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Former British prime minister David Cameron has returned to public life to teach political science at a university in the Gulf state of Abu Dhabi.
Cameron will teach a three-week course on “Practicing Politics and Government in Times of Chaos” to students at NYU Abu Dhabi in January. It will touch on topics such as the war in Ukraine and the immigration crisis.
The former prime minister has kept a low profile since the end of his relationship with supply chain finance firm Greensill Capital, which collapsed in 2021. Cameron has privately contacted government officials to try to secure the group’s access to the Bank of England’s 2021 loan program. It is Britain’s biggest lobbying scandal in a generation and has been widely criticized by MPs.
He has first-hand experience of political turmoil, given that Brexit tore up his prime ministership and was the catalyst for his exit from Downing Street.
He was prime minister from 2010 to 2016, when he oversaw the UK’s referendum to leave the European Union.
His “Remain” campaign failed 48% to 52%, leading to his resignation and years of rolling chaos in British politics. It is unclear whether Brexit will be included in the curriculum.
A friend of the former prime minister said the NYU teaching position was a “logical extension” of his speaking at schools and universities. “He led the Conservative Party for 11 years and the country for six, and he will draw on his experience teaching politics and government in an era of populism and chaos.”
NYU Abu Dhabi said it offers time-limited courses in many locations around the world.
“These courses offer students the opportunity to learn together and experience the rich diversity of NYU’s global network,” it said, adding that the January classes will be “taught by leading scholars, authors, artists, journalists, practitioners and policy analysts “.
Since stepping down as prime minister, Cameron has dabbled in various initiatives.
he signed up for Sino-British Investment Fund Its goal was to raise $1 billion, but the idea never took off as relations between Beijing and London cooled.
Then he started working for Greensill. He later acknowledged mistakes in lobbying the now-defunct company, but said he had broken no rules.
Leaked documents show Cameron earns £10m before the company collapsed.
The Serious Fraud Office is still investigating the financing and conduct of companies within GFG Steel, including its Financing arrangements with Greensill.
Last year, Cameron resigned as chairman of the advisory board of Bermuda-based Afiniti, whose boss has been accused of sexual harassment and assault.
Cameron, who is also chairman of Alzheimer’s Research UK, does not have to declare his income because he is no longer an MP and does not have a seat in the House of Lords.
Other politicians from the same era also prospered in business, including Nick Clegg, vice president of global affairs at technology group Meta, and george osborne As a partner at investment bank Robey Warshaw.
Boris Johnson, who resigned as prime minister in July, earned £754,650 in November alone for three speeches in New York, Lisbon and India.
The UAE is an authoritarian state that has cracked down on public expression since the 2011 pro-democracy uprising in which Islamists challenged the leadership. The 2012 Cybercrime Act has been used to prosecute and threaten government critics by effectively clamping down on free speech.
Some academics have questioned whether NYU Abu Dhabi can operate with the same level of academic freedom as its home base.
The issue has been sparked by cases involving the censorship of course books or the banning of NYU staff from entering the country because they directly criticized the UAE (of which Abu Dhabi is a part) or the sensitivities of their research or religious beliefs.
Some academics say they must balance academic freedom concerns with the potential for lucrative salaries in the Gulf region when considering job opportunities in the UAE capital. But others said they were trying to conduct courses and research without interference from authorities.
“NYU Abu Dhabi enjoys the same full academic freedom as New York University. NYUAD is committed to fostering an environment that ensures academic freedom,” it said.
Additional reporting by Andrew Jack in New York
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