28 January 2025, review by Caroline Seil
The influential literature on China's rise, particularly the works of prominent scholars such as John Mearsheimer, often prioritises mainstream International Relations (IR) theories. IR literature primarily debates whether China's actions reflect realist tendencies, particularly in the context of a potential clash between the United States and China and seeks to identify theoretical frameworks that elucidate the perceived ‘China threat’. Rühlig's book offers an alternative to the prevalent 'China threat' theory and instead focuses on understanding how China's foreign policy is deeply influenced and shaped by domestic decisions and internal constraints. Observed contradictions in China’s foreign policy are... continue reading...
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7 February 2023, review by Hillary Briffa
The academic literature on small states has come a long way since Annette Baker Fox published her seminal study The Power of Small States: Diplomacy in World War II in 1959. Whilst still too often marginalised in favour of studying great powers, at times pioneering works such as Peter Katzenstein’s 1985 economic treatise Small States in World Markets and the launch of Small States & Territories journal in 2018 have sought to explicitly centre the study of small states as distinct actors in the international system... continue reading...
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6 February 2023, review by Emad A. Ayasreh
The global approach to diplomacy has been largely viewed from a classical perspective, where states use their power based on military, material, and political capacity to influence international affairs. This has led to the rise of world groupings among countries or leaders that possess such power to influence the direction the world should take regarding global issues... continue reading...
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14 October 2021, review by Patricia Goff
For many years, the debate about cultural diplomacy (CD) focused on state actors. That debate has been reinvigorated in recent years as scholars explore the role of non-state actors in cultural diplomacy. Natalia Grincheva is one of those scholars, most recently showcased in her book, Museum Diplomacy in the Digital Age (2020)... continue reading...
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