Theories of Global Politics
A beginner’s guide to realism and liberalism, incorporating insights from some of the critical theoretical paradigms within International Relations.
From Ukraine to Taiwan: Legacy as a Driver of Foreign Policy Behaviour
With global attention focussed on Ukraine, Xi’s efforts to reinstate a Sino-centric regional order by recovering ‘lost lands’, including Taiwan should not be overlooked.
Review – Hans Kelsen’s Political Realism
Schuett’s work highlights Kelsen’s often overlooked contributions to IR, but raises questions over the conflation of strands of realist thought and the pessimism of mid-century thinkers.
Realist Perspectives on Trump’s Illiberal Counterrevolution
What Trump achieved in his four years as president was to expose the hypocrisy of Liberal hegemony and mark a new era of ideas and practices that have yet to be internalized.
The Irrelevance of Soft Power
The 21st century will be characterized by competition among China, India and the US. The question facing every nation is what they can offer to pave the way towards new strategic alliances.
Fear as Driver of International Relations
Fear is a primal instinct that is necessary for survival and it shapes human choices and actions in all spheres of life, including international relations.
From Realism’s Disciplinary Dominance to a More Global IR
If realists forgo exploring new avenues to address criticism, they may miss opportunities to contribute to a more global discipline and to better explain grand strategy beyond the West.
Nature Plays Last: Realism, Post-Realism, Post-Pandemic
COVID 19 is a crisis for both world politics and for international relations theory. Pandemic effects make it evident that theorists have ignored crucial actors and phenomena.
Opinion – Challenges to the Realist Perspective During the Coronavirus Pandemic
The pandemic has truly made us question the limiting theories of global politics which posits self-regarding/egoistic behavior by states as the only natural behavior.
Opinion – Realism and the Coronavirus Crisis
While it cannot help to solve the problem, IR theory can aid our understanding of how states behave amidst the global Covid-19 crisis.
