UK-Russia Political Relations

A complex range of issues has undermined high level relations between the UK and Russia in recent years, many of which remain unresolved. Four stand out. First, many of the negative elements souring UK-Russian relations have come about because, despite formal declarations and engagement within multilateral fora such as the EU-Russian partnership framework and the G8, there has increasingly been a focus on bilateral elements in the relationship. Second, decreasing unity on the part of ‘the West’ in the early years of the 21st century has encouraged differentiation in Russia’s foreign policy towards western powers and has intensified competition between European powers with regard to good relations with Russia. Despite frequent arguments by some observers that the era of the nation state is gone and the era of globalisation is here, this is far from the case in Putin’s foreign policy and in UK-Russian relations. Third, the personal impact of Prime Minister Tony Blair as a key interlocutor declined since the beginning of the century. When President Putin came to power in 2000, Tony Blair was seen by many as a man of the future as opposed to the other leaders of key western powers who seemed to be on their way out. Six years later, however, Blair was nearing the end of his prime ministership, there were new leaders in Europe, and any role for Prime Minister Blair as a bridge between Russia and the United States was less necessary. Fourth, and related to the above, there are serious “value” differences between the UK and Russia, for example, over the independence of important elements of non-governmental society, such as the judiciary and big business. The importance of the political relationship between Britain and Russia as a whole, has decreased notably in recent years. This will not remain the case for ever, and even as it has occurred, mutual interests and obligations have continued to keep formal contacts and cooperation on many levels positive

Neo-collegiality: restoring academic engagement in the managerial university

University staff are their institutions’ key resource. They are an intelligent, articulate and highly educated group. Despite this, university staff in the UK have little say in how their institutions are managed. As the survey in this paper shows, they would like a more decisive and influential voice. It is over two decades since the collegiality of yesteryear was deemed unviable for modern universities and a new managerial approach became the norm. However, the managerial initiatives which seemed shiny and new then have lost both lustre and novelty now. Current management research argues that hierarchical models are outdated and inappropriate in knowledge-based sectors. Technological advances offer previously undreamed of ways for staff across universities to influence, interact and take decisions. Flatter structures enable greater autonomy and flexibility serving more effectively the needs of student and academic, teaching and research. Neo-collegiality is not about a return to some largely imagined cloistered past. It recognises the necessity of many of the changes wrought by the New Public Management reforms of previous decades. However, neo-collegiality asserts that the time is now ripe for managerial paradigms to shift. Neo-collegiality offers the restoration of broader, more collegial decision-making processes to create a professional, efficient and appropriately 21st century management approach. Such processes engage academic and professional staff across institutions, adopting and adapting a range of flexible and innovative means as appropriate to the distinctive features of individual universities in the UK’s large and varied higher education sector

The Future of Russia : The Picture of Russia through Scenarios

For Finland, Russia as a neighbour is an opportunity and a challenge or, to put it differently, it presents benefits and threats. Therefore it is essential to be able to detect both the negative and positive trends in Russian political life, international relations, economy and society. A single event, a law that has been passed, a conflict that becomes frozen, election results or a discovery of some sort can appear to have a significant influence on a country’s development or even sometimes on the international system and the dynamics of foreign relations. For this reason, scenarios of the future are useful to present potential paths along which Russia may travel. This paper surveys these scenario accounts of Russia’s future in order to identify trends, key drivers, and potential outcomes

Eine lange Zeit in der Politik

Zeit lässt sich in der Politik auf verschiedene Art messen. Während einschneidende Ereignisse in nur kurzer Zeit die politische Landschaft verändern können, zeigt uns Präsident Putin, was er in den vergangenen zwei Jahrzehnten für ein beständiger Staatsführer gewesen ist, was er unter Stabilität versteht, welche Veränderungen er bei den Vorstellungen hinsichtlich der Identität vorgenommen hat, und was Familienwerte damit zu tun haben. Mit Hilfe der Datenbank Worte des Präsidenten, erfahren wir, welche Worte des Präsidenten aktuell Gewicht haben, und welche verschwunden sind

Perspectives for Russia’s future: the case for narrative analysis

When former Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych decided to postpone an EU Association Agreement, few would have predicted that this would lead to a prolonged conflict in Europe’s borderland. Since the beginning of the confrontation, a lot has been written about its root causes, the motivations of the main actors, and possible scenarios for the future. However, few have looked at what came to be called the ‘Ukraine crisis’ from the point of view of Russo-Ukrainian relations, and grasped the perspectives of various groups involved, as well as the discursive processes that have contributed to the developments in and interpretations of the conflict. The authors of this Edited Collection each present a facet of the intense and dangerous turmoil provoked by the breakdown in relations, and thus contribute to a deeper understanding of a crisis that now afflicts both European and global affairs

Confronting eternity : strange (im)mortalities, and states of undying in popular fiction.

When the meritless scrabble for the bauble of deity, they ironically set their human lives at the “pin’s fee” to which Shakespeare’s Hamlet refers. This thesis focuses on these undeserving individuals in premillennial and postmillennial fiction, who seek immortality at the expense of both their humanities, and their natural mortalities. I will analyse an array of popular modern characters, paying particular attention to the precursors of immortal personages. I will inaugurate these analyses with an examination of fan favourite serie

Towards smallholder food and water security: Climate variability in the context of multiple livelihood hazards in Nicaragua

Climate variability and change affect both food and water security, as do other hazards, such as shifting food prices, plant pathogens, and political economic changes. Although household food and water insecurity affect billions, most studies analyze them separately. This article develops a relational approach to explaining household access to food and water in a multi-hazard context. We identify pathways linking hazards to livelihood vulnerability and assess the relative importance of climate-related hazards. Analyzing longitudinal data collected from two surveys of the same 311 smallholder households in northern Nicaragua, conducted in 2014 and again in 2017, we find that peak seasons of food and water stress are asynchronous across the agricultural calendar, resulting in a total of five to six months of food and/or water stress. Across households, we find a significant positive relationship between water and food insecurity, even after adjusting for household fixed effects. Households experienced less food and water insecurity in 2017 than in 2014, due in part to the end of a severe drought in 2016, but remained concerned about damage from a severe coffee leaf rust outbreak and unfavorable agrifood prices that reduce income and threaten food security. Higher incomes and larger farm areas correlated with improved food and water security. We propose a generalizable approach for the joint assessment of household food and water security, which foregrounds the influence of seasonality and climate variability in the context of multiple hazards. This approach and our findings can contribute to developing integrated risk reduction strategies, building resilient livelihoods, and informing policy changes and partnerships with organized smallholders to improve resource access and sovereignty

"Analyses of black Aspergillus species of peanut and maize for ochratoxins and fumonisins," a comment on: J. Food Prot. 77(5):805-813 (2014).

n/

Reflexive and reasoned religious nationalism: the exploratory case of Russia

Nationalism theory has long acknowledged that in its relation to nationalism, ‘religion’ can refer both to a reflexive identity attached to a people group, and to an articulated and reasoned value-based position. Even this bifurcation remains insufficiently precise. Religio-nationalisms reasoned ex patria —that is, beginning with the nationalist and proceeding from there to incorporate religion —tend towards values of exclusivity, division, and animosity to ‘the other’. They have been charged with ‘hijacking’ religion as an identity whilst being at odds with members and leaders of that religion’s practicing community. The exploratory case of the relationship between Russian Orthodoxy and Russian nationalism allows a comparison of ex patria religio-nationalism with its ex religio counterpart. It confirms to a large extent the hypothesis that reasoned religio-nationalism that begins with the religious and proceeds to the nationalist favors in contrast less antagonistic emphases such as inclusivity and benevolence

The Black Aspergillus Species of Maize and Peanuts and Their Potential for Mycotoxin Production

The black spored fungi of the subgenera Circumdata, the section Nigri (=Aspergillus niger group) is reviewed relative to their production of mycotoxins and their effects on plants as pathogens. Molecular methods have revealed more than 18 cryptic species, of which several have been characterized as potential mycotoxin producers. Others are defined as benign relative to their ability to produce mycotoxins. However, these characterizations are based on in vitro culture and toxins production. Several can produce the ochratoxins that are toxic to livestock, poultry, and humans. The black aspergilli produce rots of grapes, maize, and numerous other fruits and grain and they are generally viewed as post-harvest pathogens. Data are review to suggest that black aspergilli, as so many others, are symptomless endophytes. These fungi and their mycotoxins contaminate several major grains, foodstuffs, and products made from them such as wine, and coffee. Evidence is presented that the black aspergilli are producers of other classes of mycotoxins such as the fumonisins, which are known carcinogenic and known prior investigations as being produced by the Fusarium species. Three species are identified in U.S. maize and peanuts as symptomless endophytes, which suggests the potential for concern as pathogens and as food safety hazards