From community tensions in Leicester to geopolitical competition across Africa and the Middle East, SOAS scholars are contributing new analysis on how global political and economic shifts are reshaping societies worldwide. Recent media appearances, publications and podcasts from SOAS experts have explored questions of conflict, development, identity and international influence across multiple regions.

A newly published report from the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the violence in Leicester, featuring contributions from Professor Subir Sinha, makes recommendations on local, national and community-based strategies to prevent the kind of hostility and violence seen in 2022.

The international dimensions of conflict and instability are also reflected in recent media appearances by SOAS experts on Africa’s evolving security landscape. In interviews with France 24 and other broadcasters, Fola Aina discussed political and security developments in Somalia, the wider Horn of Africa and Mali, analysing how regional crises are increasingly influenced by international rivalries, shifting alliances and external intervention.

The wider global consequences of geopolitical conflict are also explored in recent commentary by SOAS scholars. In the Financial Times, Adam Hanieh examined how war on Iran could trigger far-reaching disruptions to global food systems, warning that rising energy and fertiliser costs risk deepening hunger and food insecurity — particularly across poorer countries already vulnerable to economic shocks.

This broader debate over development models and international influence is further explored in new research and public engagement work linked to Africa’s economic transformation. Arkebe Oqubay’s contribution to work on Morocco’s economy examines state-led development strategies and industrial policy, while a recent episode of the SOAS Global Development podcast -‘China for African industrialisation?” – considers China’s evolving role in African industrial development and infrastructure.