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Mon, May 13, 2024 04:50 PM All times are UTC

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Simon Mabon

Lecturer in International Relations, Lancaster University
My research interests fall within the International Relations of the Middle East and are driven by the interaction of three themes: Religion and Legitimacy; Contested Sovereignty; and Political Violence. I am especially interested in the following areas:

Islam, the state and umma
'Soft power' security dilemmas
Gulf politics
Internal-external security dilemmas
Re-conceptualising sovereignty
Irredentist and secessionist movements
Gulf security
Hizballah
The Internet and 'cyber sovereignty'

Jordan has long been a beacon of stability in the Middle East – but that looks to be changing

Apr 26, 2024 01:30 am UTC| Insights & Views

Sat in the Wadi Araba in the baking midday sun, senior Jordanian officials and their Israeli counterparts signed a historic peace agreement in 1994 that ended decades of conflict between the two states. Witnessed by the...

Global Geopolitics Series

Israel-Gaza conflict: how could it change the Middle East's political landscape? Expert Q&A

Oct 12, 2023 07:27 am UTC| Insights & Views

The surprise attack by Hamas launched on Israel on October 7 has already led to thousands of deaths in both Israel and Gaza, and sparked concerns that the conflict could escalate across the Middle East. An expert in the...

Economy

What should you do if you can’t pay your rent or mortgage?

The cost of living crisis is making it difficult for many people to pay their bills, including housing costs. Private sector rents have increased by an average 9% over the year to February 2024, and rising interest rates...

Some experts say the US economy is on the up, but here’s why voters don’t think so

Many Americans are gloomy about the economy, despite some data saying it is improving. The Economist even took this discussion to TikTok. When its US editor John Prideaux examined inflation, wage and employment numbers,...

Electric air taxis are on the way – quiet eVTOLs may be flying passengers as early as 2025

Imagine a future with nearly silent air taxis flying above traffic jams and navigating between skyscrapers and suburban droneports. Transportation arrives at the touch of your smartphone and with minimal environmental...

Electricity from farm waste: how biogas could help Malawians with no power

In sub-Saharan Africa, over 600 million people (more than 50% of the population) are without access to electricity. Malawi has one of the worlds lowest electricity access rates just 14.1% of the total population have...

High interest rates aren’t going away anytime soon – a business economist explains why

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at its May 1, 2024, policy meeting, dashing the hopes of potential homebuyers and others who were hoping for a cut. Not only will rates remain at their current level a...

Politics

Donald Trump Allegedly Offers Oil Execs a Deal to Scrap EV Incentives for $1B Donation

Former President Donald Trump reportedly proposed a $1 billion deal to oil executives, offering to end electric vehicle (EV) subsidies in return for campaign funding, according to The Washington Post. This move underscores...

Taiwan is experiencing millions of cyberattacks every day

Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety of grey zone tactics to pressure...

What the Supreme Court is doing right in considering Trump’s immunity case

Following the nearly three-hour oral argument about presidential immunity in the Supreme Court on April 25, 2024, many commentators were aghast. The general theme, among legal and political experts alike, was a...

US student Gaza protests: five things that have been missed

Coverage of the recent student encampments at more than 50 universities across the United States has focused on confrontations between opposing groups of protesters or between protesters and police. The spectacle of...

Will Solomon Islands’ new leader stay close to China?

Former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele has been elected the next prime minister of Solomon Islands, defeating the opposition leader, Matthew Wale, in a vote in parliament. The result is a mixed bag for former prime...

Science

IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects

About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Created during the Big Bang, these relic neutrinos exist throughout the entire universe, but they cant harm you. In fact, only one of them is...

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

Dark matter: our new experiment aims to turn the ghostly substance into actual light

A ghost is haunting our universe. This has been known in astronomy and cosmology for decades. Observations suggest that about 85% of all the matter in the universe is mysterious and invisible. These two qualities are...

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,...

Technology

Japanese Firm Metaplanet Buys 117 BTC, Diversifies Reserve Amid Yen Drop

Amid a weakening yen, Metaplanet, a Japanese investment giant, has strategically shifted to Bitcoin, purchasing 117.7 BTC worth $7.2 million. This move aligns with their new treasury strategy to bolster economic resilience...

CNBC’s Ran Neuner Reveals Personal Picks for Crypto Portfolio

CNBCs Ran Neuner has shared his new cryptocurrency investments, choosing XRP, TON, and, notably, Solana. Highlighting each for its unique potential in the evolving crypto market, Neuners selections spotlight technological...

Philippines Tests Peso-Backed Stablecoin, Eyes Future Financial Innovations

In a groundbreaking initiative, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has commenced sandbox testing for the PHPC, a stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the Philippine peso. This pilot, a collaboration with Coins.ph, aims to evaluate the...

El Salvador Launches $360M Bitcoin Treasury Monitoring Site

El Salvador was the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal cash in 2021, and it now has over 5,700 BTC. Details of El Salvadors Bitcoin Monitoring Platform El Salvador has developed its proof-of-reserves website,...

U.S. and China Convene in Geneva to Tackle AI Risks

Geneva will witness significant discussions between U.S. and Chinese representatives focusing on the escalating risks associated with artificial intelligence technologies, highlighting the critical need for cooperation to...