Foreword
The publication of the second Queen’s Political Review is a manifold sign
of the vibrancy of the student body, enrolled both in the School of Politics,
International Studies and Philosophy, and other Schools in the Queen’s University Belfast family. It is noteworthy that the energy of the editorial team
in realising their vision for this Journal has resulted again in a superb array
of articles which capture the passions and interests of students, undergraduate and postgraduate, who are engaging with learning at the cutting edge of
contemporary global and internationally recognised research.
Many essays were submitted for publication and the editorial team have
devoted their time and honed their skills to bring to a pure distillation of
informed and important debates within the Scholarly realm of the School of
Politics, International Studies and Philosophy as well as the wider University. The team have devoted themselves to producing a well-selected, diverse
and robust intellectual offering and in doing so they made the job of Guest
Editor a delight rather than a chore.
Without the authors of these articles this edition of QPR would not have
been possible and to them sincere congratulations are offered. In reading the
articles, in advance of publication, it has been more than apparent that they
represent significant depth and range of scholarly expertise. The articles in
this edition range from the local – including Northern Irish, British and Irish
politics to the global offering us insights into contemporary debates about
terrorism, justice and transitional justice, ethnic conflict and gender. This
collection of articles reflects in-depth positioning in a number of disciplinary
debates affirming the talents of students. ‘Knowledge is power’, may be a
well-worn cliché but apt in this case because the contribution of the authors
of these articles to pressing global issues strengthens the capacity of our
University, our society and its elected representatives to respond to many
pressing political, ethical, economic, and social challenges that we face.
The editorial team and authors are to be commended for maintaining a high
standard of content that is sure to fascinate, stimulate and provoke discussion and future research directions. Plato said ‘knowledge is the food of the
soul’; so welcome to the feast presented in the following pages!
Professor Beverley Milton-Edwards,
Guest Editor