Multicentric World Research Articles

ВІЙНА В УКРАЇНІ ТА ЗАХІДНІ БАЛКАНИ: ІМПЕРАТИВИ НОВОЇ ГЕОПОЛІТИЧНОЇ ДИНАМІКИ РОЗШИРЕННЯ ЄС

Russia-Ukraine war has moved the process of EU expansion from the “dead point” as a mechanism for stabilizing the borders of the euro bloc. Activation of the negotiation process with a certain prospect of including the countries of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership is considered as a geo- strategic priority of the EU until the end of the current decade. The subject of the study is regularities and challenges of the modern geopolitical dynamics of the expansion of the European Union. The purpose of the article is to as- sess the influence of geopolitical factors, in particular, Russia-Ukraine war, on the EU enlargement policy. The following results have been obtained: it has been established that the current stage of EU expansion is under the influence of Russian geopolitical revanchism and the desire to restore “spheres of influence” in Europe; the Western Balkans are of geostrategic importance for Europe, and therefore have become the object of interest of many extra-regional autocratic play- ers, such as Russia, China, Turkey; all candidate countries for joining the EU have significant disparities in the degree of integration according to many indicators; the Balkan experience of European integration is accompanied by significant controversies that have slowed EU expansion for decades; against the background of Russian aggression, the current stage of the enlargement policy is accompanied by significant public support for the inclusion of new members. Conclusions: the current state of EU expansion is determined by geopoliti- cal and security determinants, in the conditions of the global confrontation between the forces of democracy and authoritarianism, it has acquired an imperative character. Geopolitical nature of EU expansion does not negate the need for compliance with the acquis communautaire, but requires reforms of the European Union itself, which will allow for a more coherent foreign policy and provide a proactive approach to support Ukraine and other mem- bers. Geopolitical nature of the expansion emphasizes the fact that Ukraine is an important asset for Brussels, it is able to ensure the strategic autonomy of the EU, strengthen its identification as a global geopolitical player in the conditions of the formation of a multicentric world.

Small States of Europe in International Negotiations (Case of Benelux Countries)

With a multicentric world forming and stratification of resource potential taking place, as well as with more small states in Europe and the world and emerging big multinationals here, small states receive more and more researchers’ attention: there appear papers analyzing activities of small states in Europe in the international arena in general and in international negotiations in particular. This article answers the following research question: What strategies and tactics allow small European states to strengthen their positions in negotiations (based on the case of the Benelux countries)? The strategies used by small countries in negotiations to compensate for limited resources is of scientific and practical interest as it can be applied by other states, namely Russia. Theoretically, the study is based on constructivist methodology as negotiation tactics effectively (re)formulate the issue, changing it through the use of a different context and/or lexical units, as well as on structural invariants of activity in negotiations. Discourse analysis and case study are used as research methods. The analysis identified the limitations that small European states, in particular the Benelux countries, face at each stage of international negotiations. The authors conclude that the types of behavior small European states demonstrate in international negotiations can be divided into those (1) aimed at increasing the “weight” of the state (e.g., interaction within international institutions, with NGOs and lobbies, organizing side events, etc.) and (2) focused on influencing the course of negotiations: tactics within the bargaining strategy (coalition-building, bargaining, etc.) and tactics based on persuasion ((re)framing, appealing to one’s own “example”, etc.). For small European countries, namely the Benelux countries, persuasion tactics are most typical, although other tactics are also used.

Nova geopolitička Perestrojka

After Chernenko's demise and Gorbachev's coming to power in 1985, the period known as perestroika began in the Soviet Union. Realignment led to an ostensible end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, thanks to Yeltsin's declaration of sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR). As a consequence, former Soviet socialist republics, including Ukraine, became independent states. The United States of America declared victory in the Cold War and a new world order was established with the United States as the great hegemon. In this paper, our aim is to show that the ongoing conflict in the territory of Ukraine did not start either in 2022 or in 2014 (when the conflict became armed). Instead, the conflict was kick-started with the independent state of Ukraine being established in 1991, on historically Russian lands, the purpose of this exercise being to create a new Ukrainian nation. The thirty-year history of the Ukrainian state bears witness to its non-Russian and anti-Russian character, as well as to the undisguised influence of the United States of America, which was particularly evident in the so-called colour revolutions and the armed coup of 2014, which led to the overthrow of the legally elected president of this country, Viktor Yanukovych. Russian intervention in 2022, which has a global geopolitical character, shows that a new perestroika is in full play. Denazification and demilitarisation of Ukraine, declared as the main goals of the Russian Federation, are the fundamental measures of the new perestroika. If the Russian Federation succeeds in this endeavour, this would undoubtedly mark the end of U.S. hegemony, while a new multicentric world would be created. If Russian intervention turns out to be a failure, U.S. hegemony will be reconfirmed so that the interests of the Russian Federation would most likely be faced with a threat of further disintegration. Thus, this is not primarily a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but rather a decisive battle between Russia and the collective West led by the United States. This is the reason why the West is putting in a strenuous effort, and suffering substantial economic damage, to win this war. It defends Ukraine for its own sake, not for the sake of Ukraine itself. Not by their own choice, Ukrainians are in a tragic position in which their nation is used for the achievement of Western interests.

Greening Surabaya: The City’s Role in Shaping Environmental Diplomacy

Abstract In the last decade, Surabaya city has reinvented itself through a rapid greening development concept. The emergence of cities in diplomacy represents the multi-centric world rather than state-centric world in post-Westphalian diplomacy. By using Surabaya as a case study and examining how it overcomes environmental challenges, we will show how a city can play a crucial role in the realization of responsible development. We will focus on the mayor’s efforts to decentralize Surabaya by making the city’s diplomacy down-to-earth and people-oriented, especially in environmental-related issues. This overturns the idea that diplomacy is the reserve of diplomats and political elites, with little connection to the welfare of the people, especially those at the grassroots level. This article suggests that Surabaya, as a secondary city, has been successful in creating green living spaces and achieving sdg targets through active environmental diplomacy via multilateral engagement, bilateral partnership, and local community involvement.

Security branding and digital narrations. Security issues representation on Twitter

ABSTRACTIn the contemporary multicentric world, sovereign states have to manage carefully the construction of their image, defining their role and aspirations. With the re-definition of the state centric politics, stories become relevant: communication is a form of power, and networked forms of communication are becoming progressively a way to conquer the transnational public spheres. Through strategic narratives of foreign politics, states try to set up the ‘tales’ of international affairs and foreign strategies, to suggest a world vision, a causal interpretation, determining frames that affect transnational actors’ position in the international environment. Sovereign states develop these kind of frame using tools and theories referred to the commercial branding tradition to promote and support their own policies and identity. We decided to investigate how that process is made through information diffusion on digital platforms.In this work, it has been analyzed the content presented through Twitter posts by the Foreign Ministries accounts of four different States dissimilar for geopolitical positioning and security concerns (USA; Israel; France; Sweden), for a period of three months (9/1/2015-11/30/2015); leading to the identification of different models and characteristic patterns of self-representation.The thematic content analysis, based on the identification of macrocategories and micro-issues, has led to the identification of different models and characteristic patterns of self-representation, determined by domestic vicissitudes, and has shown some regularities, caused by the branding vocation of autobiographical online contents.

Who Leads Global Capitalism? The Unlikely Rise of China

The idea that China, once the center of world revolutionary passion, should lead global capitalism is as unexpected as it is ironic. But the emergence of the transnational capitalist class (TCC) has promoted a multi-centric world order where “everything solid melts into air.” Disappearing is the dominant position of the US, further undercut by the erratic nationalism of President Trump. With the US acting as if globalization is the unwanted step-child of its hegemonic power, the guardianship of transnational capital has fallen to the Chinese.

Turkey's foreign policy implementation in sub-Saharan Africa: A post-international approach

Turkey's activism in Africa has been extensively noted. It has been argued that non-state actors like business and civil society organizations take part in Turkeys Africa initiative. Nevertheless, state/non-state interaction in Turkey's foreign policy implementation has not been accounted for in theoretical terms in Turkish foreign policy literature. This paper combines post-international theory and foreign policy implementation in looking at Turkey's foreign policy towards sub-Saharan Africa. We argue that adapting to the multi-centric world, the Turkish government has moved beyond conventional state-to-state dealings in implementing its foreign policy and increasingly relies on the cooperation of non-state actors.

“But the UN Said So …”: International Organisations as Discursive Authorities

Many scholars take it as given that international governmental and non-governmental actors play a decisive role in international politics as regulative, moral or epistemic authorities. Hence, a denationalised “multi-centric world” (James Rosenau) is said to be emerging, although empirical evidence for this is incomplete at best. Building on a variety of communication theoretical approaches, I argue for a clear-cut differentiation between authority and the power of the better argument. Moreover, I claim that, by looking at the way actors select and refer to the statements of others (“authority talk”), we can research the reproduction of authority as a specific type of relational power exercised by a variety of political actors, including governments, international agencies and non-state actors. The usefulness of this kind of analytical framework for researching an emerging “world authority structure” (John Boli) is illustrated, using speeches and news pieces on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan/Darfur. Results suggest that the common perception of an existing “non-governmental order” in humanitarian politics is highly exaggerated. Instead, what we see is a high degree of “UN-isation” of debate and a pivotal role of national governments that are widely acknowledged as authoritative sources of meaning.

Estudios españoles de crecimiento: situación actual, utilidad y recomendaciones de uso

The child growth assessment is useful not only for the follow up of children health but also for social purposes, as an indicator of the equity advances in the world. In Spain there has been a long tradition in carrying out growth studies. During the last decade five Spanish research groups have conducted studies among the population of Andalucía, Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid and Zaragoza. They have combined their data and have produced the «Transversal Spanish Studies 2008 and 2010» and the «Longitudinal Spanish Study 1978/2000». These studies have showed that in Spain the regional differences on growth have disappeared, and that this has had a secular trend in the last decades. The Spanish adult height has approached to other European and American countries, still below some Centre and North European countries. There are some differences between the Spanish growth studies and the multicentric World Health Organization (WHO) growth study. This is due, among other reasons, to the different criteria that are used for the sample selection. In Spain the studies are based on the «population» criteria, whereas the WHO study is based on the «socioeconomic» and «nutritional» criteria. Currently for the Spanish population is appropriate to use, as standard reference, the Spanish multicentric studies, which are the transversal as well as the longitudinal studies. Due to the recent secular trend, it would be convenient to carry out, in the future, prospective transversal growth studies, methodologically homogeneous, representatives of the different Spanish regions, and preferably made every ten to fifteen years.

The concept of change and James N. Rosenau: Still international relations?

This article aims to study issue of ‘change and continuity’ in the field of international relations and the capability of mainstream approaches of international relations and history to cover the issue of change from perspective of James N. Rosenau. The dynamics of change and statics of continuity, at micro and macro levels and interaction between two levels will be analyzed, with the aim of designing a theoretical framework for the issue of ‘change and continuity’. Methodologically, conceptual framework Rosenau uses to explain dynamics of change will be given priority and primacy he attaches to improvement in micro phenomena will be explained. It is argued in this article that even it is far from clear whether global turbulence is a temporary or a permanent condition, change is in progress and is altering the parameters of world politics. Thus, the mainstream conceptual framework and history understanding is incapable to approach the issue of change and there is the need of a jail-breaking process that is to consider new concepts, new actors and new types of relationships. Key words: Postinternational politics, turbulent change, micro and macro phenomena, prametric transformation, multi-centric world.

Le Nouvel ordre mondial : Forces sous-jacentes et résultats

Although much remains the same in world politics despite claims that a new global order has emerged out of the rubble of the Cold War, there is a level at which the emergence of a new order can be discerned. If one probes beneath the outcomes of international affairs and focuses on their underpinnings, it is possible to trace the utlines of new foundations of global politics. This new world order is depicted in terms of three basic parameters that bind the global System, each of which is posited as undergoing profound and enduring transformation. At the micro level the analytic skills of individuals everywhere are conceived to have undergone extensive expansion. At the macro level of systemic structure the transformation involves the bifurcation of world politics into a state-centric world and a multi-centric world, neither of which is predominant and both of which are responsive to the other. At the macro-micro level, which links individuals to their macro collectivities, transformation is seen to have occurred in authority relations, with the dynamics of change having moved authority structures from being in place to being in crisis. While these fundamental transformations are seen as fostering endless tensions between the centralizing and decentralizing forces at work in the world, the resulting turbulence is not viewed as amounting to disorder. Rather, the emergent global order is viewed as encouraging the institutionalization of the tensions, the outcome of which is readily discernible in present day relations among the states analyzed in this symposium.

Africa in a Multi-Centric World History: Beyond Witches and Warlords

Africa in a Multi-Centric World History: Beyond Witches and Warlords

Beyond Blacks, Bondage, and Blame: Why a Multi-centric World History Needs Africa

Beyond Blacks, Bondage, and Blame: Why a Multi-centric World History Needs Africa

Governance and Policy in a Multicentric World

Three dimensions of multiple centres of power and their corresponding implications for policy and governance are examined. While there has been a proliferation in the number of actors participating in governance and the policy processes, this development is not entirely a new phenomenon. The state is in constant transformation, adapting to the various challenges it faces. It is wrong to argue that the state is in retreat or that it is not as powerful as it once was. Today, the state has retained a preeminent role in governance and in the policy process. However, instead of providing an extensive social security network, it has taken on new roles, including helping to prepare domestic populations for global trade and social interactions.

Représenter-penser un Monde mondialisé

Representation and perception of a globalised World. — The growing importance of the global geographical scale raises the question of how to represent it. The old problem of the limitations of the planisphere takes on a new dimension: in a multicentric World, the obsolescence of monocentric images also casts doubt on other figures of the World. The problem is especially acute as it concerns the representation of the World system, in all senses of the term. The single-scale continuity of all the literature is less and less satisfactory for representing — and by extension perceiving — an increasingly multimetric space. The planisphere has become a problem for the geographical perception of the World.

Negotiations and Power Asymmetries: The Cases of Bosnia, Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka

AbstractEthnic conflict, as illustrated by the cases of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, and Sri Lanka, has been difficult to negotiate due to the power asymmetries involved and the general belief of national governments that such issues should be solved through the political process. Although external, ethnic-linked groups can help address some of the problems of power asymmetry, they can also complicate the process. Changing power structures in an increasingly multicentric world may create an environment in which successful resolution of ethnic violence becomes more likely, but democracy impacts both positively and negatively upon such an outcome.

Turbulence in world politics: a theory of change and continuity

In this ambitious work a leading scholar undertakes a full-scale reconceptualization of international relations. Turbulence in World Politics is an entirely new formulation that accounts for the persistent turmoil of today's world, even as it also probes the impact of the microelectronic revolution, the postindustrial order, and the many other fundamental political, economic, and social changes under way since World War II. To develop this formulation, James N. Rosenau digs deep into the workings of communities and the orientations of individuals that culminate in collective action on the world stage. His concern is less with questions of epistemology and methodology and more with the development of a comprehensive theoryone that is different from other paradigms in the field by virtue of its focus on the tumult in contemporary international relations. The book depicts a bifurcation of global politics in which an autonomous multi-centric world has emerged as a competitor of the long established state-centric world. A central theme is that the analytic skills of people everywhere are expanding and thereby altering the context in which international processes unfold. Rosenau shows how the macro structures of global politics have undergone transformations linked to those at the micro level: long-standing structures of authority weaken, collectivities fragment, subgroups become more powerful at the expense of states and governments, national loyalties are redirected, and new issues crowd onto the global agenda. These turbulent dynamics foster the simultaneous centralizing and decentralizing tendencies that are now bifurcating global structures. Rosenau's new work is an imaginative leap into world politics in the twenty-first century. There is much here to challenge traditional thought of every persuasion. --Michael Brecher, McGill University

Patterned Chaos in Global Life: Structure and Process in the Two Worlds of World Politics 1

The changing world scene is marked by innumerable developments for which extant paradigms have, at best, strained and insufficient explanations. Here the analysis undertakes a fresh approach to the emergent patterns of global life by tracing a bifurcation in which the state-centric world coexists and interacts with a diffuse multi-centric world consisting of diverse "sovereignty-free" actors who endlessly confront an "autonomy" dilemma that differs significantly from the "security" dilemma of states. An outline of the basic structures and processes of this two-world universe of world politics suggests that its equilibrium may derive from cyclical patterns in which orientations at the micro-level toward authority and legitimacy vary systematically to redress the balance of systems and subsystems at the macro level.