The G20 Bali Summit held 15–16 November 2022 has been called the “first global summit of the second cold war” (Foy and Ruehl 2022). It was the seventeenth meeting of Group of Twenty (G20), which was held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. The reviews of this meeting suggest that it was a breakthrough in international … Continue reading The War in Ukraine and Climate Change
politics
Twitter @Freedom of Expression
Twitter debates might put freedom of expression back on the agenda
Bad Prince Putin
Niccolo Machiavelli was not only one of the ancestorial-fathers of political science, but also remains incredibly relevant and insightful on so many topics of politics and power. In his discourses, advising the prince, he talks about a ‘bad prince’ in his reflections on republics, or popular governments, versus those governed by princes, who are hereditary … Continue reading Bad Prince Putin
An ICA Tribute to Elihu Katz
Unparalleled Contributions of Elihu Katz to Studies of Communication Inspired members of the International Communication Association (ICA) are organizing a preconference on the ‘legacies’ of the American-Israeli sociologist, Elihu Katz. This promises to be a fitting and most deserved tribute to his contributions to multiple academic fields, and certainly to the field of communication. My … Continue reading An ICA Tribute to Elihu Katz
Changing the Denominator: Spinning Election Results
It is amazing how commentators spin the results of an election. You would think that a candidate wins or losses, but no, it can be (and most often is) spun to make a win sound like a loss or vice versa. The recent example I have in mind is Liz Truss winning the Conservative Party … Continue reading Changing the Denominator: Spinning Election Results
Lessons from the UK Leadership Selection Marathon
On 7 July 2022, Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned as leader of the Conservative Party, kicking off a selection process that the winner, Liz Truss, minutes after her selection, would describe as one of the “longest job interviews in history”. Liz Truss, the UK’s Foreign Minister, won by a vote of 57 percent of Conservative … Continue reading Lessons from the UK Leadership Selection Marathon
Opinion Night: Both, One, or No Sides-ism
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Emily Maitlis’ MacTaggart Lecture online, which she delivered at the Edinburgh Television Festival. A gifted speaker, she was able to raise key editorial issues facing broadcast news for public service broadcasting in the UK, but arguably for news programming everywhere. Each of her general points, such as on avoiding self-censorship, were … Continue reading Opinion Night: Both, One, or No Sides-ism
The Attack on Salman Rushdie and Freedom of Expression
I can’t imagine what more could be said about the horrible attack 12 August 2022 on Salman Rushdie. So many brilliant writers and public intellectuals have spoken of the author’s bravery and support of freedom of expression. This was the topic Rushdie planned to speak about at the Chautauqua event. So, may I thank you, … Continue reading The Attack on Salman Rushdie and Freedom of Expression
Sad News for Comedy
As an American in Britain, I have found one of the most endearing traits of Britons, and people living in Britain generally, is their ability to laugh at themselves. They don’t take themselves so seriously that they can't see “what fools" we "mortals" can be. So how sad to learn in today’s paper that “Mock … Continue reading Sad News for Comedy
Volker Schneider: a Professor’s Professor
I’ve returned from a Festschrift for Prof. Dr. Volker Schneider, who has moved to an Emeritus Professorship at the University of Konstanz in 2020. While a celebration of his retirement was delayed repeatedly by the pandemic, his colleagues moved ahead with an edited collection of papers for his Festschrift around the politics of the complex … Continue reading Volker Schneider: a Professor’s Professor