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Christoph Bluth

Professor of International Relations and Security, University of Bradford

My research interests are international security studies, nuclear weapons policies and the prevention of the spread of weapons of mass destruction, Cold War History. Regional expertise in Russia and Eurasia, Pakistan, Iraq, Germany, and North East Asia (especially Korea). I am involved in a Leeds University initiative on terrorism and also the Korean Research Hub (University of Leeds and Sheffield)

Prior to coming to the University of Bradford, I was Professor of International and European Studies at the University of Reading and subsequently Professor of International Studies at the University of Leeds.

While at King's College London, I worked with Sir Lawrence Freedman and Robert O'Neill on the four-nation Nuclear History Programme, before taking up a lectureship in International Relations at the University of Essex.

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine war: Vladimir Putin ups the ante on his nuclear blackmail – the big question is how the west will respond

Sep 30, 2024 02:13 am UTC| Insights & Views

Vladimir Putin has announced what appears to be a dramatic strengthening of Russias nuclear doctrine. The Russian president was responding to speculation that the west may relax its restrictions on Ukraines use of its...

Global Geopolitics Series

An Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear weapons programme is unlikely – here’s why

Apr 19, 2024 06:24 am UTC| Insights & Views

Israels prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has vowed to retaliate against Iran for the unprecedented aerial assault on April 13. He has made it clear that we will make our own decisions, and the state of Israel will do...

Global Geopolitics Series

How Iran controls a network of armed groups to pursue its regional strategy

Feb 08, 2024 12:29 pm UTC| Insights & Views

It took the US several days to respond to the January 28 attack on its military base in Jordan that killed three of its service personnel. But when it did, it hit at least 85 targets across Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon...

Global Geopolitics Series

Mongolia: squeezed between China and Russia fears 'new cold war'

Apr 05, 2023 13:27 pm UTC| Insights & Views

Mongolias prime minister, Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, recently expressed his countrys fear that the world is heading towards a new cold war as the relations between Russia and China and the west particularly Nato have...

Global Geopolitics Series

Crimea: Ukraine uses new tactics to attempt to take back strategic territory from Russia

Aug 21, 2022 17:21 pm UTC| Politics

Russian president Vladimir Putin has reportedly replaced the commander of his Black Sea fleet just three days after an attack on the Russian Saki airbase in Crimea, as Ukraines military strategy shifts towards regaining...

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine: US deploys more troops in eastern Europe -- here's how it compares with the cold war

Jul 04, 2022 16:39 pm UTC| Politics

US president Joe Biden is beefing up the US military presence in eastern Europe as a reaction to the Ukraine war. Biden plans to redeploy troops from Germany to Poland and Romania and send more destroyers to strengthen...

How Ukraine war could boost tensions between US and China over future of Taiwan

May 28, 2022 11:03 am UTC| Politics

China is becoming more repressive at home and more aggressive abroad, according to the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken. Blinken made a major statement on US foreign policy on May 26 at George Washington University....

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Economy

China Opens Door to Stronger U.S. Trade Ties Amid Rising Tensions

China has signaled a willingness to deepen economic and trade cooperation with the United States, as Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of a World Trade...

U.S. Stocks Tumble as Iran Peace Deal Uncertainty Spooks Markets

Wall Street closed sharply lower on Thursday as conflicting signals over a potential U.S.-Iran peace agreement rattled investor confidence. President Donald Trumps ambiguous remarks about whether Washington was willing or...

Oil Prices Slip as Middle East Tensions Ease, Heading for Weekly Loss

Oil prices declined during Asian trading on Friday, putting both major benchmarks on course for a weekly loss of more than 4%, as signs of diplomatic progress between the United States and Iran reduced the geopolitical...

Dollar Strengthens as U.S.-Iran Peace Talks Send Mixed Signals

The U.S. dollar gained ground on Thursday, rising 0.3% to 99.90 on the US Dollar Index, as conflicting signals surrounding U.S.-Iran peace negotiations renewed demand for safe-haven assets. Investors looking for stability...

Gold Prices Drop Amid Iran Peace Talk Uncertainty and Stronger Dollar

Gold prices fell sharply on Thursday as mixed signals from President Donald Trump regarding Iran peace negotiations rattled investors, while a strengthening U.S. dollar added further downward pressure on the precious...

Politics

Israeli Airstrike Targets Building in Beirut's Southern Suburbs Amid Ongoing Hezbollah Conflict

Early Friday morning, Israeli forces launched an airstrike involving three missiles aimed at a building located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, according to security sources familiar with the situation. Details...

Ukraine-Russia War: Frontline Updates as Spring Offensive Looms

Tensions along the Ukraine-Russia front line are escalating as both sides report territorial shifts in eastern and northeastern Ukraine. Russias Defence Ministry claimed Thursday that its forces seized the village of...

Russia Accused of Helping Iran Target U.S. Forces, European Powers Tell G7

European nations have formally accused Russia of providing military intelligence and drone technology to Iran to help target American forces in the Middle East, raising the issue directly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco...

G7 Summit 2026: South Africa Excluded Amid U.S. Pressure, Kenya Invited Instead

France has officially denied that South Africa was dropped from the G7 leaders summit guest list due to pressure from Washington, stating that Kenya was chosen as Africas representative ahead of President Emmanuel Macrons...

Trump Pauses Iran Strikes as Peace Talks Stall Amid Military Buildup

President Donald Trump announced a 10-day pause on U.S. strikes targeting Iranian energy infrastructure, pushing the deadline to April 6, 2026. Trump attributed the extension to a direct request from Tehran, though peace...

Science

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...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn

Chinas top semiconductor manufacturer, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), has reportedly been transferring chipmaking equipment to Irans military industrial complex, according to two senior Trump...

Reflection AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation in Massive $2.5 Billion Funding Round

Nvidia-backed artificial intelligence startup Reflection AI is in advanced discussions to secure $2.5 billion in fresh funding, with negotiations pointing to a staggering pre-money valuation of $25 billion, according to a...

Nanya Technology Shares Surge 10% After $2.5 Billion Private Placement from Sandisk and Cisco

Shares of Taiwan-based memory chip manufacturer Nanya Technology soared to their daily limit of 10% on Thursday morning following the companys announcement of a major $2.5 billion private placement deal backed by prominent...

SK Hynix Eyes Up to $14 Billion U.S. IPO to Fund AI Chip Expansion

South Korean memory chip giant SK Hynix has submitted a confidential filing for a U.S. stock market listing in 2026, with sources indicating the move could raise as much as $14 billion. The company intends to offer...

Meta Ties Executive Pay to Aggressive Stock Price Targets in Major Retention Push

Meta Platforms made a significant move this week by granting restricted stock units and stock options to several of its most senior leaders, including Chief Financial Officer Susan Li and Chief Technology Officer Andrew...