EU Ambassador opens Nottingham School of Politics

His Excellency Mr. Vincent Piket, the Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation to Malaysia, addressed students and staff at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus on Wednesday 25 April. His speech, which explored the EU’s emergence as an actor in international affairs, marked the official opening of the campus’s School of Politics, History and International Relations (PHIR).

Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences and Director of PHIR, Professor Neville Wylie said: “Despite the economic gloom, the European Union remains one of the most extraordinary, and indeed revolutionary, institutions to emerge onto the international scene in the modern era. We were delighted to welcome Ambassador Piket to discuss this key issue and celebrate the opening of our school.”

UNMC admitted students to read International Relations in September 2010, and now there are over 100 students taking the subject at undergraduate and postgraduate level, either as a degree or through elective modules. Over half the School’s students come from outside Malaysia, including the UK and other European countries, and a growing proportion are enrolled in masters and doctoral research programmes. Many spend part of their studies at Nottingham’s campuses in the UK and China, or with its partner universities around the globe.

Commenting on the place of international relations in Malaysia, Professor Wylie said: “Our Malaysia campus provides the University with a fascinating vantage point from which to study all aspects of international politics. Not only will Malaysians themselves be increasingly called upon to assume the initiative in international matters over the coming years, but the region itself has evolved its own unique perspective on international affairs which in many respects challenges the dominant power-political approach historically associated with the West.”

The School’s current staff of six have a wealth of experience commentating on international affairs from within the academy and as members of think tanks and advisory panels. The School is poised to grow to ten over the next two years, and extend the scope of its activities to cover other areas of politics and public policy that will complement the work carried out elsewhere in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Its current research focuses around the themes of ‘global resistance’, ‘international governance’, ‘security and conflict resolution’, ‘international development’ and ‘Europe and the wider world’, resulting in numerous high level conferences, workshops and public seminars in KL over the last two years which have attracted practitioners and international scholars. The School’s next workshop, on Complexities of Governance /Resistance, takes place later this month and will bring together scholars from Europe, Asia and Australia to discuss the relationship between contemporary forms of governance and forces of resistance.

Professor Wylie said: “International politics is by its very nature a contentious and challenging subject but we are confident that at Nottingham, students from around the world can wrestle with these thorny issues, and learn a lot about themselves, their peers and the world around them in the process.”