International Politics Research Articles

Back to Bipolarity: How China's Rise Transformed the Balance of Power

Abstract China's rise, Russia's military resurgence, and India's economic growth have prompted debates about the end of unipolarity and the future balance of power. Such debates are a staple of international politics; indeed, in the late twentieth century, many observers warned that Japan and the Soviet Union would overtake the United States. Yet scholars and policymakers evince little agreement on how to define power or measure the distribution of power. This article introduces an inductive method for comparing national power. I empirically validate common metrics of national capabilities—economic and military—by assessing their ability to both predict known balances of power across historical systems (1820–1990) and distinguish between great powers and other countries. This method yields three important findings. First, large gaps in national capabilities between great powers and even superpowers have been common throughout history. Great powers need not achieve parity with the leading state to engage in a dangerous security competition. Second, this method shows that China on most dimensions is not only a great power but a superpower. Third, neither Russia nor India is a great power. The system is bipolar. These findings inform debates about the stability of international politics and the future of international order and suggest the likelihood of shifts in U.S. grand strategy and alliances.

壬午軍亂 사후처리 과정에서 일본의 强償 적용 검토와 조선의 塡補論 관철

On July 23, 1882, The Imo Military Rebellion, which was caused by soldiers and the people, led to the destruction of the Japanese legation. and The incident escalated into an international affair between Korea and Japan. The content of the international law that Japan applied to Joseon in the post-processing of the Imo Military Rebellion was ‘reprisals.’ The specific plan of ‘reprisals’ prepared by them led to negotiations with Joseon. However, the reprisals was not implemented due to changes in the situation. Instead, Japan demanded indemnification from Joseon. The indemnifications included the interests of Joseon. Joseon refuted Japan’s demands by presenting an international examples. Joseon wanted to change the term ‘indemnification’ to ‘Supplement(塡補)’. Joseon paid a lot of money. However, Joseon succeeded in defending its own interests in part through its ‘Supplement(塡補) theory’.

Politics and power in the global tennis circuit

Abstract Like most global sports, professional tennis is eager to claim that politics has no place on its playing field. On closer investigation, however, this ‘myth of autonomy’ soon cracks. In addition to adding tennis as a much-needed case to the study of sport and international affairs, this article develops the concept of ‘the circuit’ to approach phenomena that criss-cross traditional levels of analysis in international relations. In its first part, the article zooms in on the practice of writing celebratory messages onto the lenses of TV cameras as an example of the power relations that exist in and around professional tennis courts today. In its second part, it zooms out to map the themes and questions that have framed tennis as a political activity around the world and over time. The analysis identifies and characterizes the global tennis circuit as a site within which many of the most pressing political questions of our time are contained, focusing on the prestigious tournaments which make up the Grand Slam, and the elite athletes that participate in them.

Terrorism in Pakistan Impact on National Security

Terrorism presents a substantial obstacle in the current global political landscape, leading to changes in approaches to national security. The 9/11 attacks had a significant and far-reaching effect, on South Asia, notably in Pakistan, prompting leaders such as President George W. Bush to intensify worldwide counter-terrorism efforts. This research examines the relationship between terrorism and national security, focusing on Pakistan's experience with cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan, particularly in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The study argues that terrorism surpasses conventional conflict standards and poses existential risks to national security. The study also highlights the impact of terrorist spillover from Afghanistan on Pakistan's territorial integrity, political sovereignty, and core institutions. The study also highlights the degradation of civil freedoms, economic pressures, and social divides due to terrorism. The research advocates for strong counter-terrorism strategies and global collaboration to strengthen national security and maintain global peace. The research advocates for a comprehensive strategy to address terrorism, emphasizing self-sufficiency and global cooperation, aiming to successfully battle terrorism while preserving national autonomy and democratic government in international affairs.

Транспарентность и политические риски: вызовы и перспективы для российской государственной системы

The article analyzes the problems of political risks and transparency of state power, paying special attention to domestic and foreign research in this area. The author points out the insufficient systematization and understanding of political risks in Russian science. Special attention is paid to the concept of transpar-ency as a key principle of the functioning of modern government. The article examines examples of legal regulation of transparency in countries such as Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand. The author emphasizes the importance of creating a balanced system where transparency must be combined with the need to protect national security. In addition, the article discusses the problem of "double standards" in international politics, considered as an instrument of information warfare and a means of manipulating public consciousness.

ОБРАЗ РОССИЙСКОГО ПАНСЛАВИЗМА В ГЕРМАНСКИХ ПАРЛАМЕНТСКИХ ДЕБАТАХ ПОСЛЕДНЕЙ ТРЕТИ XIX ВЕКА

The main topic of this research is the image of Russian pan-Slavism in German parliamentary discourse. The last third of the 19th century was the time of dramatic change in Russian-German relations – from an alliance to the membership in opposing military blocs. The driving forces of this deterioration were not only international politics and economy. Public opinion, especially in Germany, also played an important part in this process. Not entitled to take part in foreign policy decision making immediately, German political parties were able to influence public opinion on international issues. Therefore, the study of parliamentary debates makes it possible to understand the cooling of Russian-German relations. The sources of this research are minutes of parliament meetings from 1871 to 1895. Qualitative content analysis was chosen as the most appropriate method for this research. Main finding of this research id the existence of a single image of Russian pan-Slavism in German political parties from Conservatives to Left Liberals and Social Democrats. The use of this image was determined by the particular topic and corresponding interests of the party, but its key features remained the same. Pan-Slavism was perceived and presented as a powerful force in Russian society that was able even to overrule the emperor and to dictate political decision. This force was invariably hostile to Germany and constantly warmongering. Within the framework of this interpretation, the deterioration of bilateral relations was perceived by German society as a natural consequence of the activities of Russian pan-Slavists.

The Evolving Role of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East: Challenges to Regional Diplomacy of MBS

The state's role in regional and international affairs shifts with the leadership change, particularly when the new leader is younger and more ambitious than his predecessors. The role of Saudi Arabia has been evolving with the rise of de facto leader Muhammad Bin Salaman(MBS). As a foreign policy tool, Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of MBS, has chosen a particular diplomatic approach to lessen conflict, promote regional peace and stability, and develop its economy in order to gain more clout in the Middle East. So, what is the unique diplomatic regional approach of MBS, and why is KSA, under MBS's leadership, still facing serious challenges in the region? This study briefly explores Muhammad bin Salman's diplomatic initiatives toward regional countries with strained relations. This study highlights the challenges the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia faces under Muhammad bin Salman's leadership in achieving diplomatic success with regional countries.

Social International Politics

Constructivism emphasizes the importance of ideas in the “subjective interaction” between the materialisms and ideals of international politics. The value of the former comes from the meanings of the latter, which are variable meanings and not fixed. Therefore, what explains the transformation of material things from one meaning to another is the change of ideas, rules, standards and values in the international system, which enters into a relationship of “mutual formation” with its main units, that is, the states, and affects their local structure, leading to a change in their perceptions, thus contributing to the formation of the identities of the states in a way that directs their interests. Its behavior is determined so that this behavior comes as a result of the subjective interaction between the structure of the state and the structure of the international system. Thus, states form the system and the system forms states. Therefore, constructivism, specifically according to its main theorist, “Alexander Wendt,” revolves around the concept of identity, which is essentially “a characteristic rooted in the state’s understanding of itself in a certain image and the recognition of that image by other states.” Hence, identity expresses the existence of two types of ideas, those embraced by the self and those that The other embraces it. Because identity expresses the ideas of the self, it is a “local culture,” and because it expresses the ideas of the other, it is an “external culture.” And because it is based on the other’s recognition of it, it is formed through interaction between the self and the other. Thus, identity is a characteristic rooted in the self that is formed by the interaction of local cultures. With other external ones. Wendt goes on to explain that identities indicate who that state is, so they are convictions, while interests indicate what that state wants, so they are desires. States cannot know what they want before they know who they are, so interests arise as a result of identities. As long as identities are culturally shaped, interests will also be culturally shaped. Because identities are always forming, the possibility of them changing is possible hierarchically or collisionally, which means changing interests and policies to suit the international system without disturbing the identities and interests of states.

Hans Morgenthau, Peaceful Change, and the Origins of American Realism

This article examines Morgenthau's switch from international law to international politics, arguing that it was fundamental to his emergence as a founder of postwar realism in the United States. More precisely, it sets this switch in the context of a far-reaching but largely overlooked debate among American jurists during the 1930s on the question of peaceful change: of how to revise an international order or major aspects of it by means other than war. This debate provided Morgenthau with a solution to the impasse reached by his project in international law before World War II, allowing him to transform what appeared to be a problem from the vantage point of international law into a structural element of an approach to international politics—of his realism.

The Impact of Trump’s Policies and Rhetoric on U.S. International Relations and Domestic Politics (2016-2024) | O Impacto das Políticas e da Retórica de Trump nas Relações Internacionais e na Política Interna dos EUA (2016-2024)

Donald Trump’s tenure as the 45th President of the United States from 2017 to 2021 was marked by a series of controversial policies and rhetoric that significantly impacted both the nation’s international relations and domestic political landscape. This paper provides an in-depth exploration of the multifaceted effects of Trump’s presidency on global affairs and internal political dynamics from 2016 to 2024. Through a comprehensive analysis of his foreign policy actions, economic decisions, and rhetorical strategies, the study aims to elucidate the broader implications of his leadership on the world stage and within the United States. Incorporating a rigorous review of significant policy shifts, international agreements, economic reforms, and public opinion data, the research seeks to assess the lasting influence of Trump’s tumultuous presidency on the country’s global standing and internal cohesion.

When and Why the Doctrine of a “Rules-Based International Order” Emerged

INTRODUCTION. It is no understatement to say that the “rules-based international order” doctrine, as opposed to the “international order based on law”, has emerged as one of the most debated concepts in global politics during in the late ХХ and early ХХI centuries. This concept presents a framework where general rules of conduct for states, though not norms of jus cogens under general international law, are considered legally binding for all states and other participants in international relations. Consequently, it challenges the traditionally recognized supremacy of international law in governing these relations, seeking to erode established practices of international law-making. This doctrine is actively utilized by leading Western powers to substantiate their political positions and accuse strategic competitors of failing to adhere to these “rules” deemed as legally binding. Understanding the essence and origin of this doctrine is crucial in unraveling its significance. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The set of used methodological approaches encompass a range of general scientific and specialized methods, including historical analysis, formal logic, synthesis, as well as systemic and comparative legal methods.RESEARCH RESULTS. The research indicates that the doctrine of a rules-based international order entered international diplomatic discourse in the early 1990s, arising as a consequence of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of a unipolar world.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. The author reaches the conclusion that in the context of this emerging unipolarity, the United States deemed it appropriate to unilaterally (or at most in conjunction with its closest allies) dictate universally binding rules of conduct in international relations to the global community. The doctrine of a rules-based internation[1]al order provided the necessary scientific justification to validate such a policy. Initially, this doctrine garnered substantial support in international politics but subsequently faced a decline in its proponents, particularly with the shift towards a polycentric world order. While it continues to exist to some extent, the goals for which it was originally conceived have been largely nullified.

Brokering Peace: Japan’s Conflict-Resolution Role in Southeast Asia during the Cold War

ABSTRACT In contrast to descriptions of Japan as a country that shied away from involvement in international political affairs during the Cold War, this article shows that since the 1960s, Japan has actively engaged in diplomacy to resolve conflicts in Southeast Asia. What motivated these efforts? What role did Japan play? What are the characteristics of Japan’s diplomacy? Drawing on declassified diplomatic documents, these questions are addressed by investigating Japan’s peace brokering in four conflicts during the Cold War era. The findings deepen our understanding of Japan’s contribution to conflict-resolution and its political role in Southeast Asia during the Cold War, which was much more active than claimed in the literature.

Redefining alliances: Exploring the emergence of the China-Russia military axis

The article explores the development of Sino-Russian military cooperation since the end of the Cold War. It focuses on the evolution of their geopolitical alignment, military interactions, arms trade, joint military exercises, and ally dynamics. The research reveals the driving forces behind the emergence of a China-Russia military axis and its underlying synergy. It concludes that China and Russia have redefined the notion of alliance beyond its traditional understanding, creating a new paradigm of allied relations in international affairs.

University-business linkages influence on international business competence: An in-service training perspective

Firms often rely on the skills and mindsets of individual employees and managers rather than on organizational structures and capabilities to execute entrepreneurial activities. These individual-level factors, which may originate from educational and business experiences, also support the development of international business competencies when firms engage in international operations. Accordingly, this study investigates educational collaborations in university-business linkages that influence international business competence at the individual level. Survey data were collected from 489 in-service-trained business executives pursuing (Executive) Master of Business Administration degrees while concurrently holding supervisory and managerial responsibilities in firms in Ghana. Factor analysis revealed four dimensions of educational collaborations in university-business linkages. Results from hypothesis testing, conducted using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), indicate that the diversity and internationality of study content and research dimensions positively and significantly influence these executives' global mindset, entrepreneurial orientation, and international marketing skills in performing foreign business operations. Similarly, interactions with international resource persons positively and significantly influence the executives' global mindset and international marketing skills. However, while participation in international affairs shows positive effects, these are not statistically significant. We discuss these findings and highlight their implications for developing international human capital through a university-business educational collaboration framework useful for executives, business schools, academics, and global higher education development partners.

Regional ecosophy: a Guattarian approach to the border landscapes of the Irish Northwest

In this paper, we propose that landscape architecture is uniquely equipped to shape highly contested and politicized border regions. We contend that recognizing landscape architecture’s agency to contribute to national and international politics may enable the field to intervene in contemporary theoretical discussions within urban and regional studies that are otherwise dominated by geography and urban planning. Through the example of the Irish/Northern Irish border region in the face of Brexit, we discuss the limits to city planning and policy designations—such as that of city-region—in addressing the complex economies and ecologies of similar geopolitical landscapes. We also highlight environmentalist planning and design’s limitations in addressing the complex social practices and subjectivities that weave together regions like the Irish Northwest. Our alternative is a fieldwork-based “ecosophical” approach capable of addressing Félix Guattari’s social, environmental, and subjective ecologies in an integrated manner. With this, we establish how such an approach can offer a more nuanced set of tools to design and plan for larger regional landscapes.

Translation policy vis-à-vis national politics: change and continuity in the ©Poland translation program

ABSTRACT This article discusses to what extent the change of political power in Poland affected ©Poland Translation Program, the largest public funding framework for translations from Polish, which is operated by the Book Institute, a governmental agency subject to the Ministry of Culture. The research is based on a comparative quantitative analysis of 2,410 bibliographic records – published books that received funding in 2008–2015 and in 2016–2022, i.e., under different managements appointed by different Polish governments – and supplemented by selected qualitative close-ups. The statistics do not confirm the common public sentiment that in the latter period, under the right-wing government of the Law and Justice party, ©Poland took a political turn, promoting historical writing that glorifies Polish past. Authors opposing the government were not discriminated against, and funding was allocated for translations into the same target languages as before. However, there was a noticeable trend in promoting contemporary right-wing non-fiction with an anti-liberal agenda (politically engaged journalistic reportage and socio-philosophical essay) in Central and Eastern Europe, especially Hungary. The results are discussed in terms of soft power, linking translation flows with international political relations, and the limits of quantitative analysis are problematized.

For the archive yet to come

Abstract This article explores the promises and pitfalls of the colonial archives for the study of seeing and knowing contemporary violence. As an ethnographic field and a site of decolonial struggles, the colonial archive is increasingly mobilised in scholarship that seeks to historicise and disrupt conventional, Western-centric knowledge production. While using the colonial archives might reproduce asymmetrical power relations, they also hold the potential to unsettle the ‘toxic imperial debris’ of our time. How can the colonial archives challenge the post-colonial politics of erasing imperial violence and contribute to decolonial futures? Drawing on research in the African Archives in Belgium and fieldwork in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), this paper complicates problematic portrayals of the post-colonial state in the DRC and Congolese women as always already violated or silenced. We argue that the logics of the African Archives reveal a set of destabilising state anxieties that reflect the duality and instability of colonial rule itself and that infuse contemporary (international) politics. This recounting of the violence contained in the archives both narrates the concrete, violent manifestations of our ‘global coloniality’ and works towards its own demise as part of a broader ‘anticolonial archive’.

What works? Researching participants’ experiences of a social policy RCT through qualitative interviews

Increasingly, evidence-based policymaking, in the form of randomized control trials (RCTs) in particular, are advocated as a means for studying the effects of planned social policy measures. Additionally, a Finnish basic income experiment was conducted in 2017–2018 as an RCT as a means of exploring alternative policy solutions, which gained widespread national and international political, media and scholarly attention. Despite the popularity of RCTs, there is a lack of studies of participants’ experiences of participation in social policy RCTs. In this article, we depart from the notion of ‘lived experiences’ when investigating a bottom-up participant perspective of the Finnish social policy experiment with the purpose of contributing to the understanding and future planning of ethically and methodologically sustainable policy experiments. Drawing on a qualitative, in-depth interview study of 81 Finnish basic income experiment participants, we examined their lived experiences and related views on the experiment. The analysis shows that although the idea of experimenting to demonstrate ‘what works’ in social policy was supported by participants in principle, various questions arose both concerning the tactical and political purposes of the experiment and the nature of scientific ‘evidence’. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the impact of the media and political attention often surrounding more controversial policy experiments, like the Finnish one, can also challenge the RCT principles of ‘non-contamination’. Participants in highly politicized experiments also easily feel that they become objects of strong moral expectations and judgements, which in the Finnish basic income case clearly resulted in feelings of frustration and personal failure.

Research on China-Sri Lanka Economic and Trade Cooperation Based on SWOT Analysis

This paper systematically explores the economic and trade cooperation between China and Sri Lanka based on the SWOT analysis framework. Against the backdrop of globalization and the “Belt and Road” initiative, China-Sri Lanka economic and trade cooperation shows great potential and broad prospects. By using the SWOT analysis method, the paper comprehensively analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of China-Sri Lanka economic and trade cooperation. The strengths include complementary geographical locations, complementary trade structures, and a solid foundation of political mutual trust; the weaknesses mainly lie in trade imbalances, unstable investment environments, and cultural and communication barriers; opportunities mainly arise from the promotion of the “Belt and Road” initiative, the deepening of regional cooperation, and changes in the global trade pattern; threats mainly come from changes in the international political and economic environment, external shocks such as pandemics, and the rise of trade protectionism. Finally, the paper proposes targeted strategic suggestions based on the actual situation, aiming to promote the sustainable and healthy development of China-Sri Lanka economic and trade cooperation and enhance the economic prosperity and well-being of the two countries.

Major Conflicts Between India and Pakistan: A Critical Analysis of Historical Tensions and Geopolitical Dynamics

Relations between India and Pakistan have remained parallel end and worst hostile as well ever since independence in 1947. In nearly 75 years, there were three wars between the two and a number of serious localized military clashes, including those on Ran of Ketch in 1965, followed by Kargil in 1999.The disputed territory of Kashmir played a significant role to maintain continuity, focusing the past conflicts of 1947 and 1965. As these two countries exploded nuclear weapons in 1998, their long-standing hostility has attracted and seriously concerned by the international community that their competition could rise to a nuclear war and cause disasters to both countries and the world as well. Whereas the Kashmir including some other outstanding issues, such as, water dispute, Sir Creek, Siachen and boundary disputes have also recorded the extreme level of conflicts between the two rivalries. Regionalism has played a significant role in European continent; however, in South Asia hegemonic attitude of India has marginalized the role of regional organizations such as SAARC. The world and south Asia witnessed the changes over two decades after the cold war, the liberalization of world trade, the growth of fundamentalism and revolutionary changes in the field of communications. Recognizing the intensity of the relations, India and Pakistan’s changing regional and international affairs which has drastically impaled to the leaders and governments of both the countries to initiate talks on their outstanding issues. The cross-border talks were an initiative step which attempted to provide a new forum to debate on these substantive issues resulted in the division of the two nations. Keeping in view the cited developments and their influences on the relations between India and Pakistan, some factors remained constant, the unresolved dispute over Kashmir, the growth of military spending, moves towards Nuclearization and perpetuation of an “adversarial psychosis” are still under question. This research has critically analyzed historic rivalry between India and Pakistan. It has also provided viable recommendations that how to contain major irritants between two States especially Kashmir issue and Nuclearization in region. In this research the purposive sampling method is used to justify the given hypothesis and objectives. The date is collected through the secondary data and results are deducted from the analytical approach.