This article sets the scene for the Special Issue ‘Reaching for allies?’ by setting out the research questions and structure of the Special Issue. Specifically, this introduction reviews the state... Show moreThis article sets the scene for the Special Issue ‘Reaching for allies?’ by setting out the research questions and structure of the Special Issue. Specifically, this introduction reviews the state of the art of dialectics interweaving International Relations and Area Studies. Specifically, it focuses on tracing the genealogy of these debates, identifying the actors engaged with them, as well as, mapping those sites where such transdisciplinary knowledge is produced and circulated. We also provide an assessment of the interaction between the two disciplinary traditions as scholarly disciplines by reviewing the field as it had developed in the last decade since 2013. In order to do so, we present data on the brokers of this dialogue by analysing top-ranked Journals across regions, dedicated Special Issues on the matter as well as main international conferences and participants. Overall, this article provides a threefold contribution: first, we provide an account of the globalization of knowledge production and circulation that has also increasingly decentred, valuing local peculiarities and epistemological traditions beyond the Western academia(s). Second, we assess and discuss how Western and non-Western academics have contoured concepts which demand and entail site-intensive techniques of enquiry, exposure to complexities on the grounds, ethnographic sensitivity, and, at the same time, comparative endeavours going beyond area specialisms. Third, by looking at international and regional policy-making milieus with attention to context-specificity, we believe critical policy-relevant implications can be discussed, specifically in relation to local ownership and bottom-up approaches. Show less
The contributions assembled in this volume present cutting-edge research that examines the network of Indo-American interconnections over a wider time frame. The case studies stretch into the... Show moreThe contributions assembled in this volume present cutting-edge research that examines the network of Indo-American interconnections over a wider time frame. The case studies stretch into the American republic’s early decades, hinting at a longer history of mutual influence and exchange, beyond the registers of the American century’ of globalization. By bringing together academics working across disciplines ranging from history to cultural and literary studies, comparative religion, political science and sociology, this volume thus foregrounds and historicizes the complex, multi-sited, polyvalent nature of the Indo-US encounter. At the same time, the book explores the possibilities of methodologically engaging with established categories—such as the nation, the imperial and Empire—and test alternative typologies to understand this encounter better. Taken together, our authors reconstruct the myriad ways in which Americans and Indians have engaged with each other through trade, diplomacy, intellectual comradeship, missionary evangelism and revolutionary fervor. Show less
With China’s rapid growth as a regional and global power, think tanks in China have received increasing attention from politicians and academics, mostly due to the achievements of academic and... Show moreWith China’s rapid growth as a regional and global power, think tanks in China have received increasing attention from politicians and academics, mostly due to the achievements of academic and processing policies. Recently, collaborations between the media and think tanks have become increasingly tight. This article aims to explore China’s think tank industry and their relationship with the media by interviewing two members of staff from one of China’s most prominent think tanks and observing the Institute for six months. This study has found that China’s think tanks have a close relationship with the government and the media. The traditional Chinese Confucian culture and the "bureaucracy-oriented tradition" have a significant role in the think tanks’ political behavior. This leads the think tanks to play the role of being an advocate of the government. Although social media, to some extent, liberalizes the work style of China’s think tanks, the think tanks’ use of social media still follows the traditional media logic to facilitate the government’s interests. Overall, the study argues that Chinese think tanks show features of being a “Government-lead non-governmental organization" with a semi-official identity to complement the official authorities. Show less
The workshop touched upon a multitude of topics. These can be subsumed under the following main headers:It included methodological considerations around doing comparative law and combining methods... Show moreThe workshop touched upon a multitude of topics. These can be subsumed under the following main headers:It included methodological considerations around doing comparative law and combining methods of comparative law with methods from other fields such as history, political science, sociology, computer science and accounting research.Empirically, it focused on understanding how a transplant process actually works and why it takes place, i.e. who the actors are that make a transplant happen. This included meso-level perspectives, focusing on actors such as bureaucracies, experts, lawmakers, companies, accounting firms and others, but also perspectives which focused more on states as a whole and their role as norm makers and takers. The analyses thereby drew from experiences from many different countries around the world and included a number of historical perspectives as well. The participants also discussed evidence on the extent to which convergence is occurring, using the example of the tax treaty system and the implementation of the BEPS standards.Theoretically, several key concepts were discussed such as the notion of “expertise”, “international standard”, the concept of “transplant” itself and possible alternative metaphors as well as the history of the idea. It was also examined how one can approach the empirical fact of transplants or international convergence of rules from a normative and philosophical point of view.This document reports the discussions that took place during the five days in a chronological manner. The last section contains an outline of possible topics and approaches for a follow-up workshop.The report does not systematically differentiate between individual opinions that not everyone might share and consensus. It rather reports which bits and pieces of the debates caught the attention of the reporters and other note takers. It may therefore rather be seen as something stimulating further discussion than a fixed document. Show less
The rapid expansion of soft-power scholarship has made its central concept one of the most recognisable terms in the discipline of international relations. Yet the increased attention has brought... Show moreThe rapid expansion of soft-power scholarship has made its central concept one of the most recognisable terms in the discipline of international relations. Yet the increased attention has brought little agreement on how to resolve the underlying conceptual issues. Instead, soft-power scholarship has drifted apart into two separate streams: concept-driven and case-centred studies. The emerging divide impedes the healthy academic exchange that arguably holds the key to a more resonant impact on the field of international relations. This article seeks to bridge the gap by revealing the common ground where both the unresolved problems and the conceptual and methodological achievements of the nascent research programme have their roots. Show less
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have become crucial players in the Middle East North Africa regional order. Few would have expected such a transformation even 20 years ago. This paper... Show moreQatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have become crucial players in the Middle East North Africa regional order. Few would have expected such a transformation even 20 years ago. This paper examines the constitution of Qatari and Emirati power. It demonstrates how understanding the entrepreneurial power of states is central to explanations of growth, strength, and position in regional and global orders. The analysis argues that the entrepreneurial powerhood of Qatar and the UAE is constituted by their development narrative and pursuit of status, which is facilitated by their material capabilities and their governance style characterized by flexible autocracy. Show less
The invasion of Iran by the Great powers (the Soviet Union and the Great Britain) in 1941 not only changed the political setting of the Iranian government but also led to the exile of Reza Shah,... Show moreThe invasion of Iran by the Great powers (the Soviet Union and the Great Britain) in 1941 not only changed the political setting of the Iranian government but also led to the exile of Reza Shah, the leader of the Iranian autocratic regime. Although the presence of the Great Powers gave more power to the Iranian parliament, but it also split Iranian society into various adversarial factions. In the period from 1941 to 1946, some ethnic groups prepared to establish their own governments, which led to the break up of relationships between the Iranian central government and the representatives of ethnic groups in their respective provinces, including the region of the Kurds and Azeris. Besides the presence and policies of Great Powers in Iran, the unfolding of the Iranian Crisis and the formation of two Kurdish political parties, there were a number of other factors that influenced the events leading to the establishment of the Kurdish government. Among these were the emergence of nation-states in the Middle East following the First World War, the after-effects of Reza Shah’s autocratic regime, and the establishment of the Azeri autonomous government. This dissertation takes a close look at the developments leading to the formation and the overthrow of the Kurdish government of 1946, which at times called itself the Republic of Kurdistan. Show less
This study analyses the relations between Siam and the League of Nations from 1920 to 1940. It identifies Siam’s policy towards the League as a cornerstone of Siam’s foreign policy and an important... Show moreThis study analyses the relations between Siam and the League of Nations from 1920 to 1940. It identifies Siam’s policy towards the League as a cornerstone of Siam’s foreign policy and an important element of Siam’s domestic modernization during the sixth, seventh and eighth reigns of the Chakri dynasty. In doing so, the study aims at adding a key multilateral dimension to the existing historical analysis of Thai foreign relations during the first half of the twentieth century. It argues that Siam’s League membership played an important role in modernizing the country, reaffirming elite rule and regaining full sovereignty. This study concentrates on the inter-war years and traces Siam’s League membership in the most significant areas of interaction among the wide range of multilateral policy fields. It draws on extensive primary sources which have so far not been studied; the bulk of these files are located at the Thai National Archives in Bangkok and at the League of Nations Archives at the United Nations European Headquarters in Geneva. Show less
