been, and is, involved in various phases of conflict settlement processes, including in Iraq, Sudan, Moldova, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Kosovo.

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine war: $60 billion in US military aid a major morale boost but no certain path to victory

Apr 23, 2024 08:04 am UTC| Insights & Views

It took months of delays and desperate pleas from Ukraine, but the US House of Representatives has finally passed a bill authorising US$60 billion (50 billion) worth of military aid to Ukraine. The bill is still subject...

China Crisis Series

China’s new world order: looking for clues from Xi’s recent meetings with foreign leaders

Apr 22, 2024 03:31 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

There is broad consensus that Chinese foreign policy has become more assertive and more centralised in the decade since Xi Jinping has ascended to the top of Chinas leadership. This has also meant that Chinese foreign...

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine is losing the war and the west faces a stark choice

Apr 18, 2024 06:24 am UTC| Insights & Views

Ukraine is now experiencing a level of existential threat comparable only to the situation immediately after the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. But in contrast to then, improvements are unlikely at least...

Global Geopolitics Series

Moldova: Russia continues its mischief-making in breakaway Transnistria

Apr 01, 2024 11:05 am UTC| Insights & Views

In mid-February, the leader of Moldovas breakaway region of Transnistria, Vadim Krasnoselsky, summoned deputies of all levels of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. The purpose of their meeting, he announced, would be...

Ukraine war: ten years after Putin annexed Crimea, Russia’s grip on the peninsula looks shaky

Mar 18, 2024 09:03 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

It is ten years since Russia illegally annexed Crimea on March 18 2014. Subsequent efforts to firmly integrate the peninsula into the Russian Federation, however, have been far from the success story that the Kremlin often...

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine war: stakes are high for EU and Ukraine ahead of crucial European summit

Dec 12, 2023 15:59 pm UTC| Insights & Views

When the EUs heads of state and government come together in Brussels for their final European Council meeting of the year on December 14 and 15, their agenda is likely to be dominated by the war in Ukraine. As youd...

Ukraine war: Russia's hard line at European security meeting ratchets up tensions another notch

Dec 06, 2023 07:55 am UTC| Politics

After many months of diplomatic wrangling, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was granted another lease of life at the annual ministerial council meeting last week in a messy compromise between...

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Economy

Beyond the spin, beyond the handouts, here’s how to get a handle on what’s really happening on budget night

Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, TV or news websites on budget night. The quickest way to find out what...

Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility

Ivan Vladislavić is Johannesburgs literary linkman. He tells us, in the first pages of his new book, The Near North, that before cities were lit, first by gaslight and later electricity, people of means paid torchbearers...

Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget

With Jim Chalmerss third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief beyond the tax cuts although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As this weeks consumer price...

Why is the London Stock Exchange losing out to the US

London Stock Exchange (LSE), which can trace its heritage to the coffee houses of the 17th century, is failing. The volume of shares traded is sharply declining, and some UK companies are swiftly moving to the US...

Why Germany ditched nuclear before coal – and why it won’t go back

One year ago, Germany took its last three nuclear power stations offline. When it comes to energy, few events have baffled outsiders more. In the face of climate change, calls to expedite the transition away from fossil...

Politics

Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board

To say that the Labour party is flying high in the polls is something of an understatement. But despite its consistent lead against the Tories, the opposition finds itself in a rather odd position: on the cusp of power but...

History for sale: what does South Africa’s struggle heritage mean after 30 years of democracy?

One of my favourite statues is the one of Nelson Mandela at the Sandton City shopping centre in Johannesburg. Larger than life, its oversized bronze shoes shimmer in the evening light, polished by the hands of many...

Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight

In the early hours of April 15 2023, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a Sudanese paramilitary force attacked the military airstrip in the town of Merowe and deployed troops across strategic locations in Sudans capital,...

Joe Biden Proposes Record 44.6% Capital Gains Tax in Latest Budget Plan That May Favor Cryptocurrencies

President Joe Biden has proposed raising the capital gains tax to an unprecedented 44.6% in a bold fiscal move, targeting the wealthiest Americans. This hike is part of his 2025 budget proposal to reduce income...

Turkey’s suppression of the Kurdish political movement continues to fuel a deadly armed conflict

The world has 91 democracies and 88 autocracies. Yet 71% of the worlds population (some 5.7 billion people) are living under autocratic rule, a big jump from 48% ten years ago. This trend towards authoritarianism can...

Science

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a mans home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station. The 700g,...

Peter Higgs was one of the greats of particle physics. He transformed what we know about the building blocks of the universe

Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson, has died aged 94. He was always a modest man, especially when considering that he was one of the greats of particle physics the area of...

Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time? An astronomer explains

The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST for short, is one of the most advanced telescopes ever built. Planning for JWST began over 25 years ago, and construction efforts spanned over a decade. It was launched into space on...

US media coverage of new science less likely to mention researchers with African and East Asian names

When one Chinese national recently petitioned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a permanent resident, he thought his chances were pretty good. As an accomplished biologist, he figured that news...

Technology

Traders Forecast Best Altseason Since 2017 as Bitcoin Momentum Cools

As Bitcoin stabilizes above $64,000, traders forecast a burgeoning altcoin market that may mirror the explosive growth last seen in 2017. Bitcoin Rebounds Over Weekend, Traders Anticipate Potential Altcoin...

MicroStrategy's Bold Strategy Pays Off: Stock Skyrockets Amid Bitcoin Fluctuations

Despite the cryptocurrencys volatility, MicroStrategys stock soared by an impressive 461.7% over the past year, buoyed by strategic investments in Bitcoin and innovative debt management. MicroStrategy Triumphs: Stock...

Elon Musk in Beijing to Propel Tesla's Self-Driving Tech in China

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unexpectedly visited Beijing on Sunday to discuss launching Teslas Full Self-Driving technology in China and navigate data transfer policies amidst heightened US-China trade collaborations. Elon Musk...

Bitcoin Miners See Sharp Drop in Fee Revenue Following Halving Event

Following the recent Bitcoin halving, transaction fees, which once soared, now represent just 35% of miner revenue, significantly impacting their earnings amidst stable network conditions. Bitcoin Halving Sees Miner...

Adidas and Stepn Unveil NFT Sneakers in Trailblazing Web3 Partnership

Adidas has partnered with the Solana-based fitness app Stepn to launch an exclusive NFT sneaker collection, signaling the sports giants further dive into the Web3 space. Adidas Steps Into Web3 with Stepn Collaboration,...