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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

Viksit Bharat 2026: Fiscal Muscle, Factory Revival, and the War on Speculation

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamans Union Budget 202627 pursues the Viksit Bharat vision vigorously by combining severe fiscal discipline with a huge growth push. Driven by a 7% GDP growth objective and a lowered fiscal...

IMF Forecasts Global Inflation Decline as Growth Remains Resilient

Global inflation is expected to continue its downward trend over the coming years, according to new projections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF estimates that global inflation will fall to 3.8% this...

EU Recovery Fund Faces Bottlenecks Despite Driving Digital and Green Projects

Across Spains olive groves and vineyards, sensors and drones funded by the European Unions massive post-pandemic recovery plan are collecting soil data to power AI-driven farming. These projects reflect the core ambition...

JPMorgan Lifts Gold Price Forecast to $6,300 by End-2026 on Strong Central Bank and Investor Demand

JPMorgan has raised its year-end 2026 gold price forecast to an ambitious $6,300 per ounce, reinforcing its bullish outlook on the precious metal despite recent market volatility. The bank points to sustained and...

Philippines Manufacturing PMI Hits Nine-Month High Despite Weak Confidence Outlook

The Philippines manufacturing sector showed a notable rebound at the start of the year, as the SP Global Philippines Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) climbed to a nine-month high of 52.9 in January, up from...

Politics

Medvedev Warns World Is Growing More Dangerous but Says Russia Seeks to Avoid Global Conflict

Dmitry Medvedev, Russias deputy chairman of the Security Council and a senior Kremlin security official, has warned that the global situation is becoming increasingly dangerous, while stressing that Russia does not want a...

Laura Fernandez Set to Become Costa Rica’s Next President, Promising Sweeping Political Change

Laura Fernandez is poised to become Costa Ricas next president, marking a significant political shift as she pledges to continue and deepen the populist agenda of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves. Her victory signals a...

Starmer’s China Visit Highlights Western Balancing Act Amid U.S.-China Rivalry

British Prime Minister Keir Starmers recent visit to China underscores the complex balancing act Western middle powers are attempting as rivalry between Beijing and Washington intensifies. While the trip allowed China to...

Peter Mandelson Resigns from Labour Party Amid Renewed Jeffrey Epstein Links

Former British government minister Peter Mandelson has resigned from Prime Minister Keir Starmers Labour Party following renewed media scrutiny over his past connections to disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein. The...

Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns

Japans ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is poised for a decisive victory in the upcoming lower house election, according to a new opinion poll released by the Asahi newspaper....

Science

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...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Jensen Huang Urges Taiwan Suppliers to Boost AI Chip Production Amid Surging Demand

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang praised and gently pushed Taiwans leading technology suppliers to ramp up production, highlighting the intense global demand for artificial intelligence hardware during a high-profile visit to the...

Oracle Plans $45–$50 Billion Funding Push in 2026 to Expand Cloud and AI Infrastructure

Oracle has announced plans to raise between $45 billion and $50 billion in 2026 as it accelerates the expansion of its cloud infrastructure to meet surging demand from major technology and artificial intelligence clients....

Elon Musk’s Empire: SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI Merger Talks Spark Investor Debate

Speculation around a potential Musk Inc has resurfaced as Elon Musks companiesSpaceX, Tesla, and xAIexplore closer ties amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence and automation. With SpaceX expected to go public later...

SpaceX Reports $8 Billion Profit as IPO Plans and Starlink Growth Fuel Valuation Buzz

SpaceX delivered a strong financial performance last year, generating an estimated $8 billion in profit on revenues between $15 billion and $16 billion, according to people familiar with the companys results. The figures,...

SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy to Allow AI Training as xAI Merger Talks and IPO Loom

SpaceX has revised its Starlink privacy policy to allow customer data to be used for artificial intelligence training, a move that could significantly support Elon Musks broader AI ambitions. The policy change comes as...