Akil N Awan
@akilnawan.bsky.social
Academic at Royal Holloway, University of London. Director of the Conflict, Violence and Terrorism Research Centre (CVTRC) @cvtrc.bsky.social. Words in New Statesman, BBC History, National Interest, History Today, Jacobin, BylineTimes, Independent
Pinned
Akil N Awan
@akilnawan.bsky.social
· Dec 6
The Terminator’s Vision of AI Warfare Is Now Reality
Forty years after The Terminator warned us about killer robots, AI-powered drones and autonomous weapons are being deployed in real-world conflicts. From Gaza to Ukraine, the dystopian future of machi...
jacobin.com
My latest for Jacobin mag
40 years after The Terminator warned us, killer robots & autonomous weaponised drones are being deployed in real-world conflicts.
From Gaza's AI-enabled Genocide to Ukraine, the dystopian future of machine warfare isn’t science fiction anymore
jacobin.com/2024/12/term...
40 years after The Terminator warned us, killer robots & autonomous weaponised drones are being deployed in real-world conflicts.
From Gaza's AI-enabled Genocide to Ukraine, the dystopian future of machine warfare isn’t science fiction anymore
jacobin.com/2024/12/term...
Reposted by Akil N Awan
The CVTRC is excited to welcome @jasonburke2.bsky.social
(Guardian) to Royal Holloway this Wednesday for his talk: 'The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists who Hijacked the 1970s’ chaired by CVTRC Senior Fellow, Prof
Daniel Beer.
📆11 Feb, 4:15-5:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
(Guardian) to Royal Holloway this Wednesday for his talk: 'The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists who Hijacked the 1970s’ chaired by CVTRC Senior Fellow, Prof
Daniel Beer.
📆11 Feb, 4:15-5:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
February 9, 2026 at 10:05 AM
The CVTRC is excited to welcome @jasonburke2.bsky.social
(Guardian) to Royal Holloway this Wednesday for his talk: 'The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists who Hijacked the 1970s’ chaired by CVTRC Senior Fellow, Prof
Daniel Beer.
📆11 Feb, 4:15-5:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
(Guardian) to Royal Holloway this Wednesday for his talk: 'The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists who Hijacked the 1970s’ chaired by CVTRC Senior Fellow, Prof
Daniel Beer.
📆11 Feb, 4:15-5:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
Reposted by Akil N Awan
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
Reposted by Akil N Awan
We're excited to welcome Prof Dan Hicks @profdanhicks.bsky.social to Royal Holloway tomorrow for his talk: ‘Every Monument Will Fall: A Story of Remembering and Forgetting’, chaired by CVTRC Senior Fellow Dr Patrick Doyle.
Attendance is open to all.
📆25 Nov, 5:15-6:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
Attendance is open to all.
📆25 Nov, 5:15-6:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
November 24, 2025 at 10:22 AM
We're excited to welcome Prof Dan Hicks @profdanhicks.bsky.social to Royal Holloway tomorrow for his talk: ‘Every Monument Will Fall: A Story of Remembering and Forgetting’, chaired by CVTRC Senior Fellow Dr Patrick Doyle.
Attendance is open to all.
📆25 Nov, 5:15-6:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
Attendance is open to all.
📆25 Nov, 5:15-6:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
Reposted by Akil N Awan
We're excited to welcome Dr Matthew Ford
@warmatters.bsky.social to Royal Holloway next week to talk on: 'War in the Smartphone Age: Conflict, Connectivity & the Crises at Our Fingertips' chaired by CVTRC Snr Fellow @benoloughlin.bsky.social
📆16 Oct, 5:15-6:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
@warmatters.bsky.social to Royal Holloway next week to talk on: 'War in the Smartphone Age: Conflict, Connectivity & the Crises at Our Fingertips' chaired by CVTRC Snr Fellow @benoloughlin.bsky.social
📆16 Oct, 5:15-6:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
October 10, 2025 at 9:49 AM
We're excited to welcome Dr Matthew Ford
@warmatters.bsky.social to Royal Holloway next week to talk on: 'War in the Smartphone Age: Conflict, Connectivity & the Crises at Our Fingertips' chaired by CVTRC Snr Fellow @benoloughlin.bsky.social
📆16 Oct, 5:15-6:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
@warmatters.bsky.social to Royal Holloway next week to talk on: 'War in the Smartphone Age: Conflict, Connectivity & the Crises at Our Fingertips' chaired by CVTRC Snr Fellow @benoloughlin.bsky.social
📆16 Oct, 5:15-6:30pm in Shilling Lecture Theatre
Time to delete your academia,edu account 👇
September 23, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Time to delete your academia,edu account 👇
Reposted by Akil N Awan
Oh yeah :-) Thanks @akilnawan.bsky.social for this amazing volume of work. Looking forward to diving in!
July 15, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Oh yeah :-) Thanks @akilnawan.bsky.social for this amazing volume of work. Looking forward to diving in!
Reposted by Akil N Awan
📣 The CVTRC is pleased to announce a 1-day Symposium on 'Popular Culture and World Politics: Portraying War, Conflict & Political Violence'.
Full Programme below
📆 24/07/25 at Stewart House, London.
If you would like to attend, please get in touch: akil.awan@rhul.ac.uk
Full Programme below
📆 24/07/25 at Stewart House, London.
If you would like to attend, please get in touch: akil.awan@rhul.ac.uk
July 14, 2025 at 10:08 AM
📣 The CVTRC is pleased to announce a 1-day Symposium on 'Popular Culture and World Politics: Portraying War, Conflict & Political Violence'.
Full Programme below
📆 24/07/25 at Stewart House, London.
If you would like to attend, please get in touch: akil.awan@rhul.ac.uk
Full Programme below
📆 24/07/25 at Stewart House, London.
If you would like to attend, please get in touch: akil.awan@rhul.ac.uk
Reposted by Akil N Awan
Decades of mechanistic talk about university degrees as if they were bundles of 'skills' and 'prep' are about to be proved completely wrong (obviously). Want to get a real boost? Do History or English.
July 13, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Decades of mechanistic talk about university degrees as if they were bundles of 'skills' and 'prep' are about to be proved completely wrong (obviously). Want to get a real boost? Do History or English.
Reposted by Akil N Awan
The new book from @rikpeels.bsky.social and I comes out 19 August. The eager beavers among you can access it online now. More information, along with table of contents from our amazing contributors, available here:
academic.oup.com/book/60542?s...
academic.oup.com/book/60542?s...
Conceptualizing Extreme Beliefs and Behaviors: Definitions and Relations
Abstract. This book explores challenging conceptual issues in defining, analyzing, conceptualizing, and operationalizing notions such as extremism, radical
academic.oup.com
June 23, 2025 at 12:08 PM
The new book from @rikpeels.bsky.social and I comes out 19 August. The eager beavers among you can access it online now. More information, along with table of contents from our amazing contributors, available here:
academic.oup.com/book/60542?s...
academic.oup.com/book/60542?s...
Reposted by Akil N Awan
In the world Labour is creating you can be as enthusiastic as you like about genocide but it will be a criminal offence to express support for Palestine Action's attempts to stop it.
Short thread on Yvette Cooper's decision to ban Palestine Action. 🧵
June 23, 2025 at 5:49 PM
In the world Labour is creating you can be as enthusiastic as you like about genocide but it will be a criminal offence to express support for Palestine Action's attempts to stop it.
Reposted by Akil N Awan
📣 Deadline extended📣
Due to popular request, the submission deadline for the Symposium on: 'Popular Culture and World Politics: Portraying War, Conflict, & Political Violence' has been extended to Wed 25 June.
📅 The symposium will be held on 24/07/25 at Stewart House, London
Due to popular request, the submission deadline for the Symposium on: 'Popular Culture and World Politics: Portraying War, Conflict, & Political Violence' has been extended to Wed 25 June.
📅 The symposium will be held on 24/07/25 at Stewart House, London
📣 Call for Papers 📣
The Conflict, Violence & Terrorism Research Centre is pleased to announce a one day Symposium on:
'Popular Culture and World Politics: Portraying War, Conflict, & Political Violence'
📅 24/07/25 at Stewart House, London
⏳ Submission deadline: 23/06/25. Full Call for Proposals 👇
The Conflict, Violence & Terrorism Research Centre is pleased to announce a one day Symposium on:
'Popular Culture and World Politics: Portraying War, Conflict, & Political Violence'
📅 24/07/25 at Stewart House, London
⏳ Submission deadline: 23/06/25. Full Call for Proposals 👇
June 23, 2025 at 4:01 PM
📣 Deadline extended📣
Due to popular request, the submission deadline for the Symposium on: 'Popular Culture and World Politics: Portraying War, Conflict, & Political Violence' has been extended to Wed 25 June.
📅 The symposium will be held on 24/07/25 at Stewart House, London
Due to popular request, the submission deadline for the Symposium on: 'Popular Culture and World Politics: Portraying War, Conflict, & Political Violence' has been extended to Wed 25 June.
📅 The symposium will be held on 24/07/25 at Stewart House, London
Reposted by Akil N Awan
All the ways the Trump administration is going after colleges and universities
www.npr.org/2025/06/10/n...
www.npr.org/2025/06/10/n...
All the ways the Trump administration is going after colleges and universities
In seeking to reshape elite universities, the Trump administration is using several tactics, including freezing federal grants and contracts, and threatening colleges' tax-exempt status.
www.npr.org
June 10, 2025 at 1:19 PM
All the ways the Trump administration is going after colleges and universities
www.npr.org/2025/06/10/n...
www.npr.org/2025/06/10/n...
Reposted by Akil N Awan
Registration for the @socterres.bsky.social 17th Intl Conference closes a week today! Join us at @royalholloway.bsky.social's beautiful Egham Campus, near LHR ✈️ for two days of cutting edge research on terrorism and political violence. 7-8 July. 🔜 👇
@akilnawan.bsky.social @dasilvajr.bsky.social
@akilnawan.bsky.social @dasilvajr.bsky.social
Read more at: www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and...
Registration closes on June 06, 2025!
📧 Queries should be sent to the Local Organisers - Dr @LizzyPearson.bsky.social, Dr Ieva Cechaviciute, and Dr @AkilNaWan.bsky.social - at STR2025@RHUL.ac.uk.
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Registration closes on June 06, 2025!
📧 Queries should be sent to the Local Organisers - Dr @LizzyPearson.bsky.social, Dr Ieva Cechaviciute, and Dr @AkilNaWan.bsky.social - at STR2025@RHUL.ac.uk.
🧵 2/2
Professor Charlotte Heath Kelly to Deliver Closing Keynote at 17th Annual International Society for Terrorism Research (STR) Conference at Royal Holloway
Professor Charlotte Heath Kelly to Deliver Closing Keynote at 17th Annual International Society for Terrorism Research (STR) Conference at Royal Holloway
www.royalholloway.ac.uk
May 30, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Registration for the @socterres.bsky.social 17th Intl Conference closes a week today! Join us at @royalholloway.bsky.social's beautiful Egham Campus, near LHR ✈️ for two days of cutting edge research on terrorism and political violence. 7-8 July. 🔜 👇
@akilnawan.bsky.social @dasilvajr.bsky.social
@akilnawan.bsky.social @dasilvajr.bsky.social
Reposted by Akil N Awan
“Language as culture is the collective memory bank of a people’s experience in history”
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
1938 - 2025
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
1938 - 2025
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, giant of African literature, dies aged 87
Kenyan writer’s death announced by his daughter, who wrote: ‘He lived a full life, fought a good fight’
www.theguardian.com
May 29, 2025 at 6:28 AM
“Language as culture is the collective memory bank of a people’s experience in history”
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
1938 - 2025
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
1938 - 2025
Better late than never.
1100+ Israeli academics urge Heads of Israeli universities to "mobilize the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the war in Gaza", acknowledging "a horrifying litany of war crimes and even crimes against humanity, all of our own doing."
drive.google.com/file/d/1BeAn...
1100+ Israeli academics urge Heads of Israeli universities to "mobilize the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the war in Gaza", acknowledging "a horrifying litany of war crimes and even crimes against humanity, all of our own doing."
drive.google.com/file/d/1BeAn...
May 29, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Better late than never.
1100+ Israeli academics urge Heads of Israeli universities to "mobilize the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the war in Gaza", acknowledging "a horrifying litany of war crimes and even crimes against humanity, all of our own doing."
drive.google.com/file/d/1BeAn...
1100+ Israeli academics urge Heads of Israeli universities to "mobilize the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the war in Gaza", acknowledging "a horrifying litany of war crimes and even crimes against humanity, all of our own doing."
drive.google.com/file/d/1BeAn...
Reposted by Akil N Awan
We are happy to announce that Professor Charlotte Heath-Kelly has been confirmed as a closing Keynote Speaker for the 17th Annual International Conference of the Society for Terrorism Research at the School of Law & Social Sciences and the @CVTRC.bsky.social at @RoyalHolloway.bsky.social.
🧵 1/2
🧵 1/2
May 27, 2025 at 9:52 AM
We are happy to announce that Professor Charlotte Heath-Kelly has been confirmed as a closing Keynote Speaker for the 17th Annual International Conference of the Society for Terrorism Research at the School of Law & Social Sciences and the @CVTRC.bsky.social at @RoyalHolloway.bsky.social.
🧵 1/2
🧵 1/2
Reposted by Akil N Awan
RAMAPHOSA: I am sorry I don't have a plane to give you
TRUMP: I wish you did. I'd take it. If your country offered the US Air Force a plane, I would take it
RAMAPHOSA: Okay
TRUMP: I wish you did. I'd take it. If your country offered the US Air Force a plane, I would take it
RAMAPHOSA: Okay
May 21, 2025 at 5:01 PM
RAMAPHOSA: I am sorry I don't have a plane to give you
TRUMP: I wish you did. I'd take it. If your country offered the US Air Force a plane, I would take it
RAMAPHOSA: Okay
TRUMP: I wish you did. I'd take it. If your country offered the US Air Force a plane, I would take it
RAMAPHOSA: Okay
Reposted by Akil N Awan
HASSAN: What is habeas corpus?
NOEM: Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country
HASSAN: That's incorrect
NOEM: Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country
HASSAN: That's incorrect
May 20, 2025 at 2:16 PM
HASSAN: What is habeas corpus?
NOEM: Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country
HASSAN: That's incorrect
NOEM: Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country
HASSAN: That's incorrect
Reposted by Akil N Awan
Pedro Pascal at Cannes on the Trump regime’s war on migrants: “I want people to be safe and protected. I want to live on the right side of history. I am an immigrant. My parents are refugees from Chile.”
May 17, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Pedro Pascal at Cannes on the Trump regime’s war on migrants: “I want people to be safe and protected. I want to live on the right side of history. I am an immigrant. My parents are refugees from Chile.”
Reposted by Akil N Awan
Israel's Finance Minister Smotrich: "We are destroying everything that remains in Gaza, the world isn't stopping us." www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
May 19, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Israel's Finance Minister Smotrich: "We are destroying everything that remains in Gaza, the world isn't stopping us." www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Reposted by Akil N Awan
🚨NEW🚨
@surajlakhani.bsky.social and my new edited collection is out! Hard copy available in a few months. academic.oup.com/book/60071
@surajlakhani.bsky.social and my new edited collection is out! Hard copy available in a few months. academic.oup.com/book/60071
The Sociology of Violent Extremism: Theoretical and Sociological Approaches
This book is an essential collection addressing key challenges in studying violent extremism. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, terrorism
academic.oup.com
May 15, 2025 at 1:43 PM
🚨NEW🚨
@surajlakhani.bsky.social and my new edited collection is out! Hard copy available in a few months. academic.oup.com/book/60071
@surajlakhani.bsky.social and my new edited collection is out! Hard copy available in a few months. academic.oup.com/book/60071
Reposted by Akil N Awan
May 15, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Akil N Awan
Here is the grad speech that NYU is now withholding the student's diploma for:
"As I search my heart today in addressing you all…the only thing that is appropriate to say in this time and to a group this large is a recognition of the atrocities currently happening in Palestine."
"As I search my heart today in addressing you all…the only thing that is appropriate to say in this time and to a group this large is a recognition of the atrocities currently happening in Palestine."
May 15, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Here is the grad speech that NYU is now withholding the student's diploma for:
"As I search my heart today in addressing you all…the only thing that is appropriate to say in this time and to a group this large is a recognition of the atrocities currently happening in Palestine."
"As I search my heart today in addressing you all…the only thing that is appropriate to say in this time and to a group this large is a recognition of the atrocities currently happening in Palestine."