SCGA Team: Stephen Gethins

An image of Stephen Gethins

Stephen Gethins

Professor in Practice at the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews

Stephen Gethins is Professor in Practice at the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews.

He previously served as the MP for North East Fife and was the SNP’s International Affairs and Europe spokesperson in Parliament and was particularly focused on Brexit on the run up to and aftermath of the EU Referendum. Stephen was also twice selected to sit on the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, the first SNP Member to sit on the Committee.

Before entering Parliament Stephen served as a Special Adviser to Scotland’s First Minister focusing on International and European Affairs, Energy and Climate Change. He also worked in the European institutions and for NGOs involved in peacebuilding with a particular focus on the former Soviet Union and Western Balkans.

Logo image for the Scottish Council on Global Affairs

Press, Clips, Interviews

An image showing a protest against Vladimir Putin
Photo: AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

STEPHEN GETHINS: The Ukraine invasion was utterly predictable and its people deserved better.

The invasion of Ukraine is devastating, says Stephen Gethins, but it comes as no surprise to anyone who has been watching Vladimir Putin.

Making their voices heard: Relations between the UK’s nations and regions and the EU post-Brexit.

This event, co-organised by the Aston Centre for Europe (ACE) and the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC) will explore the practice and scope of Britain’s new ‘paradiplomacy’ towards the EU in the wake of Brexit.

A Debate on Scotland’s Place in the World is Long Overdue.

In this guest blog, Stephen Gethins provides an overview of his new book ‘Nation to Nation: Scotland’s Place in the World’ exploring Scotland’s “foreign policy footprint”. 

Books

Stephen recently published his first book Nation to Nation: Scotland’s Foreign Policy footprint and is a regular print and broadcast media contributor on Scottish and international affairs.

Book Sections

Stephen recently contributed a chapter to ‘Losing Afghanistan, the fall of Kabul and the end of Western Intervention’

Social feed

❝The consequences of fewer languages spoken, fewer cross-border experiences garnered, and fewer cross-Channel friendships made are grave. We must do all we can to ensure young people in Scotland are polyglot, transnationally mobile and curious about other peoples and cultures.❞… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Tonight Russian State TV’s flagship “News of the Week” programme lasted a marathon 3 hours.

Plenty of space, then, for all the news of the week.

So, what did tonight’s edition say about the ICC arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin?

Nothing.

Some criminals have an obsessive need to revisit the scene of their greatest crime twitter.com/ukraine_world/…

⚡️ Russian media reported that Putin arrived in #Mariupol by helicopter. There, he drove around several micro-districts of the city and allegedly talked to the locals. #RussiaInvadedUkraine

Happy #StPatricksDay from us at Muppet History! We’re obligated to share this clip every year!

Hope you all have a fun (and safe) day!

Twenty years ago to the minute, as I tweet this, Robin Cook rose in the House of Commons to deliver his historic speech against the Iraq War. As someone who was there, here are my thoughts on that day, the events leading up to it and its enduring significance. twitter.com/guardianopinio…

On this day 20 years ago, Robin Cook tried to stop the Iraq war. I helped write that historic speech | David Clark theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Eavan Boland, the late Irish poet, said “Our island that was once settled and removed on the edge of Europe is now the bridge to the world.”

That bridge is a superhighway that grows stronger and more necessary as every year passes.

And there’s no limit to where it can take us.

Happy St Pat’s - hint, how you see yourself in the world and act really counts - #GlobaIreland 🇪🇺🇮🇪 twitter.com/dfatirl/status…

Watch: St Patrick's Day 2023 ☘️

Celebrating a Century of Peacebuilding

100 years after independence,

we know that peace is not just the destination,

but the path we walk

Happy #StPatricksDay

Lá Fhéile Pádraig

This is #GlobalIreland 🌍🇮🇪

ireland.ie

APPLY NOW for 2023 entry: St Leonard's Masters Scholarship for postgraduate taught (MLitt, MSc, MRes) students. Range of awards available including tuition, living costs, accommodation & employability funding. buff.ly/3Xxa4SV
@univofstandrews
@SaintsSport
@StAndrewsMusic

My piece (behind a paywall just now) in today’s Times about the importance of the next First Minister having a realistic EU & International strategy - thetimes.co.uk/article/new-le…