By Dr Matthew Goodwin

For someone who lectures undergraduates about extremist politics, recent weeks have given us much to discuss. A by-election in Barnsley confirmed both the decline of the BNP, and the ascent of UKIP which is recruiting far right votes.

By Shada Islam

It's a lesson one learns very early on in life: if you want a favour from someone, be nice to that person. Go out of your way to be polite; smile; and make sure others know the extent to which you are going out of your way to be accommodating.

By Mark Taylor

The military intervention in Libya now threatens the Arab democracy risings. This makes diplomacy and demilitarisation essential.

By Riaz Haq

A new British aid package for Pakistan, announced by Prime Minister David Cameron in Islamabad, is worth $1,055 million over four years. The money will fund education for up to 4 million students, train 9,000 teachers, purchase 6 million new text books and build 8,000 schools by 2015, according to various media reports.

By Nora Fisher Onar

The prospect of Turkish membership of the European Union looks more remote than ever. But neither Europe’s infirmity nor Turkey’s widening horizons need be the end of the story. A revived relationship based on mutual benefit remains possible.

By Shashank Joshi

It was thought that Syria might be immune to the democratic winds of the Arab Spring. Bashar al-Assad is a youthful 45, in comparison to the aged figures of Mubarak, Ben Ali, and Gaddafi. His tenure has been relatively short – ten years, versus Gaddafi’s 42. A recent ill-timed puff piece in Vogue magazine described Assad’s wife as on the way to turning Syria into “a beacon of culture and secularism”.