Abstract The issue of rapprochement between former adversaries has received scant scholarly attention meaning there is little understanding of why some foes reconcile quickly, while others remain hostile for decades. Moreover, a specific facet of reconciliation, diplomatic normalization, while a crucial part of diplomacy, has not been explained by scholarly work. This study advances research on diplomatic normalization while proposing a novel theory of reconciliation involving Kantian elements: commerce, democracy, and law. Specifically, the paper proposes that significant economic incentives ..read more

Abstract Nepal, a landlocked country situated between two nuclear states, has found bandwagoning with either China or India to be an impractical option. In the current scenario, Nepal has opted for a trend of hedging with both neighbors while adhering to a non-alignment foreign policy. Nepal aims to seek economic and infrastructure development opportunities from Beijing through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, which could help overcome geopolitical challenges. However, India is concerned about Nepal's growing relations with China, viewing it as a significant threat to India's int ..read more

Abstract What are the downstream effects of rebel governance on the demand for reform in post-conflict settings and their perceived legitimacy? Through an analysis of Kuwaiti civil society’s engagement in rebel governance during the Iraqi 1990–1991 occupation of Kuwait, the study shows that engaging in rebel governance in contexts of occupation increases civil society groups’ claims on their states, in which they update framing and increase their demands for greater participation after liberation. However, the perceived legitimacy of such demands is predicated by the public’s experience of reb ..read more

Abstract In many liberal democracies today, foreign policy is the subject of increasing political contestation. Recent studies have demonstrated that political parties cluster predictably when voting on military deployments. In the economic left/right dimension, support for military deployments is highest for centrist and centre-right parties, and decreases towards the (far) left and (far) right. This pattern is not as robust in the non-economic GAL/TAN dimension, which pits parties with green, alternative and libertarian (GAL) values against those with traditional, authoritarian and nationali ..read more

Abstract When Donald Trump was elected, the idea of the ‘China Threat’ gained popularity. Nonetheless, this was not a novelty. From the early nineties, when the country consolidated its economic growth, concern had begun to spread that China would convert its economic resources into a military force to turn against the US. This article explores whether the concept of the China Threat may have been influenced by stereotypical representations rooted in US academic thinking and shared at the government level. The analysis proceeds by adopting a three-stage approach. First, it draws a theoretical ..read more

Abstract This introduction to our special issue on Revisiting Regional Powers examines ways in which the study of regional powers can enhance our ability to understand the dynamic nature of the international system today. The article, first, summarizes and highlights how the study of regional powers remains relevant to the broader discipline of international relations but also indicates that there remains much to improve and investigate, for instance by more systematically including less traditional issue areas for regional power engagement, including the environment or public diplomacy, by in ..read more

Abstract The article investigates how China uses two distinct communication strategies: peace-focused language with positive gestures and assertive speech promising retaliation. It challenges the typical view that the first approach indicates status quo orientation and the second suggests aggressive change. Instead, the study suggests that China’s peaceful rhetoric is used to undermine Western international norms, subtly promoting gradual change. In contrast, its bold language is more about maintaining face and reputation. The study employs systems theory to understand the psychological patter ..read more

Abstract The Council of Europe (CoE) was among the first Western institutions to open its doors to Russia after the end of the Cold War. However, during Russia’s membership (1996–2022) hopes of socializing the country into the CoE’s standards, norms, and principles in the areas of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law never materialized. While the CoE’s norms and principles nowadays need to be secured from Russia, there might be a point in the (distant) future where Russia should be reintegrated into European structures, with the CoE then again being a likely forum to that end. Against ..read more

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