This panel explores the situation of minorities in the Balkans through the discussion of the Alevis and Bektashis. Comprising a ‘double minority,’ Alevis and Bektashis, are commonly mis-categorised or made invisible through their articulation as part of the Muslim minority communities. In recent years, partly in response to changing political circumstances, increasing conflict and sectarianism, Alevis and Bektashis have started to mobilise to break-out of their marginalised status, and are having to navigate their complex national contexts, transnational linkages, and geopolitical pressures.

On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, giving rise to the deadliest conflict on European soil since the Second World War. How could this happen in twenty-first-century Europe? Why did Putin decide to escalate Russia’s war against Ukraine, a war which began with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014?

The historiography of contemporary Europe has predominantly centered around urban and metropolitan experiences. Meanwhile, rural regions, their inhabitants, and village life have often been depicted as hindrances to modernization or as manifestations of backwardness. With the decline of modernization theory's prominence in contemporary history, the emphasis on urban cultures has only intensified. In this regard, I propose a paradigm shift in our approach to contemporary European history, advocating for a greater focus on rural spaces.

Richard Davy has recently published Defrosting the Cold War and beyond: an Introduction to the Helsinki Process, 1954 – 2022 (Routledge, 2023). He will be joined on the platform by Dr Kai Hebel (Assistant Professor, Leiden University, The Netherlands) who is completing his own book on the UK and the Helsinki Process; and Professor Juhana Aunesluoma (University of Helsinki, Finland, and Visiting Scholar at St Antony’s College).

The discussion will be chaired by Professor Anne Deighton (Wolfson College)

On 15 November 2023, leaders of the European Union (EU) and 79 states in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific (ACP) will meet in Samoa to sign the successor to the Cotonou Agreement, which will govern their relations for at least 20 years across various policy areas, namely development, migration, environment and climate change, peace and security, human rights and democracy, trade and investment.

An essential component of any democracy is the extent to which citizens can hold legislators accountable via a meaningful threat of electoral defeat. We show that the (precisely calibrated) probability of defeat for an incumbent member of the US House of Representatives has been surprisingly high and nearly constant for at least two thirds of a century. This result coexists with massive and well documented changes in measures of incumbency advantage, electoral margins, ideological polarization, and partisanship.

Harriet Harman is the Labour MP for Camberwell & Peckham. Serving since 1982, she is the longest-ever continuously serving female Member of Parliament. During her parliamentary career she has twice served as Leader of the Opposition, held a number of cabinet and shadow cabinet positions, and was the first ever Minister for Women. She currently chairs the House of Commons Privileges Committee and was Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights until 2022.