This paper is based on Professor Slapins’ forthcoming Cambridge University Press book (with Sven-Oliver Proksch) of the same title. Professor Slapin is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Houston and a candidate for the position in European politics in the Department of Political Science.

Countering violent extremism remains a critical security challenge confronting Western democratic societies. Policy makers face difficult questions about how to prevent their citizens from engaging in terrorism, what to do with citizens that seek to travel abroad to fight in “jihad,” and how to minimize the potential for violent attacks when fighters return to their countries of origin. Local communities also have an important role to play in countering violent extremism.

On November 16, 2014 the second round in the Romanian presidential elections ended with the upset victory of an ethnic German candidate from the provinces. These surprising results defied nationalist mobilization and the current government’s administrative control of the electoral process. In spite of pollsters’ and analysts’ predictions, Klaus Iohannis, the candidate with fewer votes in the first round came from behind and succeeded in taking the presidency over the leading candidate, the sitting Social Democratic Prime Minister, Victor Ponta.

Model United Nations provides students the opportunity to learn about and discuss today's most relevant issues of international diplomacy through participation in an academic simulation.

Over the course of the week, Pitt campus will be alive with international activities, global events and the buzz of the International Week Contest, which will grant 1 free Summer 2015 Study Abroad Panther Program (tuition scholarship) to a country of your choice, a Sony NEX-F3 camera, or an apple ipad. For a full list of events, please review the International Week Website to learn more about how to add an international focus to your academic experience.

Major General Gronski has commanded troops in Iraq, Europe and, as Commanding General of the 28th Infantry Division, oversees the men and woman who serve in Pennsylvania's National Guard. Major General Gronski also deployed the 28th Infantry Division headquarters in support of Exercise Rochambeau in France during the summer of 2014.

The number of refugees entering the EU and Turkey has risen dramatically as a result of conflicts and crises in North Africa and the Middle East. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHRC) reported that European countries recorded 264,000 asylum applications during the first six months of 2014, an increase of 24 per cent from the same period the year before. The largest increase – 73 per cent – in asylum seekers was reported by countries in Southern Europe, in particular Italy and Turkey.

Interested in global issues? Join us for an Alumni & Professionals Panel on Careers in International Law. Discover career opportunities for all fields of study and network with alumni and professionals working globally. Our diverse panel will discuss a variety of career options and share insights about how to make yourself more competitive in the job market.

In the past year, Ukraine has experienced tectonic changes in its internal and external orientation, with the fall of the fall of the authoritarian regime of Viktor Yanukovych, a de facto war with Russia leading to the loss of the most heavily ethnic Russian areas (Crimea and the heart of Donbas) and a new anti-Russian and pro-Europe constitutional majority in parliament. The lecture will address the political, economic, and regional constraints that the Ukrainian government is facing in seeking to reestablish legitimacy, recover territory, and implement cardinal changes.