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Dafydd Townley

Teaching Fellow in International Security, University of Portsmouth
Dr. Dafydd Townley is a a Teaching Fellow in International Security and part of theUniversity of Portsmouth's Military Education Team at RAF College Cranwell. He teaches history, politics, international relations and security studies to officer cadets int eh Royal Air Force. He was previously a Lecturer in history at the University of Reading. He has also been a visiting postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford's Rothermere American Institute.

Dr. Townley was awarded his Ph.D in 2018 at the University of Reading. His research areas include the US Congress, notably its oversight of the intelligence community and cybersecurity policy. He is author of "The Year of Intelligence in the US: Public Opinion, National Security and the 1975 Church Committee (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021" and has written per review articles about presidential elections, the intelligence community and presidential scandal.

In 2021, Dr. Townley was elected as Vice Chair of the American Politics Group (APG) UK, the major professional organisation for the researchers and teachers in the UK whose work concentrates on the government and politics of the USA.

The key takeaways from Donald Trump’s inauguration speech

Jan 21, 2025 06:36 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Donald Trump has been sworn in as president of the US for a second term and this time there wont be any arguments about crowd sizes. The most glaringly obvious difference in optics this time round for both those in...

Joe Biden’s legacy: four successes and four failures

Jan 14, 2025 05:59 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The Biden administration comes to an end on January 20. Joe Biden joins Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush on the list of single-term presidents in the modern era. So, how will the Biden presidency be...

Why Kamala Harris has a head start in the race to replace Joe Biden

Jul 23, 2024 05:59 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Joe Bidens decision to step down from the 2024 campaign is yet another significant moment in this years US election, following on from the attempted assassination of Donald Trump the previous Saturday, July 13. Not...

Trump guilty verdict: the fallout for US democracy

Jun 03, 2024 11:01 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The USs democratic reputation and institutions may have been undermined by the trial of Donald Trump, analysts said as the former president was found guilty of 34 charges. Kim Lane Scheppele, a professor at Princeton...

Global Geopolitics Series

Russia’s space weapon: anti-satellite systems are indiscriminate, posing a risk to everyone’s spacecraft

Feb 20, 2024 11:06 am UTC| Insights & Views

In a week where national security has taken centre stage in Washington, the White House confirmed on Thursday that it had evidence that Russia was developing a space-based nuclear anti satellite weapon. John Kirby, the...

US election: how a Trump victory could embolden Russia, China and Israel

Jan 15, 2024 04:15 am UTC| Politics

A potential second term as president for Donald Trump is likely to result in an America-first, America-alone foreign policy. The ramifications for the rest of the world could be huge, potentially endangering...

Global Geopolitics Series

Joe Biden to meet with Xi Jinping – what a good result looks like for the US president

Nov 13, 2023 12:17 pm UTC| Insights & Views

US president, Joe Biden, will meet Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, in San Francisco as part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) conference, which runs until November 17. Although no exact time has been set for...

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Economy

Gold Prices Edge Higher as Markets Await Key U.S. PCE Inflation Data

Gold prices moved higher in Asian trading on Friday, supported by a weakening U.S. dollar and strong expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its upcoming December 910 meeting. Spot gold rose 0.5%...

Asia’s IPO Market Set for Strong Growth as China and India Drive Investor Diversification

Asias equity capital markets are poised for another strong year as a surge of high-profile IPOs from China and India attracts global investors seeking diversification beyond U.S. assets. In 2025, Asian ECM...

Spain’s Industrial Output Records Steady Growth in October Amid Revised September Figures

Spains industrial sector posted a moderate yet encouraging rise in October, with industrial output increasing 1.2% compared to the same month last year, according to new data released by the National Statistics Institute...

European Stocks Rise as Markets Await Key U.S. Inflation Data

European stock markets edged higher on Friday as investors looked ahead to the delayed release of the Federal Reserves preferred inflation metric, a key indicator ahead of next weeks policy meeting. By early European...

European Oil & Gas Stocks Face 2026 With Cautious Outlook Amid Valuation Pressure

European oil and gas equities are entering 2026 on a more cautious footing as J.P. Morgans latest EU Oils Outlook highlights tightening valuations and growing concerns over a projected global oil oversupply. Despite Brent...

Politics

Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns

Taiwans political landscape heated up after the government announced a plan to suspend access to the Chinese social media platform Rednoteknown as Xiaohongshufor one year. The interior ministry said the proposed ban stems...

China’s Expanding Maritime Military Presence Alarms Taiwan and Japan

Taiwan and Japan expressed growing concern on Friday over Chinas expanding military activity across East Asian waters, following a Reuters report revealing Beijings largest maritime deployment to date. According to...

Honduras Election Turmoil Intensifies as Nasralla Blames Trump for Shift in Results

Honduran presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla says last-minute interference by former U.S. President Donald Trump undermined his chances in the countrys tightly contested election. Speaking with Reuters, Nasralla, a...

Australia and Japan Strengthen Defence Cooperation Amid Rising Regional Tensions

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles will travel to Japan on Saturday for high-level defence talks with his counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, as both nations deepen security cooperation in response to growing regional...

U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed federal law enforcement agencies to significantly ramp up investigations into the antifa movement and other groups deemed potential domestic extremist threats, according to an...

Science

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...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

EU Prepares Antitrust Probe Into Meta’s AI Integration on WhatsApp

The European Commission is reportedly preparing to launch a new antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) over the companys recent rollout of artificial intelligence features within WhatsApp....

Sam Altman Reportedly Explored Funding for Rocket Venture in Potential Challenge to SpaceX

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly explored raising significant capital to acquire or partner with a rocket company, a move that could have created direct competition with Elon Musks SpaceX. According to a report from the...

Wikipedia Pushes for AI Licensing Deals as Jimmy Wales Calls for Fair Compensation

Wikipedia is seeking additional licensing deals with major technology companies to address the growing financial burden caused by artificial intelligence firms heavily scraping its platform, according to co-founder Jimmy...

Firelight Launches as First XRP Staking Platform on Flare, Introduces DeFi Cover Feature

Firelight reaches 25M XRP deposit cap within hours of launch; ushers in a new era for decentralized XRP staking. A new XRP staking platform, Firelight, has officially launched on the Flare blockchain, marking the first...

OpenAI Moves to Acquire Neptune as It Expands AI Training Capabilities

OpenAI has confirmed plans to acquire Neptune, a startup known for its advanced tools that help companies track, monitor, and optimize AI model training workflows. Although the company did not release the financial details...