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Theo Neethling

Theo Neethling

Professor and Head: Political Studies and Governance in the Humanities Faculty, University of the Free State

Theo Neethling has held the position of Professor and Head of the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State since 1 April 2009. He obtained his MA degree in 1989 from the Potchefstroom University (currently North-West University) and his DLitt et Phil in 1992 from the University of South Africa, both in the field of International Politics. After serving in the former Department of Constitutional Development in Pretoria, he joined the Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy) of Stellenbosch University. In this regard, he served as a senior researcher in the Centre for Military Studies. In 2002 he was appointed as Associate Professor of Political Science in the Department of Political Science (Mil.) and promoted to Professor of Political Science in 2005. He served as Chair of the Department of Political Science (Mil.) in the Faculty of Military Science from 2003 to early-2009, until he moved to the University of the Free State.
Prof. Neethling is the author (and co-author in a few instances) of more than 115 publicised outputs in scientific and popular scientific publications, including 45 articles in accredited (listed) academic journals and seventeen chapters to scholarly book publications. These publications appeared in South Africa, Australia, Germany, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, the Russian Federation, Canada, Slovenia, the Czech Republic the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. Furthermore, he has presented 61 research papers at national and international level. In this regard, his project work has taken him to governmental and academic institutions in all five of Africa’s regions, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. He also lectured in a visiting capacity at foreign institutions, most recently in Japan at the Osaka University’s School for International Public Policy. He is currently serving on the editorial board of four academic journals, namely Scientia Militaria, the Journal of Contemporary History, Military and Strategic Affairs, and Ante Portas – Security Studies. Prof Neethling is rated as a C2 category researcher by the National Research Foundation (since 2009) and his research interests mainly concern security studies in the African context; Africa’s international relations; and South Africa’s foreign relations.

South Africa’s military is expected to do more than ever with tighter budgets: how the force has declined over 30 years

Feb 05, 2024 05:19 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The South African National Defence Force marks 30 years this year, having been established on 27 April 1994. Its as old as the countrys constitutional democracy, the result of a negotiated political settlement that ended...

Offshore gas finds offered major promise for Mozambique: what went wrong

Apr 04, 2021 10:33 am UTC| Insights & Views

Recent events in Palma, a town in the volatile Cabo Delgado province in the north of Mozambique, have taken bloodshed in the region to new levels. Dozens of people were killed when hundreds of Islamist militants stormed...

How Russia is growing its strategic influence in Africa

Feb 10, 2019 10:54 am UTC| Insights & Views

Much has been made about Chinas role and profile in Africa and the factors underlying its activities on the continent. Less debated is the spread and depth of Russias contemporary presence and profile in Africa. There...

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Economy

Why China’s economy has hit a wall

Chinas annual parliamentary meetings in Beijing came to a close on March 11. They were conducted under great pressure: a weak economy and high expectations from both the domestic public and international observers as to...

Vladimir Putin’s gold strategy explains why sanctions against Russia have failed

There are more than 16,000 sanctions imposed against Russia. Yet the Russian economy and war machine grew by 3.6 per cent in 2023 and is projected to grow another 2.6 in 2024. Nearly six per cent of Russias gross...

Mentorship is key to improving social and economic outcomes for Black youth

Black youth in Canada experience poorer educational achievement than other children and youth, which leads to subsequent poor economic outcomes. A series of problems and barriers contribute to poor educational outcomes....

There’s an extra $1 billion on the table for NT schools. This could change lives if spent well

The federal and Northern Territory governments have just made a historic funding announcement of about A$1 billion for schools in the territory. This includes an extra $737.7 million from the federal government and an...

Undersea cables for Africa’s internet retrace history and leave digital gaps as they connect continents

Large parts of west and central Africa, as well as some countries in the south of the continent, were left without internet services on 14 March because of failures on four of the fibre optic cables that run below the...

Politics

China's Commerce Minister to Advocate EV Sector in Europe Amid Subsidy, Tariff Probe

Chinas Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is set to visit Europe in April to address concerns and advocate for the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) industry amid a European Commission investigation into alleged unfair...

Chinese Hackers Target US Officials and Dissidents in Cyber Espionage Scheme

Seven nationals of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) face charges for a long-term cyber espionage campaign targeting political dissidents and officials in the US, marking a significant escalation in international cyber...

SpaceX Builds Spy Satellites for US; Russia Warns of Military Response

Russia has issued a stark warning to the United States, stating that the use of SpaceXs satellites for espionage could render them targets for military action. This follows revelations that SpaceX is constructing a spy...

Deepfakes are still new, but 2024 could be the year they have an impact on elections

Disinformation caught many people off guard during the 2016 Brexit referendum and US presidential election. Since then, a mini-industry has developed to analyse and counter it. Yet despite that, we have entered 2024 a...

Science

How do airplanes fly? An aerospace engineer explains the physics of flight

Airplane flight is one of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century. The invention of the airplane allows people to travel from one side of the planet to the other in less than a day, compared...

The mystery of consciousness shows there may be a limit to what science alone can achieve

The progress of science in the last 400 years is mind-blowing. Who would have thought wed be able to trace the history of our universe to its origins 14 billion years ago? Science has increased the length and the quality...

What is minoxidil, the anti-balding hair growth treatment? Here’s what the science says

Hair loss (also known as alopecia) often affects the scalp but can occur anywhere on the body. Its very common and usually nothing to worry about; about half of Australian men show signs of visible baldness at age 50 and...

Our survey of the sky is uncovering the secrets of how planets are born

When we look out to the stars, it is typically not a yearning for the distant depths of outer space that drives us. When we are looking out there, we are truly looking back at ourselves. We try to understand our place in...

Archeoastronomy uses the rare times and places of previous total solar eclipses to help us measure history

Total solar eclipses have fascinated and terrified people for centuries. Today, we know that total solar eclipses like the upcoming eclipse on April 8 are caused by a cosmic coincidence when the moon comes between the...

Technology

Porsche Recalls 1,000 Taycan EVs Over Battery Issue

Porsche Cars North America Inc. released a recall notice for its Taycan electric car units. Based on the reports, the company issued the recall due to the risk of a short circuit caused by the battery. Porsche recalls...

Shiba Inu Community, Binance Stir Crypto World; Token Burns Fuel Market Surge

In a striking turn of events, the Shiba Inu community has reacted to Binances provocative statement declaring everyone an NFT amidst a significant uptick in SHIB token burns that spurred its market value. The meme coins...

Amazon One App Launches Palm-Scanning Sign Up; Palm Pay Available at Whole Foods, Panera

Amazon now allows users to set up palm recognition for seamless payments at Whole Foods, Panera, and other locations directly from their smartphones. Amazon One Expands with Mobile App for Easy Palm Recognition...

Crypto ATM Installations Set to Skyrocket, Driven by Bitcoin FOMO, CEO Predicts

As the crypto industry anticipates a surge in Bitcoin interest post-halving, Bitcoin Depot CEO Brandon Mintz predicts a significant resurgence in crypto ATM installations worldwide. This optimism follows a decline in 2023...
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