政治学 — 全 下位分類

This book presents the reality of democratic reversals and waves of coups cutting through Africa, explores the political economy of coups, and through a case study approach, provides a nuanced analysis of the negative impacts of coups in Africa, and interrogates the roles of African regional organisations in curtailing coups and foreign powers in distorting the security architecture of African states, particularly in the Sahel region. It proffers sustainable policy templates for political development, professionalism of the military, and the subsequent withdrawal of the military from African politics. Apart from its policy relevance, it will serve as a resource pool for researchers working in the area of African political development, peace and security, and security sector reforms. With the incremental exit of France from the Sahel, the book will also offer a nuanced perspective on the 'scramble for the soul' of the Sahel by non-Western powers, such as China, Russia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

Building on Frederic Lemieux's previous work exploring how Western state surveillance and intelligence activities have drastically adapted to new domestic and global challenges, this second edition expands on additional dimensions of intelligence and surveillance activities conducted in modern societies.

Featuring new chapters on inter-agency cooperation at both national and international levels, cyber intelligence (CI), the link between intelligence and police cooperation, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and international operations, counterterrorism, and intelligence activities conducted by the United States since September 11, 2001, Lemieux also includes several updates to existing chapters, including the role of AI in intelligence analysis. Delving into how counterterrorism operations have profoundly changed how intelligence activities are conducted by integrating new technologies, new partnerships, and raising new ethical dilemmas, the author also expands on the intelligence operations undertaken in cyberspace to describe the emerging cyber intelligence field.

Offering a compelling understanding of contemporary state surveillance dynamics, this second edition is a timely update that lands at the critical intersection of cutting-edge technology and international security.

This book is the first systematic effort to investigate the ramifications of the introduction of the Spitzenkandidaten process for the appointment of the President of the European Commission. It does so by examining the first two applications of the Spitzenkandidaten process from an historical, legal and political perspective. Although this process has spurred vibrant debate regarding its impact on EU elections and the EU political system, it has yet to be comprehensively analysed by scholars. Addressing this important gap, the book provides a conceptual framework for analysing the impact of the Spitzenkandidaten process, takes stock of its internal, inter-institutional and constitutional repercussions, and assesses its future prospects. Interdisciplinary in nature, the book touches on several important themes, including European elections, EU policy making, leadership, legitimacy, supranationalism and European integration. Published to coincide with the 2024 European Parliament election, it will appeal to scholars and students of the politics of European integration, public administration, governance, European politics and EU constitutional law.

The Council of the EU is a powerful institution whose centrality has been challenged by the Treaty of Lisbon. More than ten years after this major institutional revision, this book examines its role within the EU political regime and its interactions with other institutions. It explores how the Council Presidency has navigated major crises over the past decade and addressed internal challenges. The various chapters discuss key timely questions: How has the relationship between the Council and the European Council evolved over time? To what extent have the recent crises reshaped the relationship between the Council and the European Parliament, as well as its interactions with the Commission? Is the Council Presidency still a powerful mediator? What are its internal challenges? What are the prospects for the rotating presidency system?

This edited volume discusses non-state actors as agents of foreign policy. It questions whether non-state actors can act as foreign policy makers and if the contemporary role of non-state actors constitutes a theoretical challenge to foreign policy. Chapters demonstrate the impact of non-state entities through the lenses of their direct role as decision-makers, with examples drawn from the African continent, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Arguing for the necessity of approaching foreign policy in a broader frame, beyond the scope of the state and the individual, the book fills a gap in the literature and creates a closer nexus between area studies and foreign policy. This volume will be of interest to both academics and practitioners across the fields of international relations, foreign policy analysis, and area studies.

This book examines the nature of conflict in Africa vis-a-vis the African Union (AU) peace and security architecture in Africa. It focuses on the intense campaign 'Silencing the Guns by 2020' since 2013, one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063 to achieve a conflict-free continent by AU. It analyses various causes of conflict in Africa using case studies to pursue the causality and dynamics of these conflicts, which often point to the intersectionality of historical legacies of colonialism and neo-colonialism. It further examines the interplay of factors such as resource curse, resource exploitation, election-induced violence, political violence, incessant and interminable challenges of social justice, oppression, contemporary governance, and leadership dynamics. It also focuses on the application and integration of conflict and gender for analytical reflection. In the quest for a "Peaceful and secure Africa", this book examines the different mechanisms to prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts on the continent, and the challenges thereof. It probes and investigates by asking critical questions about continental conflict dynamics and peace architectures which warrants in-depth inquiry and interrogation.

This book provides new and established researchers with innovative methodologies and research strategies to explore European security integration from a different perspective, challenging traditional theoretical interpretations. It takes a step back from well-established theoretical approaches to the European Union's (EU) Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) to ask more fundamental questions about the core assumptions underpinning research on European security integration. It supports methodological innovations with an analysis of the most significant empirical problems of European security governance, including the war in Ukraine or the role of Russia in European security. In the last chapter, the author offers ideas for new pedagogical approaches to teaching European Studies.

In Sociology of Corruption, David Jancsics provides a fresh approach to the study of corruption in Hungary, which once seemed to be the most likely of the ex-communist bloc nations to catch up to the West and is, according to many experts and scholars, a country with a highly corrupt dynamic.

Based on data from 2022, Hungary is now the most corrupt member state of the European Union. There is also a consensus among experts that a small clique of corrupt political actors has captured most Hungarian state institutions and a significant portion of the business sector.

What fostered corruption in Hungary? What are the most typical forms of corruption in this country? What do Hungarians think about it? What is the role of prime minister Viktor Orban in this? Sociology of Corruption proposes a novel sociological theory of corruption focusing on social status and relationships, network structures, and power dynamics as important explanatory factors of corrupt behavior. Although his focus is on Hungary, Jancsics's findings are applicable to other nations and cultural contexts.

This edited volume examines the practices and applications of digital diplomacy in the OSCE Region. As a security organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) prioritizes its member states' cyber security and cyberspace activities. The book examines two key areas where digital diplomacy challenges traditional diplomatic practices of the OSCE member States: institutional adaptation and policy innovation in the OSCE Region. It (1) investigates how capable and motivated foreign ministries are at the institutional level to shift to digital diplomacy, and (2) explores how digital diplomacy affects the fundamental diplomatic tasks of representation, communication, and relationship management at the policy level.

Technological advances in IT and the Internet's widespread introduction in the wake of the 2000s provided new territories to conquer for states to pursue their interests. Moreover, technological developments and media attention enhanced information flow and communication through new platforms like online encyclopedias (i.e., Wikipedia), video-sharing sites (i.e., YouTube), and social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Because of these transformations, public opinion became influential in diplomacy, and a greater need to include foreign publics as part of foreign policy goals emerged.

Introducing case studies from several OSCE countries, presented by an international group of authors, this book provides a timely response to current affairs and policy debates by providing pluralistic perspectives from different countries and disciplines, such as international relations, political science, international law, and political economy). It will appeal to students, researchers, and scholars of the aforementioned disciplines, as well as policy-makers and practitioners interested in a better understanding of digital democracy and digital diplomacy in the OSCE region.

This open access book provokes critical thinking regarding the most ambitious Chinese project since the founding of the People's Republic of China, The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The book presents extensive quality research and original insights in assessing the status of China's outbound investment and construction projects under the BRI umbrella. Referring to case studies and projects of selected countries from Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East, the author sheds new light on the issues and problems associated with the BRI's implementation and discusses both the readjustments and prospects for the BRI. Finally, this book demarcates the limits and potential of the world's second largest economy in pushing for the BRI, which is challenged by enormous domestic tensions and external pressures. It also identifies and analyzes potential new collaboration areas between the Belt and Road countries and China under the BRI framework in the context of the post-COVID-19 era. It provides an outstanding reference for academics, students, policymakers, and the business community working in areas of international affairs and Asian economics and development, particularly those interested in Sino-relations and Chinese power dynamics in the global world order.

This book delves deep into the complex dynamics surrounding the Iran nuclear deal and its subsequent fracture. In a post-2018 world, following the United States' withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, this work dissects the ramifications of this geopolitical shift, particularly with respect to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The book's central premise revolves around the idea that Iran's pursuit of nuclear capabilities is intricately tied to its enduring conflicts with Iraq, Israel, and the United States. It argues that the nuclear deal had the potential to quell these conflicts, particularly the long-standing rivalry between Iran and the U.S., thus reshaping Iran's relationships in the Middle East. However, with the U.S. exit from the agreement and its accusations of Iranian sponsorship of terrorism, Iran now perceives a heightened threat, potentially leading it to consider nuclear weapons as a deterrent against a potential war with the U.S.

The book challengesconventional international relations paradigms with regards to Iran: realism, which typically predicts all conflicting states will seek nuclear weapons regardless of cooperative arrangements, is shown to ignore the nuanced connection between cooperation and proliferation propensity; and liberalism's emphasis on cooperation is critiqued in this case for overlooking the negative consequences of failed cooperative endeavours. The book highlights the importance of trust and compliance in the success of cooperative agreements, as well as the adverse effects of their breakdown.

The work contributes significantly to our understanding of international relations in the Middle East. It draws on an extensive examination of prior research while presenting novel theoretical insights. The detailed case study of Iran's nuclear aspirations before, during, and after the nuclear deal serves as a compelling application of the theoretical framework.