Study Of International Relations Research Articles

Smuggling and Border Enforcement

AbstractThis article analyzes the efficacy of border enforcement against smuggling. We argue that walls, fences, patrols, and other efforts to secure porous borders can reduce smuggling, but only in the absence of collusion between smugglers and state agents at official border crossings. When such corruption occurs, border enforcement merely diverts smuggling flows without reducing their overall volume. We also identify the conditions under which corruption occurs and characterize border enforcement as a sorting mechanism that allows high-skilled smugglers to forge alternative border-crossing routes while deterring low-skilled smugglers or driving them to bribe local border agents. Combining a formal model and an archival case study of opium smuggling in Southeast Asia, we demonstrate that border enforcement has conditional effects on the routes and volumes of smuggling, depending on the nature of interactions between smugglers and border agents. By drawing attention to the technological and organizational aspects of smuggling, this article brings scholarship on criminal governance into the study of international relations, and contributes to debates on the effects of border enforcement and border politics more generally.

The Narrative Turn in the Study of International Relations

This paper reviews the narrative turn of international relations studies and the development of related theories, and summarizes narrative theories in international relations studies from the perspective of historical development. This study will further promote the development and deepening of narrative theories.

RELIGIOUS FACTOR IN WORLD POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The article is dedicated to identifying the key features of the influence of the religious factor on world politics in the light of the traditional science of international relations ignoring religion and defending the position on the separation of “secular” and “spiritual” in the studies of international relations.

Methodological Obscurity: mapping methods training in graduate studies in International Relations and related areas in Brazil

Resumo: Levantamentos da produção científica sul-americana diagnosticaram uma “obscuridade metodológica” no campo das Relações Internacionais: apenas a minoria dos artigos publicados explicita seu método de pesquisa. Diante desse quadro, o objetivo deste artigo é mapear o treinamento em métodos na formação de internacionalistas para averiguar a relação entre ensino e consciência metodológica. Analisamos os currículos de 30 cursos de pós-graduação stricto sensu em Relações Internacionais e áreas afins em 15 universidades brasileiras, nos níveis de mestrado e doutorado. Dentre os 30 cursos, 90% ofereciam uma ou mais disciplinas de métodos, ocupando cerca de 30% da carga horária. Embora este montante não tenha superado o problema da obscuridade metodológica, nota-se que o campo está consolidando um núcleo curricular de metodologia política, compartilhado com a Ciência Política.

Академик Александр Дынкин: необычная линия жизни

The article reveals the professional biography of Academician Alexander Dynkin, a prominent researcher of contemporary world economy and international relations, the seventh director of IMEMO. He has become the first representative of the post-war generation at the head of the Institute. His civic position is characterized by patriotism with adherence to democratic principles and liberal values. The son of a famous Soviet aircraft engine designer, A. Dynkin planned to continue his father’s career. After completing his studies at the prestigious Moscow Aviation Institute, Dynkin was included in the group of engineers engaged in the development of a project for manned flights to the Moon. When this project was unexpectedly closed at the beginning of 1972, Alexander Dynkin decided to change his profession. He passed the competition for the postgraduate study at IMEMO, where he prepared and in 1976 defended his first dissertation on the topic: “Economic Factors in the Creation and Operation of Civil Aviation Equipment in the United States”. Since that time, his life has become forever linked with IMEMO, where he has grown an outstanding researcher in the economic aspect of modern scientific and technological progress. In 1989, A. Dynkin successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic: “A New Stage of the Scientific and Technological Revolution in the Capitalist Economy: Economic Content and Implementation Mechanism” at the Academic Council of IMEMO. The problematics, which Alexander Dynkin dealt with, were of particular relevance for the Soviet planned economy which was experiencing deep stagnation. Dynkin and his colleagues tried to find out means of overcoming this stagnation by accelerating scientific and technological progress; they looked for opportunities to adapt the Western experience in this area to Soviet economic realities. In the post-Soviet period, high professional qualities of Alexander Dynkin found a worthy application in economic practice. In 1998, he was invited as an economic advisor to Evgeny Primakov, the Prime Minister of Russia. Having returned to IMEMO a year later, Dynkin continued his scientific research and became an internationally recognized authority in world economy issues. Alexander Dynkin as a researcher has always combined fundamental and applied problems. The development of theoretical and practical aspects of the competitiveness of Russian economy, its integration into the world economy have been an important part of his activities. A. Dynkin proved himself to be not only a prominent researcher, but also an experienced organizer of the research process. Since 1989, he was Deputy Director of IMEMO, and in 2006 he was appointed as a Director of the Institute, which he successfully headed for ten years. Afterwards he became the President of IMEMO. Under his leadership, the Institute has confirmed its status as one of the world’s leading think tanks in the field of contemporary world economy and international relations studies.

Between Integration and Differentiation: International Relations Studies and the Promise of Global IR in Vietnam

Contemporary Southeast Asia (CSEA) is one of the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute"s flagship publications. Now in its fourth decade of publication, CSEA has succeeded in building up an international reputation as one of Southeast Asia"s premier academic journals. The aim of the peer reviewed journal is to provide subscribers with up to date and in-depth analysis of critical trends and developments in Southeast Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region. The primary focus of the journal is on issues related to domestic politics in Southeast Asian countries, regional architecture and community building, military, strategic and security affairs, conflict zones and relations among the Great Powers. CSEA publishes authoritative, insightful and original contributions from scholars, think-tank analysts, journalists and policy-makers from across the globe. The Editorial Committee is guided by the advice of the International Advisory Committee which is composed of eminent scholars from Asia, the United States, Australia and Europe.

“Green Theory” as an Environmental Approach in International Relations Studies

“Green Theory” as an Environmental Approach in International Relations Studies

An International Relations Study: Turks in The Western World's History Perspective and Ataturk's Approach

Atatürk started numerous revolutions immediately after the war of independence, also called the struggle for national independence. The works conducted were about the content rather than the form. He desired the Turkish nation to take its rightful place among the world's nations. While building the foundations of the newly established state, on the one hand, he was making great efforts to improve the country's prestige and position abroad. At the beginning of the 20th century, the W

Сonception of a multipolar world: perception and scientific and practical potential

This article aims to analyze the scientific interpretation, doctrinization, and theoretical potential of the concept of a multipolar world, which is relevant in the study of modern international relations. Along with this, the authors consider systemic limitations that prevent the establishment of multipolar world order. Today the countries that support the idea of a multipolar world are mainly economically developing countries. But in the last decade, the major Western powers have also begun to pay attention to this concept. Attention is drawn to the fact that the concept and doctrine of a multipolar world begin with China, that’s why it analyzes how this concept is implemented and what changes are taking place in its evolution in this country. The formation of a multipolar world is not a one-day process. However, with the weakening of American unipolarity, well-known actors may try to restructure systemic relations in their favor, using governmental and non-governmental means. This, of course, poses risks to the security of individual states. At the same time, it is concluded that such an international system, which could completely replace American unipolarity, could put pressure on the foreign policy of middle-class countries such as Kazakhstan and change the principles of multi-vector policy

ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ І РОЗВИТОК МІЖНАРОДНИХ ЕКОНОМІЧНИХ ВІДНОСИН УКРАЇНИ ТА НІКАРАГУА

Modern globalized space is marked by the existence of a close relationship between the internal and external states of development of states. We mean that the internal transformations of the countries participating in the world economy determine their place in the world community. Internal state transformations include the state's political, economic, scientific, innovative, technical, and technological development. However, the influence of external factors encourages the formation of flexible economic policies focused on the development and implementation of growth measures in accordance with current priorities and development trends. As a result, the question of studying international economic relations on the example of Ukraine and Nicaragua through the lens of events that affect the state of the world economy arises, namely: monitoring the situation on how the Ukrainian war affects trade with Nicaragua. Does Ukraine need to expand cooperation with Nicaragua? The task of the article is to study the peculiarities of international economic relations between Ukraine and Nicaragua. Particular attention should be paid to the political situation in the countries and areas in which they cooperate most, to suggest possible promising areas for their cooperation. The article highlights the results of studies of international economic relations between Ukraine and Nicaragua and provides a significant amount of statistics on indicators in which the studied countries can cooperate (exports and imports between Ukraine and Nicaragua, indicators of mutual trade, indicators of mutual investment, indicators of mutual labor movement forces, as well as indicators of the mutual movement of technology). The regulatory framework of bilateral international economic relations between Ukraine and Nicaragua was also studied. The events in these countries in recent years and their consequences for the state and the world are studied. Actions are proposed to expand cooperation between Nicaragua and Ukraine. The events of the Russian-Ukrainian war are also mentioned, and conclusions are given regarding the urgency and necessity of cooperation between the countries.

Cestovní deníky československých sportovců

The travel diaries of important personalities enrich historical research with the subjective perception of the new places explored. It is no different for sportsmen and women who wrote down their observations during their foreign trips with the national team. So far, these materials have not been used for the study of the history of physical education and sport, nor in other fields. The aim of this study is to introduce this new source of information. Only the most successful athletes are selected to represent their country in international competitions. In any era, it is both an honour and a responsibility. In the past, if the event took place abroad, many saw it as an opportunity to make new discoveries. Some felt the need to record their findings in writing in the form of a diary. This then became an autobiographical source, which was usually not written for public reading. It thus preserves often research-valuable information from the author’s inner world, reflecting the world around them. The source is useful not only for the study of the history of sport, but also for the study of travel and international relations.

Discussions on regional transformations in Latin America

The regional transformations taking place in the region of Latin America, determined by both national and global factors, are increasingly attracting attention of young researchers in Political Science, International Relations and Regional Studies. On February 28, 2022, MGIMO University hosted a scientific round table on world politics with the participation of undergraduate and graduate students with the topic “Latin America in an Era of Change”. This review presents a summary of the theses voiced during the discussion.

The inhabitants of the border

In the midst of the so-called “crisis” of refugees in Europe, it is imperative to identify the particular challenges faced by refugee women and girls, in order to assess the effectiveness of public policies implemented for this social group. Assuming that there is specific violence suffered by refugee women, this article consists in a case study of refugee reception policies by European Union States between 2015 and 2021. Mobilizing Feminist and Decolonial theoretical approaches to International Relations and Subaltern Studies, it is concluded that direct and indirect violence is being perpetrated against refugees in EU countries. Thus, this work argues that public policies for refugees in the EU do not sufficiently reduce this situation of violence. The regional norms for the reception of refugees from the European Union, however, grant wide discretion to the Member States to implement public policies of this nature, which results in dissonances between the reception standards in each State. The reality of insufficiency and inefficiency of reception policies carried out by EU Member States on issues of gender-based violence, consists of a type of institutional silencing and the reproduction of subalternity.

Пастки ахісторицизму в осмисленні міжнародних відносин після закінчення холодної війни

The radical transformation of world politics has led to an active rethinking of practice and the theory of international relations. The situation is significantly complicated by the fact that historical parallels are most often used to justify or justify specific political decisions. Turning to the answers to History on the problems of modernity without proper methodological guidelines increases the risk of replacing the systematic reconceptualization of the nature of international relations with repeated "plastic surgery" of outdated theoretical approaches. The primary methodological source of substituting reconceptualization for "conceptual plastic surgery" is ahistoricism, the critical feature of which is the tendency to define and apply universal laws of historical development, unchanging characteristics of historical phenomena, whose nature depends little on the impact of specific historical circumstances. The purpose of the study is to reveal the essence and consequences of the influence of ahistoricism on the understanding of international relations after the end of the Cold War. Its achievement is expected through the implementation of three research objectives: assessment of the analytical potential of the method of historical analogy; consideration of the case of the concept of "new cold war" and substantiation of its ahistorical methodological origins; proposals for a theoretical alternative to ahistoricism in the study of the modern world order, which is based on the methodological principle of historicism. The autonomy of the two functions of the method of historical analogy (evidence and heuristic), the emphasis on the heuristic function, helps avoid the "trap of ahistoricism". Conclusions of the study: the effectiveness of the method of historical analogy in the study of international relations depends on a correct analysis of the nature of the compared phenomena and the whole set of factors influencing their behaviour and the state of the international system; the case of the "new cold war" is a convincing illustration of the "trap of historicism" in the understanding of international relations; analytical productivity of Cold War concepts is minimal, understanding modern world politics requires careful study of all dimensions of the historical context and social nature of the subjects, which requires updating methodological approaches.

НАУЧНЫЙ ДИАЛОГ В СОВРЕМЕННЫХ МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫХ ОТНОШЕНИЯХ: ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННЫЕ И ЗАРУБЕЖНЫЕ ПРЕДСТАВЛЕНИЯ.

Abstract. The authors analyze the existing approaches to the definition of scientific dialogue and scientific diplomacy, define the role of scientific dialogue in solving modern problems in the development of the theory of international relations. The research question is: how could scientific dialogue contribute to the development of modern international relations? The aim of the research is to identify key problems related, on the one hand, to the development of scientific dialogue in contemporary theory of international relations, and, on the other hand, to the formation of scientific diplomacy as one of the tools of contemporary international relations. The hypothesis of the research is that the presence of an adequate scientific dialogue contributes not only to improving the scientific basis for studying international relations, but also to their practice, in particular, to solving the global problems facing humanity. The object of the research is scientific dialogue in the system of international political and social relations. The subject of the research is theoretical and methodological foundations and peculiarities of scientific knowledge formation in the modern system of international relations and world politics. The main way of argumentation is the analysis of individual situations, factors, as well as generalized and specific data. The methodological basis of the research is based on the structural approach, which allows to investigate the problem of the scientific dialogue development in the modern system of international relations and world politics in a multidimensional way. The methods of research are the analysis of scientific sources on the topic under study, as well as data from related fields (philosophy, history, economics). It has been found that the lack of an adequate and informed dialogue between representatives of various national schools of international relations studies plays a negative role in the development of science in general. Based on the results of a theoretical analysis of the role of scientific dialogue in international relations, the most important aspects of its development, problems and prospects in modern political conditions are analyzed. The authors note that the insufficiently high quality of scientific dialogue is due to the lack of adequate information, tense relations between states, prejudice, and a high level of mistrust. On the other hand, the authors also examine the role of scientific diplomacy in shaping the interaction between the scientific and political spheres. Applying the tools of science diplomacy will enable governments to move beyond conventional wisdom about the role of science communities in global politics, and developing a research base in this area will provide an effective starting point for assessing how science, innovation and technology influence the response to the deepest and most pressing problems of global development. Despite the limited number of publications on the subject of scientific diplomacy and scientific dialogue, especially among domestic researchers, innovations and scientific achievements play a significant role in shaping the modern landscape of world politics in the current social and technological conditions, and therefore the chosen topic seems to be relevant. The development of scientific dialogue and scientific diplomacy plays a crucial role in world politics, since without scientific cooperation in the modern world it is impossible to effectively combat global challenges. The need to change the attitude towards the phenomenon and practice of science diplomacy as a platform for discussion and critical practice is also analyzed

Отечественная политическая регионалистика и регионоведение: транзит представлений о региональном политическом процессе в свете вопросов международных связей региона и муниципальной политики

The article is an overview of the discussion dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Russian regional political studies, which took place in Nizhny Novgorod on May 27, 2021. The problem field of the materials combines their own content of political regional studies, regional studies, as well as the content of studies of municipal politics and the content of international relations, tied to the study of international relations of the region. The authors pay the main attention to the fact that regional policy, as a rather isolated systemic formation, is squeezed between internal subsystems (municipalities) and external for them supersystems (federal policy of Russia, international relations). As a theoretical form of a holistic description of the structure of «subsystems – system – supersystems», tte authors consider the concept of regional stratification of the political space, which allows concretizing the ranges and forms of communication «region – municipality», «region – federal center», «region – actors of international relations» in the context of the concept of a unified system of public authority in Russia.

Post Withdrawal Situation of us Troops from Afghanistan: Role of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

The study of international relations has been re-examined in light of a global perspective on politics since the conclusion of World War 2 and the September 11 terrorist attacks. Examining Afghanistan's connection with the SCO is a relatively new subject of study. Between 2001 and 2011,China intervened strategically and economically in Afghanistan in the Bonn talks between Afghanistan, China, and the SCO. Afghanistan was awarded observer status by the SCO in 2012 in order to facilitate the integration of the broader area into the SCO and diminish US-NATO influence in the nation where Russia's key geostrategic interests lay. For China, Afghanistan's natural riches are particularly valuable. Despite the United States' exit from Afghanistan, the Taliban maintains total control of the country, and international governments refuse to recognize them.The country's position is deteriorating due to the government's lack of legitimacy. Both Moscow and Beijing want to put an end to the situation.

Single National Curriculum in Afghanistan: An Examination of Law and Political Science

A successful education system enables its beneficiaries to achieve their goals and objectives and is a key indicator of the progress of a country. However, the higher education system in Afghanistan has fallen short of the above. Recently, the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) processed a Single National Curriculum (SNC) to reform higher education. The paper seeks to critically evaluate if SNC is the solution to problems in higher education and to use the curriculum adopted for Law and Political Science as a case study. In this regard, the paper is divided into two parts. Part one discusses the drawbacks of SNC and the challenges in its implementation. It is observed that SNC is against the laws and regulations in place, and guidelines issued by MOHE. Also, SNC is an attempt to take away the academic autonomy of institutions of higher education since their creativity and innovation in the curriculum are undermined, and the critical thinking capacity of students is eclipsed barring them from thinking differently. In part two of this paper, an attempt is made to examine problems in the curriculum for the Departments of Law and Political Science. By adopting a comparative approach, the Afghan curriculum is compared with that approved by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) and the University Grant Commission of India (UGC). It is found out that Political Science is treated as part of Law; subjects offered in the field are out-of-place, and the focus is on a cursory study of law, political science, international relations, and diplomacy. Resultantly, a graduate is a “jack of all trades, master of none.” Key Words: Afghanistan, Single National Curriculum, Political Science, Law, Curriculum

Anger in International Relations

Anger is a neglected area in the study of international relations. Set against the broader impact of emotions on international relations and the emotional turn in the human and social sciences, this exploratory article focuses on state and non-state anger (as an emotion) in the contemporary era, here defined as the Age of Anger. The unique attributes of this era and states displaying anger are presented. The article concludes with a description and consequences of the behaviour of angry states and the inherent political utility of and dangers associated with anger.

IR, imperialism, and the Global South: From Libya to Venezuela

This article brings together two cases to contribute to the growing body of literature rethinking the study of international relations (IR) and the Global South: The Libyan Arab al-Jamāhīrīyah and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Drawing on media representations and secondary literature from IR and international political economy (IPE), it critically examines three main conceptual theses (authoritarian, rentier, and rogue) used to describe the historical socio-political formations of these states up to this date. Mixing oil abundance with authoritarian revolutionary fervour and foreign policy adventurism, Libya and Venezuela have been progressively reduced to the figure of one man, while presenting their current crises as localized processes delinked from the imperialist inter-state system. The article argues that these analyses, if left unquestioned, perpetuate a US-led imperial ordering of the world, while foreclosing and discrediting alternatives to capitalist development emerging from and grounded in a Global South context. In doing so, the article contributes to the growing and controversial debate on the meanings and needs for decolonizing the study of IR.