Firuze Simay Sezgin
In a world where ideological divides typically shape alliances, an unlikely partnership emerges between leftists and conservative Islamists, united in their opposition to war. This unexpected collaboration challenges conventional perceptions, writes Firuze Simay Sezgin, raising questions about the potential for dialogue and peace between seemingly irreconcilable worldviews. Read more
Aagya Gupta
Three Communiqués, born from Nixon's 1972 historic visit to China, continue to shape Sino-American relations and influence Taiwan's status. Aagya Gupta explains how diplomatic powerplays and agreements have sustained their relevance and shapes modern geopolitics Read more
Ruairidh Brown
The International University Campus is a site of relationality, write Ruairidh J Brown and Kerstin Tomiak. It a space of cultural and political interchange and creation of co-constituted knowledge. This challenges the traditional view in International Relations of Higher Education as a mere tool of soft power. Read more
Katsiaryna Lozka
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine met fierce resistance from Ukrainian political leadership, military and society. The war is being waged physically, but also in the information space, with Ukraine striving to win hearts and minds in the international community. Katsiaryna Lozka and Vera Axyonova argue that Ukrainian think tanks are important contributors to the country’s public diplomacy efforts Read more
Vladimir Bortun
Last month, a group of scholars submitted an open letter to ECPR's Executive Committee, calling upon it to condemn the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. ECPR declined. This, says Vladimir Bortun, was a missed opportunity. Here, he argues that the political science community should use the catastrophe in Gaza to open up debate about the mission of ECPR – and about the very purpose of political science Read more
Vasabjit Banerjee
Pakistan’s recent elections have produced a two-party ruling coalition, and seemingly ended the confrontation between ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan and his former backers, the military. Yet, while the military’s role as a veto player in Pakistani politics remains unquestioned, its grip is shakier, argue Vasabjit Banerjee and Adnan Rasool. Read more
Olga Vlasova
Olga Vlasova delves into the intricacies of economic sanctions termination. Scrutinising global data and exploring historical precedents, she uncovers the complexities surrounding the lifting of sanctions, and how rarely they are lifted. Her analysis offers valuable insights for policymakers navigating the delicate balance of international relations. Read more
Claudia Wiehler
Violent local conflicts over land and resources are taking place almost exclusively in civil war-affected societies. Claudia Wiehler and Sebastian van Baalen argue that analysts and peacebuilding practitioners therefore need to involve civil war parties in communal conflict management and resolution — and view them as potential conflict management parties. Read more
