Leviathan

I am pleased to bring you our next issue of Leviathan: Revolt and Reform. It is not surprising to state that our world faces numerous challenges and crises: from the climate change to numerous conflicts across the globe, the world seems more inundated with disasters than ever before. Finding solutions to these emergencies will require wide reaching changes, sometimes destabilizing but absolutely necessary. As António Guterres, Secretary General of the UN, put it “the alternative to reform is not the status quo. The alternative to reform is further fragmentation. It’s reform or rupture.” This issue takes up these challenges and seeks to elevate the voice of students confronting disasters across all parts of the world.

Revolt and Reform is the result of the hard work of the Leviathan editing team, and the consistent support of the Edinburgh Political Union. Thanks to these groups, this issue features twelve articles of the highest quality and accompanying artwork. Our writers have taken on the challenge of working towards a better world in this issue of Leviathan. Their pieces represent a diverse range of perspectives on an equally diverse array of issues. The hope here at Leviathan is that this issue will leave readers with a greater understanding of the world’s many issues, and maybe even some optimism for the future.

Our issue begins with Madeline Schwartz’s piece on Queer Palestinian activism, which explores an intersectional lens through which to view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Taking a similar intersectional approach, Gwynne Capiraso focuses on the AIDS epidemic and particularly forgotten voices from the era. Edie Fenton examines the history of UN peacekeeping operations, revealing their systemic failures and inability to guarantee peace in the contemporary world. In Finland, Maya Pearson provides an analysis of the recent rise of right-wing populism in one of Europe’s historically most progressive political systems.

Recounting the historical development of the Turkish Constitution, Eda Naz Gezer and Azra Acar argue that the only solution for Turkey’s political dysfunction is an entirely new Constitution. Following, Niamh Roberts brings attention back to Edinburgh in research that tests different lobbying tactics utilized on the University. Utilizing interviews from the region, Colleen Aparicio’s insightful research uncovers the roots of conflict in the Niger Delta. Drawing on the Serbian Revolt, Ross Doran reveals an alternative form of nationalism centering on the peasantry rather than Western models that stress the involvement of the bourgeois class. Turning to the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, William Fieni-Thies explains the role of technology in the rebels fight and the potential to transform future conflicts. Emma Brealey follows with an article tracing the roots of Haiti’s current instability to the unique post-colonial situation of the country. Finally, in a unique piece joining politics and art, Julia Bahadrian argues that art provides a powerful medium to approach the ongoing climate crisis and its effects.

Revolt and Reform has only been possible due to the hard work from the Leviathan team, our writers, and the Edinburgh Political Union. I would like to personally thank everyone who contributed not only to this issue of Leviathan, but to our previous issue as well. Thanks to their efforts, Levithan has been able to produce a high number of quality articles elevating the voices of everyday students. Continuing this effort, I am proud to pass on the torch to the new Editor-in-Chief Grace Hitchcock and the new Deputy Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Doyle. They have already begun on the next issue of Leviathan, Voices and Violence, which I know will not only meet the quality of this issue but surpass it. Submissions for Voices and Violence will be open through October 6th .

I hope that you enjoy reading these pieces and continue to support the work of Leviathan.

Sincerely,

Jay McClure

Editor-in-Chief