Inspires - Department of Politics and International Relations ...

A letter from the editorsWelcome to the inaugural issue of Inspires, the alumni magazine of the University of Oxford’s Department ofPolitics and International Relations (DPIR).Inevitably, the contents of this first edition are selective. However, we hope that our choices will appeal to awide spectrum of Politics and International Relations alumni – both those that did undergraduate degreesincluding Politics (‘Philosophy, Politics and Economics’ and ‘Modern History and Politics’), and those whohave done more specialised graduate degrees (MSc, MPhil and DPhil) in Politics and International Relations,at Oxford.Many of you will be surprised to see just how much Politics and International Relations in Oxford has grownand developed over the years. Indeed, one of the purposes of this magazine is to convey the scale, varietyand value of the teaching and research that is now undertaken in the Department. In particular, we havesought to provide a sense of the Department’s contemporary impact on, and interaction with, the wider world.Inspires will be an annual publication, and we hope that it will form part of a growing engagement withour alumni. However, our success in developing a conversation with readers will depend, in part, on yourresponse. We hope that you will let us have your comments on this edition, make suggestions for futurecontent and volunteer to contribute to future editions yourselves. Our contact details are set out opposite.We look forward to hearing from you.Kate Candy and David LeopoldPhoto: Keiko Ikeuchie2