It is with tremendous gratitude and pride that I present to you the rst instalment of Leviathan for the 2013-14 academic year.

is instalment represents the hard work and thoughts of twenty three students, two members of sta , and a fourteen member committee, making it the largest edition of Leviathan yet. As past readers will already have noticed, we have begun a new year with a fresh and, we hope, welcome series of changes to Leviathan.

We have introduced a new regional format to the Journal, with articles divided into six regions, and comparative pieces included as International submissions. We hope that this makes it easier to navigate the Journal. We have also introduced a new logo which we hope will make Leviathan instantly recognisable on campus. It features the crown, sword, and sceptre, traditional symbols of sovereignty in the West, from the etching of the Leviathan that is the cover of Hobbes’ seminal work. We hope that the St. Andrews Cross that the sword and sceptre are crossed inside of will evoke the Scottish nature of this Journal and University.

Inside, readers will nd the thoughts of students and members of sta on the topic ‘Feminism and Gender’. Feminism has a ected the political development of all nations, as well as informing the way in which we theorise about politics and international relations. How we interact in society is governed by gender expectations. Di erent societies have radically di erent norms and attitudes towards gender. Can we reconcile those norms? Should we? What role, if any, do human rights play in the debate?

e intersection of feminism and gender with politics is contentious and relevant, and I invite readers to challenge their own norms, attitudes, and privilege as they engage with the thoughts of our contributors.

ere are a tremendous number of people who deserve thanks, as Leviathan is truly a team e ort. e editors, production team members, events team, and fundraising team, led by Marcus Gustafsson, Adrie Smith, Tanya Turak, and Naomi Je erson, respectively, have put in many hours of e ort and thought into the Journal. e work before you is proof of their capabilities.

ose Editors in Chief who are my predecessors, Natasha Turak and Uday Jain have also been enormously helpful throughout the cra ing of this work. eir legacy and assistance are appreciated by all who enjoy Leviathan.

I’d like to thank Adrie Smith, especially, without whom the Journal would surely be lost. She is responsible for cra ing the redesign of the journal, production of the journal, for our new brand, and for unrelenting good advice.

e University of Edinburgh and Politics and International Relations Society have the humble thanks of the entire Leviathan community for their generous support of our e orts.

We hope that you nd this sampling of analysis, opinion, and academic debate from students at the University of Edinburgh thought compelling.

Yours,

Maxwell Greenberg, Editor in Chief