We are delighted to announce the inauguration of the annual Dominique Jacquin-Berdal PhD Prize for Best Thesis, in honour of our colleague from the LSE Department of International Relations, Dominique Jacquin-Berdal, who passed away suddenly in 2006 aged 39. This prize celebrates her contributions to the field and her inspiring influence on the department, as ..read more

The Department of International Relations is delighted to announce the following BSc in International Relations prizewinners this year:    for the best IR100 Theories and Concepts of International Relations examination performance by an IR student Carlotta Kozlowskyj   for the best examination performance by a second year BSc IR student Julian Strohbecke for the best ..read more

As part of the Grimshaw Society’s student delegation trip to Mongolia, Jack August McEachern, an MSc International Political Economy (Research) student at LSE, offers their opinion on the international context of Mongolia. Photo of Mongolia by Jack August McEachern Since its democratic revolution, Mongolia has carved out its identity as an independent nation amidst neighbouring ..read more

In this report, we hear from Maria Beinborn, an MSc International Relations student at LSE, who was a participant in the 62nd Graduate Study Programme at the UN in Geneva in July 2024. This year’s participants are working to create a more inclusive and successful global governance framework by concentrating on AI and youth. The participants ..read more

Pauline El-Khoury, IPE MSc Student, and Thomas Da Costa Vieira, LSE Fellow in International Political Economy, argue that despite the recent enactment of gender policies that appear to be feminist and progressive, the Macron government pursues an authoritarian and neoliberal agenda which instrumentalises, undercuts and represses true feminist aspirations – both at home and abroad. On 4 March, 2024, France made history by becoming the world’s first country to enshrine the right to abortion in its Constitution. President Emmanuel Macron celebrated this milestone as a significant advan ..read more

On Tuesday 30 April 2024, Connor Horsfall, Director of the Young China Watchers (YCW) and a Senior Consultant at Shearwater Global, led a panel discussion to assess China’s space ambitions, the motivations driving Beijing’s space strategy, and how western governments should view these developments. The panellists consisted of Robert Kerby, International Intelligence and Security at Planet Labs, James Kynge, Global China Editor at the Financial Times, Juliana Suess, Research Analyst and Policy Lead on Space Security as part of the Military Sciences team at RUSI, an ..read more

In this opinion post, we hear from Zeynep Egin, an MSc International Relations student at LSE, who was a delegate at the United Nations’ 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68). Here she reports back on suggestions aimed at achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls. Scenes from the SG Town Hall discussion with Civil Society held in the Trusteeship Council chamber at United Nations Headquarters on 13 March 2024. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown The 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) is the United Nations’ largest annual gathering that focuses on ge ..read more

Dr Patrick Gill-Tiney, LSE Fellow in the Department of International Relations, discusses why, despite the current defence focus being upon Europe, many European navies have large deployments planned in the Indo-Pacific in 2024 and 2025. Ships from the United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group and the USS America Expeditionary Strike Group support Large Scale Global Exercise 21 in the Philippine Sea The Russo-Ukrainian War continues to pose significant security challenges for European states. In reaction, NATO has added two new members in Finland and Sweden, many states have increased their defence ..read more

On 18 March 2024, twenty students from the American Grand Strategy course in the Department of International Relations at LSE visited the US Embassy in London for their event “Dialogue with American Diplomats” for Diplomacy Day. BSc IR student Meaghan Power-Pollitt shares her thoughts on the day. Due to Chatham House Rules, I cannot directly quote or discuss most points shared by the expert panel at the event. The Diplomacy Day event offered students of American Grand Strategy a unique opportunity to explore US-UK diplomatic relations at the US embassy. As we waited to pass through ..read more

On Wednesday, 13 March 2024, LSE DINAM Research Fellow Mariia Zolkina conducted a panel discussion to review the fresh challenges and changes in the political landscapes of Russia and Ukraine, two years into the invasion. The panelists consisted of Olga Tokariuk, a Chatham House OSUN Academy Fellow, and Maryna Vorotnyuk, an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, and it was chaired by Luke Cooper, an Associate Professorial Research Fellow with the Conflict and Civicness Research Group at LSE. Find out more about the event and speakers Lis ..read more