Regional Power Shifts Research Articles

Territorial Conflict, Domestic Crisis, and the Covid-19 Pandemic in the South Caucasus. Explaining Variegated EU Responses.

Territorial Conflict, Domestic Crisis, and the Covid-19 Pandemic in the South Caucasus. Explaining Variegated EU Responses.

WHAT HAPPENED AT AUGLAND? A SOCIAL CHRONOLOGY FOR THE DEMISE OF A ROMAN IRON AGE CERAMIC WORKSHOP IN SOUTH NORWAY

SummaryThe unique ceramic production site at Augland in southernmost Norway thrived for more than 250 years until its demise in the troubled Migration Period. Contrary to previous opinions, we argue that production ended around AD 450–460 and not in the sixth century. Our approach, based on the craft practices, reveals that the introduction of a novel technology accelerated the process, fuelled by a regional power shift that severed once‐resilient ties to south Scandinavia. This outcome is based on the analysis of Augland’s terminal century: 1) re‐analysis of radiocarbon data; 2) ceramic macroscopy; and 3) fine‐sorting of pastes using handheld XRF data.

Faunal remains from Tel Abel Beth Maacah: Social change in the late second millennium BCE Hula Valley

The Hula Valley, a gateway from Syria and Lebanon to the southern Levant, was dominated in the Middle and Late Bronze Ages by the city-state of Hazor. Following the desolation of the latter in the 13th century BCE, it seems that Abel Beth Maacah became the leading polity in the region, showing a remarkable sequence of Iron Age I architecture. We examine this regional power shift using a zooarchaeological sequence from Abel Beth Maacah, which suggests the economic impact of pastoral nomads on the region during the Middle Bronze Age, and a reversion to traditional, extensive agro-pastoralism in the Late Bronze and Iron Ages.

Afghanistan 2018: Parliamentary elections and regional power shifts

Afghanistan 2018: Parliamentary elections and regional power shifts

The Emerging Significance of Indo-Pacific: Japan, China, US and the Regional Power Shift

“Indo-Pacific” is a new term in the geopolitical lexicon and a response to rapidly evolving global power shifts that currently induce strategic realignments among major regional players. It is increasingly used by political leaders, policymakers, journalists and academic commentators and in government documents. While Indo-Pacific is used frequently today, each proponent of the term attaches varied emphases, guided by their own strategic prisms. The Indo-Pacific concept has yet to be institutionalised. Some offshoots, such as the rebirthed idea of a quadrilateral framework among the key proponents of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and the proposal to jointly fund infrastructure projects in Asia, appear to be in direct competition with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. How the Indo-Pacific concept would affect the regional power balance remains unclear. However, neither the concept nor the strategic thinking and actions it inspires will disappear anytime soon.

Is it ripe yet? Resolving Turkey's 30 years of conflict with the PKK

ABSTRACTTurkey has lately been in the midst of trying to resolve its three-decade old struggle with the Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan (PKK). Elaborating on the history of this conflict, this study analyzes why previous attempts to resolve it failed and why other conflict-resolution opportunities were not taken until 2007. It devotes particular attention to the emergence and failure of the latest resolution process and analyzes prospects and challenges of a potential resolution by analyzing the context, content, and conduct of Turkey's latest peace attempt. This study finds, first, that the PKK has been open to a negotiated settlement since 1993, but the state regime rejected reconciliation and pursued unilateral military solutions until 2007, when Turkey finally recognized the military stalemate and costly deadlock. Second, it argues that what really forced Turkey to search for a resolution are—in addition to the hurting stalemate—recent national and regional power shifts, which have also destabilized the resolution process itself. Third, this study asserts that despite the ripe conditions for resolution, the context and the content of the latest process revealed crucial deficiencies that require a complete restructuring of the central government as well the need to develop greater institutionalization and social engagement for a potential conflict resolution. Finally, this study claims that the nature and characteristics of the current phase of the conflict, as they stand, indicate significant fragilities and spoiling risks due to both internal and external dynamics and actors, as recent developments have indicated in the failure of the latest resolution attempt.

Economically Engaging North Korea: A Story about Trust, Brotherhood, and Ally Since the Sunshine-Policy Era

How to engage North Korea has always been a key concern of South Korea's foreign policy makers since Kim Dae-jung's Sunshine Policy era. Instead of provoking political or military confrontations in the traditional security arena, the engagement policy is believed to allow South Korea to seek possible breakthroughs in the nontraditional security arena. Moreover, engagement is expected to generate a spillover effect of enhancing inter-Korean mutual political trust and in turn promote political cooperation in long term. Through analyzing statistical data and political events in the past decade, this article examines South Korea's engagement policy in the nontraditional security arena and argues that the inter-Korean relationship still highly depends on political trust and regional political dynamic. The economic and cultural cooperation initiated by South Korea primarily targets to support North Korea in a patronizing manner instead of promoting equal cooperation, with the weak political trust foundation that any readjustment of regional political powers could generate chain effect on the inter-Korean cooperation dynamic. In the foreseeable future, improvement of mutual political trust and mindfulness to the regional power shift still present as the key to a peaceful and successful engagement of North Korea.

Regional Power Shifts and Climate Knowledge Systems: South Africa as a Climate Power?

In the international system, there has been a power shift towards regional powers, which can be illustrated by recent developments in climate governance. I argue that some of these regional powers are also climate powers, which benefit from an issue‐specific power shift. The behavior and strategies of those climate powers are central for global climate governance. To analyze their strategies, a multi‐level approach is required that captures the link between domestic climate governance and climate foreign policy. I develop such a concept of climate knowledge systems. It is based on Emanuel Adler’s theory of cognitive evolution and communities of practice. A pragmatist philosophy such as this that allows for mixed methods research is most suitable for analyzing the proposed connection between knowledge, practices and change. It also presents the key to an extended regional powers framework, leaving the somewhat artificial boundaries of international relations in climate governance behind. The concept of climate knowledge systems is empirically applied to South Africa with some early tentative results of an online expert survey, as well as the analysis of data of the Carbon Disclosure Project.

Northern Strategy and Anti-South Polemics: A Review Essay of Thomas Schaller's Whistling Past Dixie

As the first unambiguous Southerner to be elected president since the antebellum era, Jimmy Carter was viewed at the time as a symbol that North-South reconciliation had finally come to pass. A quarter-century later, there are growing signs that the intersectional peace may be ending. This article shows that as Southerners, regardless of party, have steadily gained political power since the 1960s, various commentators have argued that the regional power shift presents serious negative consequences for the parties and the country and must be stopped. Thomas Schaller's widely cited, much heralded book Whistling Past Dixie is but the latest example. More than arguing that Democrats need to find an alternative, non-southern route to victory, Schaller suggests that Democrats must have the guts to run against the South, portraying it as the enemy once more of all that is good and right with America. It is a book that combines sectional strategy and sectional substance.