At a time when multilateralism is needed more than ever to address the global challenges and rising geopolitical tensions, paradoxically, the capacity and delegated power of the United Nations (UN) to uphold a rule-based order to keep peace and security is being weakened. Even in an increasingly...

On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime in Syria was overthrown by a rebel alliance led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The collapse of the family dictatorship was made possible by shifts in regional and international power dynamics. Key factors included Turkish support for the rebels, the...

Driven by both political camps in Seoul, relations between South Korea and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have deepened significantly since their initiation in 2005. While this intensified relationship was shaped to a large extent by geopolitical developments and increasing...

For the past three years, Ukraine has not allowed Russia to win its illegal war of aggression. During long periods of the war, the parties have found themselves in a military and diplomatic stalemate. Now US President Donald Trump has sided with the aggressor. "Nothing about Ukraine without...

A study conducted by the European Parliamentary Research Service (2023) notes that the European Union's (EU) relations with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries are being affected by changes in global power, economic uncertainty, and security threats. The current working paper...

This article explores the interplay between economic hegemony and political alignment. Using theoretical and empirical insights from Broner et al. (2024), we posit that hegemonic states, such as the U.S., foster political alignment, which enhances globalization. We use UN voting data to proxy...

In this paper, we examine the complex relationship between geopolitical tensions and migration, developing a framework to explore how these dynamics shape each other. We argue that geopolitical risks - such as wars, terrorism, and international disputes - are related in three ways to migration:...

Europe must take more responsibility for its defence, if necessary without the United States, given Washington’s volatility. In March 2025, the European Union (EU) launched a series of initiatives to strengthen defence industry and defence policy cooperation. With these new instruments also...

How do shifts in the global balance of power shape the world economy? We propose a theory of alignment-based “hegemonic globalization”, built on two central premises: countries differ in their preferences over policies (such as the rule of law or regulatory frameworks) and trade between any...

Purpose - This research aims to examine the US-China policy shift from Obama to Biden emphasizing the centrality of Taiwan question in the geostrategic competition with Beijing and its prospect if the US strategy remains unchanged. Design/methodology/approach - A conceptual framework is...

How do shifts in the global balance of power shape the world economy? We propose a theory of alignment-based “hegemonic globalization,” built on two central premises: countries differ in their preferences over policies (such as the rule of law or regulatory frameworks) and trade between any...

Southeast Asia has long been a foreign policy priority for Japan, but Tokyo has intensified its engagement - both with the ASEAN Commu­nity as a whole and with individual member states - since 2012. Japan views China’s growing influence in Southeast Asia as a major foreign policy challenge...

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is considered as one of the successful regional cooperations and has played a remarkable role in regional, and potentially global, order through its principles of consensus, non-interference, and peaceful resolution of conflicts, providing platform for...

No-one could have predicted that the relationship between the South American nation and the rising world economic giant would flourish and reach strategic levels, yet this is exactly what came about. The relationship between Venezuela and China went from being "strategic" to becoming a...

The Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli military intervention in the Gaza Strip marks a turning point in relations not only between the two parties to the conflict but also between Egypt and Israel. Under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, those ties were steadily...

The European Union (EU) has started to show increasing interest in the so-called Indo-Pacific area. As is demonstrated by two new EU strategic documents, EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific (2021) and Strategic Compass for Security and Defence (2022), it is aiming to strengthen its...

2023 was mainly dominated by the two wars raging in the EU's neighbourhood. Ukraine managed to liberate half of the territory occupied by Russia in 2022 and unblock the Black Sea. However, Russia continued to attack and destroy the country. Ukraine must prevail because the core principles of the...

2023 was mainly dominated by the two wars raging in the EU's neighbourhood. Ukraine managed to liberate half of the territory occupied by Russia in 2022 and unblock the Black Sea. However, Russia continued to attack and destroy the country. Ukraine must prevail because the core principles of the...

Duisburg was the first German city to establish official relations with a Chinese city, Wuhan. Less out of strategic calculation or recognition of the global significance of China's reform and opening-up policy, but rather thanks to their common industrial roots in the steel industry, the two...

The article explores the EU's energy security discourse regarding Russia during the period of 2010-2021. Three sub-discourses of this discourse are identified: the geopolitical, securitisation and diversification sub-discourses, as the same topics of the relationship are communicated differently...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has accelerated global dynamics that profoundly impact the post-Soviet South. Relations with Russia are still strong, but the former subalterns are raising their voices. The empowerment is most visible in their foreign relations, but also tends to strengthen...

Purpose This study aims to examine the nexus of the US rebalance strategy to Asia and the US-China rivalry in the South China Sea (SCS) from the perspective of the offensive realism theory. Design/methodology/approach The study depends on the descriptive approach that deals with the analysis and...

Purpose This article examines the effect of China's soft power projection through the Chinese media in Africa on the African audiences' perception of China's national image through a case study of the residents of Nairobi. It adopted Joseph Nye's soft power model and sought to address three...

Purpose - This paper aims to explore the interplay between methods and methodologies in the field of international relations (IR) over the 100 years of its lifetime reflecting on the relationship between the rise of new research methods and the rise of new methodologies....

Mittlere Mächte sind einflussreiche Akteure in der internationalen Politik. Auf den Angriffskrieg Russlands gegen die Ukraine oder auf den Gaza-Krieg reagierten gewichtige Staaten Lateinamerikas oder Afrikas - so Brasilien oder Südafrika - nicht im Einklang mit westlicher Politik. Die zwölf...

In recent years, the Indian Union has experienced a significant rise in status in German and European foreign policy. This process has been fuelled by India’s economic dynamism as the fastest-growing democracy and its geopolitical role as a partner in the Indo-Pacific against China’s...

The founding of modern Egypt by Muhammad Ali Pasha required an appropriately modern economy, with industry following the model of more advanced European states. The Pasha of Egypt in- volved himself personally in every phase of the organization of Egyptian industry, garnering the experiences of...

The idea that US power underpins international security remains deeply anchored in today's US political elite. Ultimately, this idea also lies at the heart of US-led alliances, including NATO. But the three pillars of Pax Americana - US military strength, the country's economic openness and the...

At least since Russia deployed North Korean artillery and ballistic missiles against Ukraine, it is obvious that Pyongyang fuels conflicts far beyond North-East Asia. Yet, the indirect threats that North Korea poses to Europe's security and stability have developed a new quality: Pyongyang is...