Students Of International Relations Research Articles

Structured studying of geographical names on the example of countries’ names in the modern Chinese language by students of higher educational establishments

The article clarifies necessity for a structured presentation and research of various geographical names using examples of countries’ names by students of international relations’ faculties of higher educational establishments who study the Chinese language and plan to work in international organizations, diplomatic institutions, etc. It is noted that the correct use and spelling of geographical names will be the key to successful negotiations when meeting with partners, speeches at international conferences, supporting effective everyday communication as well. The importance of delineating a clear approach when studying countries’ names in the modern standard Chinese language (putonghua) is determined by the fact that, firstly, in the textbooks and various manuals for learning Chinese, insufficient attention is paid to the interpretation of the meanings of characters - components from which toponymic names are formed; secondly, insufficient number of examples are given in order to trace certain patterns of original transference of countries’ names in Chinese; thirdly, it does not reflect the general system, using which it is possible to simplify and at the same time to improve studying many geographical names. The article focuses on the fact that students of the faculties of international relations as well as students of philological faculties of linguistic higher educational establishments when learning the Chinese language need to have a clear idea of how toponyms are interpreted in order to use them in the future international communication. Exact examples of structured research of countries’ names in Chinese are given and analyzed.

Classical Realism in World Politics. Précis to a Symposium

Abstract This paper introduces some of the major themes of An Unwritten Future: Realism and Uncertainty in World Politics, and provides a short illustration of how the analytical apparatus elaborated there can offer fruitful insights into understanding enduring puzzles in international relations. An Unwritten Future explores, illuminates and interrogates Classical Realism, an approach to the study of world politics that is contrasted with Structural Realism and with the ‘hyper-rationalist’ perspective associated with the ‘Rationalist Explanations for War’ school of thought. It elucidates the fundamental flaws of those two highly influential paradigms, and explains why Classical Realism, with its emphasis on what Structural Realism and Hyper-rationalism forbid—content, purpose, history, and irreducible uncertainty—provides a more promising and productive point of departure for students of international relations.

Power vacuums in international politics: a conceptual framework

Policymakers and academics alike frequently invoke power vacuums as important phenomena in international politics, referring to them in a diverse array of contexts ranging from civil war to the decline and retrenchment of great powers. However, students of international relations (IR) have largely neglected to seriously engage ‘power vacuum’ as a social scientific concept. This renders it virtually impossible to undergird current policy debates on power vacuums with social scientific analysis, and more generally raises doubts about the concept’s analytic utility. In this piece, I argue that ‘power vacuum’ is not merely a popular buzzword but a concept with considerable theoretical promise. I develop a conceptualisation of power vacuums as spaces that experience authority collapse. Since, in the context of international politics, organisations can claim authority on several political levels, I posit the existence of several types of power vacuums of which two appear particularly relevant to the study of IR: national and international vacuums. My conceptualisation is able to reflect the diverse ways in which the term is currently utilised, paves the way for novel research on a subject of great concern to policymakers, and uncovers the potential for closer collaboration across traditionally rigid thematic boundaries within IR.

Perception and attitudes of students about politically correct speech: A case study from the spectrum of diversity education

Politically correct behavior implies the use of language and the right linguistic action. Therefore, language affects the human thought process, which determines the perception of reality and the individual’s actions. These measures of language that reform and sensitize people to justice and inclusion have raised many research questions. At the linguistic level, the concept aims to exclude any discriminatory use of language from discourse. From a sociological aspect, political correctness implies that speech that does not lead to discrimination and does not destroy a person’s identity. While, on the other methodological side, political correctness still implies the renewal of the culture of learning, that is, the redefinition of the educational paradigm. The paper aims to examine the perception of students of different fields of study about political correctness in the language and to compare the obtained data to raise awareness of the importance of using political correctness. 68 students of the Humanities and Social Sciences at Split and Libertas International University participated in the research. The work is based on the hypothesis that there are significant statistical differences in individual opinions regarding the direction of the study. Research has shown that more students of International Relations and International Business are warned about political correctness in the language because it is related to their profession, as opposed to the students in Split who study German language and literature. This was to be assumed, considering the different goals of the outcomes of the mentioned studies. The paper can be a guide for future similar research on a larger population, as well as a form for raising awareness of the importance of the concept of diversity and its implementation in higher education.

Konceptualizace bezpečnostně-rozvojového nexu: současné interpretace a kritika

The security-development nexus (SDN) has gained prominence in international relations since the 1990s, undergoing significant theoretical and practical transformations in conflict resolution. It is generally viewed as a relationship between security and development, with two primary perspectives: one where security precedes development and another where they progress hand in hand. The SDN's theoretical foundations have been translated into practical policies, emphasizing human security and post-conflict reconstruction. However, it faces criticism from those who argue that security and development are inherently incompatible. In response to the diverse and contentious debate surrounding SDN, this paper aims to provide Czech scholars and students of International Relations and Security Studies with a comprehensive overview. It synthesizes the core arguments of international relations scholars across various theoretical and cultural backgrounds and practice-oriented literature. The article examines how recent discussions have shaped the SDN concept and highlights key author differences. Over the past three decades, the SDN has evolved dynamically and offers valuable insights into resolving past and ongoing armed conflicts. Additionally, the article discusses the security-development nexus in the Czech academic context, which has been largely absent, with only a few exceptions.

Book Review. International Relations in Southeast Asia: The struggle for autonomy, 3rd Edition. By Donald E. Weatherbee, 2014. 378 pp. Price: $144 (Paperback) and $57 (eBook).

International Relations in Southeast Asia: the struggle for autonomy, by Donald E. Weatherbee, is an intriguing book, offering an original approach to the study of IR in the region, and propounding key insights regarding the qualities of regional integration, which result in a compelling argument. The book is recommended reading for diverse audiences, ranging from students of international relations, diplomats within the Southeast Asia region as well as from outside the region, policy makers, and civil servants working across regional international boundaries as part of the integration processes of ASEAN. Following an introductory assessment in support of importance of this book, this review will provide a brief summation of the content of the text before turning to a discussion of the main argument and the manner in which the author substantiates it. This is then followed by a discussion of potential critiques of the text, before concluding by mentioning why the book is of significance to Cambodian policymakers and the broader public.

Мобильные технологии в развитии межкультурной компетенции студентов-международников в рамках занятий по иностранному языку

This article provides qualitative and quantitative data to establish the effectiveness of virtual tools as a means of developing intercultural competence in students of international relations at foreign language classes. Intercultural competence is known to be crucial for this field of studies. However, no teaching technologies exist for its development at foreign language classes, and available research publications on this issue fail to take into account the current state and mechanisms of global communication. The empirical part of this study involved a survey of students of international relations during the first term of 2021–2022. The author compared their performance in class and during extracurricular activities, where they had to maintain an English blog. A total of 93 second- and third-year students (experimental + control groups) took part in the trial training, and 50 people (28 students, 22 teachers) participated in the independent assessment of the technology. The blog operating process was divided according to types of virtual intercultural communication (oral-written, mixed, and oral) and followed the academic program. The independent assessment was performed by academic staff and students who didn't participate in the experiment, but were able to observe. They unanimously approved of the new technology and defined the prospects of its further implementation. Blogging in a foreign language proved to be an efficient technology for developing intercultural competence in university students majoring in international relations.

International/inter-carbonic relations

If international relations can be theorised as ‘inter-textual’, then why not also – or indeed better – as ‘inter-carbonic’? For, not only is the modern history of carbon to a large degree international; in addition, many of the key historical junctures and defining features of modern international politics are grounded in carbon or, more precisely, in the various socio-ecological practices and processes through which carbon has been exploited and deposited, mobilised and represented, recycled and transformed. In what follows I seek to make this case, arguing that carbon and international relations have been mutually constitutive ever since the dawn of modernity in 1492, and that they will inevitably remain so well into the future, as the global economy’s dependence on fossil carbon continues unabated and the planet inexorably warms. Will climate change generate widespread conflict, or even civilisational collapse? How are contemporary power dynamics limiting responses to climate change? And how, conversely, might 21st-century world order be transformed by processes of decarbonisation? Building on research in political ecology, I argue that a dialectical sensitivity to ‘inter-carbonic relations’ is required to properly answer these questions. Scholars and students of International Relations (IR), I suggest, need to approach climate change by positioning the element C at the very centre of their analyses.

Azerbaijan, Israel, and Iran: An Unlikely Triangle Shaping the Northern Middle East

AbstractSince the collapse of the Soviet Union, political commentators and students of international relations alike have been puzzled by an increasingly cordial relationship between Israel and Azerbaijan, a Muslim‐majority republic in the South Caucasus. Indeed, the unfolding alliance of the Jewish state and a tiny, energy‐rich, post‐Soviet country sandwiched between Iran and Russia has been by many seen as an anomaly. Particularly puzzled have been constructivists and adepts of geopolitics for whom the shared Shiite identity of Azerbaijan and Iran pre‐ordained a close relationship. In reality, Tehran's suspicions of Azerbaijan's economic rise, coupled with concerns over pan‐Turkic sentiments spread through Iran's northwest, and Iran's own imperial nostalgia have exacerbated an adversarial relationship. Against this backdrop, Azerbaijan's efforts to counterbalance those of Iran and Russia in the Caspian‐South Caucasus region have brought Baku to forge closer ties with Israel.

ЖОГОРКУ ОКУУ ЖАЙЛАРДА КЫРГЫЗ ТИЛИНЕН ИШ КАГАЗДАРЫН ОКУТУП-ҮЙРӨТҮҮ (ЭЛ АРАЛЫК МАМИЛЕЛЕР (ДИПЛОМАТИЯ) АДИСТИГИНИН МИСАЛЫНДА)

This article discusses some of the issues of teaching the Kyrgyz language to students of international relations in universities that have not been previously studied. The article describes the origin of documents in the history of the Kyrgyz people using the historical and chronological method, for example, the appearance of the first written documents in the Kyrgyz language in antiquity with the appearance in antiquity of public diplomacy for communication with other peoples. In order to improve the teaching of office work in the Kyrgyz language in higher educational institutions, scientific and theoretical literature, works, and curricula of scientists were analyzed with the provision of detailed information to students, as well as methods, forms, methods and of teaching office work. presented.

U.S-China Competition in Africa: The Strategic Ambiguity

This paper briefly discusses the essence of the US-China competition in Africa and introduces a principial categorization to group their respective interests in Africa. It is about what US and China individually want or seek to achieve in Africa, through their own tools and policies towards the continent. For that, we thought, understanding these elements and dimensions will enable the students of International Relations in general and of great power politics, in particular, to better elucidate the post-cold war international system dynamics especially, in the developing world. The principial categorization, through the case of the DRC, helps understand why the US-China competition is overall moderate.

Raising the Level of Students' Foreign Communicative Competence in the Field of International Relations on the Material of Ted Talk

The specific of the communicative approach is highlighted and its influence on the professional communicative competence of international relations students. The results of the research are described, and it is proved the effectiveness of communicative techniques, improving the level of foreign communicative competence of the students of international relations based on TED talk materials. It is mentioned that the formation of a professional communicative preparation was provided on the different stages of the professional communicative competence approbation of students of international relations. The TED talk video is created from TED presentation (technology, entertainment, design) conferences or important events which took place in the world. TED talks are mostly limited till 18 minutes but there are exceptions. TEDx website's explanation of selection criteria: TED looks for engaging, charismatic speakers whose talks expose new ideas that are supported by concrete evidence and are relevant to a broad, international audience. The first TED conference was in 1984; the conference has been held annually since 1990. Over the years, presenters of TED talks have included Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Bono, Jane Goodall, Malcolm Gladwell, Gordon Brown, Richard Dawkins Mike Rowe, Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Vint Cerf. So, the intensive communicative approach in teaching English is of great value and has great retrospect into the future, which allows the real and natural communicative process and approaching to the foreign communicative environment on condition of realization the system of communicative preparation by means of audiovisual resources in educational process, creating the authentic atmosphere.

Institutional Change in ASEAN: A Conceptual Analysis of the ASEAN Political-Security Community

ObjectivesTo figure out whether adaptation – specifically, Ernst B. Hass’ incremental growth model – is able to account for institutional changes of ASEAN in the shape of the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC).MethodsUse Ernst Hass' theoretical arguments and propositions to examine some of ASEAN's internal and external factors that have an impact on the discussion, planning, and implementation of the APSC. Three variables -- the types of knowledge used by ASEAN leaders in making choices, their political objectives, as well as the manner in which issues being negotiated -- are found in historical documents and academic analyses and then operationalized in a simpler way.ResultsThe selection of the incremental growth model is justified and the incremental growth model can serve as an innovative analytical framework for the institutional change in ASEAN.ConclusionsASEAN is in a dynamic context where increased expectations and pressure from within and outside are taking place all at once. The institutionalization of ASEAN security arrangements, originally led by the initiation of the ASC/APSC, means that ASEAN has started facing these expectations and pressure and moved on to enhance security cooperation to a certain degree. It is time for students of international relations to apply again the previous finding of adaptation through incremental growth and conduct further field investigations into the current evolution of the APSC.

Forming of ecological awareness of the students of international relations and regional studies at the English language teaching

The paper analyses methodology of forming ecological awareness of the students of international relations and regional studies at higher educational level. The pedagogical experience of Kazan Federal University is presented. The authors justify the topicality of implementing ecology and climate change related topics in the syllabus of the educational programmes. The systemic approach to the formation of ecological literacy is implemented throughout the whole course of the Bachelor degree programme. The authors of the article conduct a survey to define the students’ level of ecological awareness and present different approaches to implementing climate change and other environmental issues in the foreign language teaching process, including discussions, dialogues, brainstorming, problem-solution role-playing, project presentation, and writing an essay.

Sociological monitoring capabilities in shaping the culture of students of international relations (based on regional inter university research “Kuzbass student 2015”)

Sociological monitoring capabilities in shaping the culture of students of international relations (based on regional inter university research “Kuzbass student 2015”)

Factor Structure Specificity of Intercultural Competence Among International Relations Students: A Gender Perspective

Introduction. This study focuses on intercultural competence of students of international relations and aims to determine the characteristics of intercultural competence in the group of Russian male and female students of international relations. Methods. The ideas of the Council of Europe document on key competencies underlying the culture of democracy were the source material for the study of intercultural competence. We interviewed 54 students of international relations aged 17–23 years using the technique of M. Barrett who operationalized this conceptual model of the Council of Europe. This paper represents a first effort in comparing the factor structure of theoretical and empirical models of Russian respondents’ intercultural competence (taking into account their gender) in relation to their values, behavioral attitudes, practical skills, and knowledge necessary for intercultural interaction. Results. The study involving Russian respondents confirmed the hypothesis that there are no differences in the number of factors in the theoretical and empirical models of intercultural competence. In the group of Russian female students the rating of factors of intercultural competence was as follows: 1 – practical skills, 2 – tolerance, 3 – empathy, and 4 – civic consciousness. In the group of Russian male students the rating of factors of intercultural competence was as follows: 1 – respect and responsibility, 2 – adaptability, 3 – empathy, and 4 – tolerance. Discussion. The findings obtained from the Russian sample suggest that while maintaining the four-factor structure in the theoretical and empirical models of intercultural competence, the content of factors differs significantly from the theoretical model. In our research, the respondents showed semantic and instrumental diversity in the components of intercultural competence. Women associate the success of intercultural interaction with skills, self-education, skills for listening and understanding, willingness to cooperate, and tolerance. For men, the success of intercultural interaction depends on respect and responsibility, adaptability, knowledge and its critical understanding. The conceptual model for the development of intercultural competence should be improved taking into account gender and professional characteristics of students and should be implemented in educational programs.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Studying the factors of successful acquisition of ESL speaking skills in Ukrainian adult learners, the authors focused on the correlation between emotional intelligence and development of oral communication skills, and, on the other hand, on the growth of these indicators as a result of purposeful inclusion of content-related emotions into activities aimed at the development of speaking and listening skills. Theoretically based on the ideas of emotional intelligence as an important factor in human interaction and guided by the hypothesis that content-related emotions intensify emotional involvement and have a positive influence on the acquisition of oral communication skills, the researchers applied Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test and the English Language Oral Communication Skills Test developed by the authors, to measure the key oral communication skills indicators against a 100 point scale. Experimental teaching of 124 undergraduate students of International Relations during September 2018 – May 2019 proved a beneficial influence of including emotions in the learning activities on the acquisition of ESL oral communication skills, as well as on student motivation and overall quality of student experiences. Significant increments in Emotional Intelligence and ESL oral communication skills in the experimental group compared to insignificant growth of the same indicators in the Reference group allow to establish a positive correlation between the growth of emotional intelligence and acquisition of the ESL speaking skills pursuant to inclusion of content-related emotions into the ESL learning in Ukrainian students.

The Motivation of University Students of International Relations to Learn English

This article reports on the findings of a study investigating the motivation of Bulgarian undergraduates of International Relations to learn English as a second language (L2). First, we consider language learning motivation in the context of three influential theoretical developments in research on motivation. Then, we report on a small-scale survey aiming to define the motivational profile of students of International Relations through the lens of the L2 Motivational Self System. The analysis of the survey data reveals similarities with findings of previous research as regards the favourable attitude towards English language learning, the prominent role of the ideal L2 self in the motivational pattern, and some doubt over the relation between the ought-to L2 self and the intended learning effort. The study results also indicate relations between travel orientation and the ought-to L2 self, and between the two types of instrumental motivation which have not been reported in previous research. These motivation peculiarities are explained through the specifics of the surveyed group that refer to students’ aspirations and potential careers in international relations.

Psychological Support for the Foreign Language Training of the Students at International Relations Faculties

The article studies the innovative elements of psychological support for the professional foreign language training of students at international relations faculties, offers and experimentally verifies the effectiveness of techniques and exercises for the intensification of the foreign language training, based on professional communicative situations in high-risk foreign language environment. Such elements include the use of stress-management techniques and exercises based on real-life professional situations, along with practicing foreign language skills. The appropriateness of use of the elements of psychological support for the professional foreign language training of would-be professionals in international relations was proved to be effective through the experiment. It was conducted with students of international relations faculties through the comparison of levels of performance of two groups of students: those whose professional foreign language training include elements of psychological support and those with traditional training. In order to assess the difference between two groups of students at the summative stage of the experiment, the Mann –Whitney U test was used. The use of psychological support for the professional foreign language training is significant in terms of improvement of would-be specialists' in international relations professional competence.

Peril and Possibility

In a 2012 review article, Anthony P. Maingot made a case for each generation rewriting history according to its own needs and preoccupations. Everyone, he suggested, has their own C.L.R. James. Everyone, perhaps, except students of international relations (IR) and international history, where references to James’s copious and critical body of work are less common. In the spirit of finding one’s own James, this article employs The Black Jacobins and James’s other magnum opus, World Revolution,1917–1936: The Rise and Fall of the Communist International, to think historically about two interrelated processes of the twentieth century: the rise of the state, and the relationship between nationalisms and internationalisms. Along with encounters with revolutionary Marxism and pan-Africanism, James bore witness to the challenges of the state, and the tensions between nationalism and internationalism that were so central to understanding the twentieth century.