Global Crisis, Local Voices

Book excerpt: In an interconnected and globalized world, the voices of the local communities struggle to make themselves heard on the international stage. But many issues that arise within international relations have consequences for ordinary lives and are therefore closely connected. Climate change, warfare and migration are all examples of this. They are often discussed in abstract terms with relation to international diplomacy, but threaten the actual livelihoods of small communities and ordinary people. This was the setting of the conference ‘Global Crisis, Local Voices’, held in May 2018. This journal is a compilation of the papers presented at that conference, which was the second ‘DEN International Student Conference’. The conference and this publication is one of the many projects that the Democratic Education Network (DEN) is responsible for since its launch in 2016. This book is a collection of diverse works, all written by student authors from a range of different universities. From Democracy and Ideology, to Climate Change and China, it covers numerous concepts, ideas and geographical regions, that are often found in the studies of Politics and International Relations. This book is the result of passion and hard work from all students involved in its production and it is a project that we in DEN are incredibly proud of and hope to continue in the future. “I encourage you to read these publications to catalyse views in you that stimulate great debate that helps you become part of the compassionate, progressive and responsible movement of young people that will help overcome injustices in the world and make the world a better place.” Dr Peter Bonfield OBE FREng Vice-Chancellor and President University of Westminster