Every decade or so, dating back to the 1970s, there is an upsurge of media interest in the slaughter of elephants for their ivory, and the implications for wildlife conservation. Here, Keith Somerville a senior research fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICWS), who is currently researching ivory poaching in Africa, provides an account… Continue reading Africa’s ivory trade – a history of criminalisation, corruption and violence
Category: Features
Lee Kuan Yew as Commonwealth statesman
By Dr Ruth Craggs, lecturer in human geography, King’s College London. Politicians and diplomats from around the world have begun to offer tributes this week as it was announced that Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew died on Monday, 23 March 2015. Lee led the People’s Action Party from 1959 and governed Singapore for… Continue reading Lee Kuan Yew as Commonwealth statesman
Malcolm Fraser: a giant of the Commonwealth
By Dr Sue Onslow, senior research fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies. On 27 March 2015, Australians gathered to pay their respects to former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser in a state funeral following the politician’s death late last week. As Singaporeans prepare to do the same for Lee Kuan Yew, who died on Monday, the Commonwealth can reflect on the contribution… Continue reading Malcolm Fraser: a giant of the Commonwealth
May 2015: the austerity election
As the 2015 election approaches the Coalition and the Labour party differences on fiscal policy appear to be ones of emphasis – how quickly and what to cut, says John Weeks, Professor Emeritus at SOAS, University of London. In the debates preceding the election of May 2010, Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown explicitly rejected public… Continue reading May 2015: the austerity election
Magna Carta: the international symbol of freedom
By Danny Millum Magna Carta has inspired some of today’s fundamental liberties, yet it began life 800 years ago as a practical solution to a political crisis. It has since evolved to become an international symbol of freedom, and with the creation of the largest exhibition ever staged about this celebrated document, we now have… Continue reading Magna Carta: the international symbol of freedom