Thomas Ambrosio
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 1433359 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Thomas Ambrosio |
| PRENOMES | Thomas |
| SOBRENOME | Ambrosio |
| ASSINATURA | AMBROSIO T |
| AFILIAÇÕES | North Dakota State University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4047-1224 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 39 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 372 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 38 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 1999 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2024 |
| ÍNDICE H | 8 |
Boardgaming after the fall of Kabul
When Children Join the Coalition
Why does what appears to be hereditary grooming—promoting children to positions of political power—remain widespread in dictatorships even though successful hereditary successions are relatively rare? We analyse an original dataset on apparent hereditary grooming events across all autocracies in the post-Soviet region from 1992 to 2019. We show that apparent grooming is surprisingly normal in post-Soviet autocracies and that the political positio…
Performing the Cold War through the 'The Best Board Game on the Planet
Scholarly study of the popular geopolitics of boardgames has lagged behind that of other ludic artefacts, such as toys and videogames. This article examines the boardgame Twilight Struggle as a premiere example of a historically-structured boardgame (HSBG). HSBGs are distinct for their tight and intentional integration of narrative, gameplay, and in-game freedoms consistent with historical events, processes, and actors. Although not requiring pla…
The War on Terror beyond the barrel of a gun
Utilizing Bogost’s procedural rhetoric framework in his book Persuasive Games, this article examines Labyrinth, a boardgame that simulates the conflict between the United States and global terrorism. The authors systematically integrate ludology (rules/gameplay) and narratology (narratives/representations) to illustrate how Labyrinth was intentionally designed so that players became active participants in a narrative about how good governance und…
Belarus, Kazakhstan and Alliance Security Dilemmas in the Former Soviet Union
Following the 2014 Ukraine crisis, Belarus and Kazakhstan appear caught in an alliance security dilemma characterised by intra-alliance threat and entrapment, as both are potential targets of militarised hybrid warfare by their vastly more powerful ally, Russia. Despite having sought foreign policy flexibility between the two increasingly opposed geopolitical camps of the West and Russia, Minsk and Nur-Sultan appear drawn further towards Moscow. …
Sustainable Development Agendas of Regional International Organizations
The paper analyzes how the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) approach sustainable development in their legal documents and social media. Unlike democracies, autocracies are driven by concerns of regime survival, but they often seek legitimacy through expressed commitments to global norms. We find that while the EBRD has a clear and detailed environmental agenda, this is not so for the E…
The Geopolitical Discourse of Barack Obama's State of the Union Addresses
President Barack Obama came to office with the expressed intention of breaking with the geopolitical orientation of his predecessor. Obama argued that George W. Bush overemphasized the Middle East at the expense of the Asia-Pacific region, the war in Afghanistan, rising non-Western states, and domestic affairs. To this end, Obama sought a strategic shift away from the Middle East and toward these other geographic areas. Obama also sought changes …
The American securitization of China and Russia
Policymakers define threats through the development and presentation of threat narratives, which seek to shape, promote, and limit policy agendas and debate through public discourse. Since 2015, American officials engaged in a securitization process which depicts great power competition, in the form of a rising and aggressive Eurasian alignment of China and Russia, as an existential threat to both America’s geopolitical position in the internatio…
Authoritarian Norms in a Changing International System
The normative structure of the international system is changing, driven by the logics of effectiveness and appropriateness. Whereas the balance between democracy and autocracy had clearly favored the former, this appears to no longer be the case. Not only are authoritarian methods spreading because they have been found to be successful, but democracy’s very legitimacy has been eroded from self-doubt and as a consequence of rising and increasingly…
Russia’s Ukraine Intervention and Changes to American Perceptions of the Russian Threat
The Russian Federation’s intervention in Ukraine in the spring of 2014 triggered a significant shift in the US government’s perception of that country. Before that event, statements by US officials depicted Russia as a non-threatening potential partner with compatible interests and common security concerns. After the Ukraine intervention, officials characterized Russia as a significant threat to the United States, its allies, and the European reg…
Authoritarian on the Defensive
The promises of the third wave of democracy have broken upon the shores of autocracy. According to Freedom House's (2017, 1) Freedom in the World 2017 report, 2016 marked eleven consecutive years in which declines in political rights and civil liberties have outnumbered improvements in countries around the world. It is undeniable that authoritarianism has not only proven highly resilient but is resurgent internationally. Not only have advances in…
The Architecture of Alignment
The relative durability of the growing alignment between Russia and China is perhaps the central question regarding this relationship. This article examines the degree to which cooperation and policy coordination have become institutionalised between these two states through the creation of a complex and self-reinforcing network of bilateral and multilateral agreements. Grounded in the literature on treaty nestedness and utilising social network …
Authoritarian learning
There is increasing evidence that the renewed resilience of authoritarian regimes is due, in part, to authoritarian learning. While scholarly interest in authoritarian learning is growing, it remains an underdeveloped area of study. This article aims to provide an overview of the state of the field and to promote future research and debate. It begins with a discussion of how the broader concepts of learning are applicable to authoritarian learnin…
The fall of Yanukovych
This article examines the fall of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych as a failure of authoritarian learning. When confronted by the Euromaidan protests in November 2013, Yanukovych responded in a manner similar to that seen during the Arab Uprisings of 2011, attempting to adopt a series of counter-protest strategies (promise, repress, bribe, mobilise, divide) which preserved most Arab governments against mass protests. However, the strategies …
The rhetoric of irredentism
Following the February 2014 fall of Viktor Yanukovych as president of Ukraine and the installation of a pro-Western government in Kiev, Russia initiated an irredentist intervention to annex the Crimean peninsula. Although much attention has focused on the use of military forces without country or unit insignia (the ‘little green men’ of irregular warfare), a crucial part of this operation involved a complex and multilayered perception management …
The architecture of annexation? Russia's bilateral agreements with South Ossetia and Abkhazia
Following the August War of 2008, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Both territories remain dependent upon Moscow for their security and economic survival, and they remain dominated militarily, economically, and even politically by their northern patron. These relationships are structured, in part, by a series of bilateral agreements signed since September 2008, which have created a comprehensive legal architectu…
Leadership Succession in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan have ruled their respective countries since before the Soviet Union dissolved, dominating their political systems and centring power around themselves and their families. However, both are in their 70s and questions of who will succeed them and whether their departure will result in political instability have become increasingly pressing in both societies. Rooted in the literature…
Mapping Kazakhstan’s geopolitical code
Kazakhstan sits at the crossroads of Eurasia. Its foreign policy is heavily defined by geopolitics – the intersection of geography and international politics. However, there have been few studies that have systematically analyzed the rhetoric used to define its geopolitical condition. Building upon prior works on United States and Russian presidential addresses, this article examines 18 presidential addresses by Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan …
Democratic states and authoritarian firewalls
Although history is replete with democracies supporting autocracies, democratic black knights have not been approached in a systematic manner. This article examines American rhetoric and policy towards the 2011 uprising and subsequent crackdown in Bahrain in order to further our understanding of how and why democratic states act to reinforce authoritarian firewalls. It finds that the USA was instrumental in providing diplomatic and political cove…
Mapping the Geopolitics of the Russian Federation
This paper builds upon previous research on American state-of-the-union addresses and Russian geopolitics by examining how the Kremlin has represented Russia's geographic and geopolitical position in the post-Soviet era. It analyses presidential addresses to the Federal Assembly from 2000 to 2011, a period encompassing Vladimir Putin's first two terms as president and the single term of Dmitry Medvedev. In addition to exploring general trends evi…
Ps
In 2011, PS: Political Science and Politics published articles covering a vast range of topics. The journal's commitment to publishing articles on pedagogy and the profession, as well as exemplary topical scholarship on a spectrum of issues, call for an equally broad stable of reviewers. PS cannot publish such diverse work without the outstanding work (and openmindedness) of our peer reviewers. The peer-review process relies on the professionalis…
The rise of the ‘China Model’ and ‘Beijing Consensus
The rise of authoritarian great powers has raised questions about the dominance of the liberal democratic model and has led to a perception that the relative balance between democracy and authoritarianism is shifting. Consequently, there is increasing interest in and concerns about the diffusion of alternative 'models' of political and economic development. Given that China's impressive economic development has led to growing military strength an…
Unfreezing the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict? Evaluating Peacemaking Efforts under the Obama Administration
Barack Obama came into office identifying a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a priority of his presidency. Since the mid-1990s, international mediation had not yielded any substantive progress on bringing Armenia and Azerbaijan closer to a deal. It was hoped that the new administration would change this dynamic. However, with the passage of 2 years, the pattern that has emerged is one of continuity with previous approaches. Despite …
Constructing a Framework of Authoritarian Diffusion
As the color revolutions have stalled and the challenge to democracy by authoritarianism has increased, it is essential to explore the potential of a new “reverse wave” which may create a greater balance between liberalism and autocracy. This article seeks to begin this process by outlining a framework of authoritarian diffusion. Two key diffusion dynamics are outlined: appropriateness, the impact of changes in the relative normative power of dem…
Catching the ‘Shanghai Spirit’
This article examines how the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) seeks to undermine democratisation in Central Asia. Prior studies of the interplay between international organisations and democracy have tended to examine only one half of this relationship: whether, how, and under what circumstances do international organisations promote democracy? However, the opposite has been largely ignored: how do international organisations sustain auto…
Catching the ‘Shanghai Spirit’
This article examines how the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) seeks to undermine democratisation in Central Asia. Prior studies of the interplay between international organisations and democracy have tended to examine only one half of this relationship: whether, how, and under what circumstances do international organisations promote democracy? However, the opposite has been largely ignored: how do international organisations sustain auto…
Constructing a Framework of Authoritarian Diffusion
As the color revolutions have stalled and the challenge to democracy by authoritarianism has increased, it is essential to explore the potential of a new “reverse wave” which may create a greater balance between liberalism and autocracy. This article seeks to begin this process by outlining a framework of authoritarian diffusion. Two key diffusion dynamics are outlined: appropriateness, the impact of changes in the relative normative power of dem…
Authoritarian learning
There is increasing evidence that the renewed resilience of authoritarian regimes is due, in part, to authoritarian learning. While scholarly interest in authoritarian learning is growing, it remains an underdeveloped area of study. This article aims to provide an overview of the state of the field and to promote future research and debate. It begins with a discussion of how the broader concepts of learning are applicable to authoritarian learnin…
Insulating Russia from a Colour Revolution
An increasingly authoritarian Russia has recently come under pressure from the so-called 'colour revolutions' in the former Soviet Union. The spread of democracy in this region is reminiscent of what democratization scholars call 'diffusion' or 'contagion', a process by which a democratic transition in one country sparks similar transitions in close proximity. Expanding upon the previous literature on democratic diffusion, this article proposes t…
The rise of the ‘China Model’ and ‘Beijing Consensus
The rise of authoritarian great powers has raised questions about the dominance of the liberal democratic model and has led to a perception that the relative balance between democracy and authoritarianism is shifting. Consequently, there is increasing interest in and concerns about the diffusion of alternative 'models' of political and economic development. Given that China's impressive economic development has led to growing military strength an…
Democratic states and authoritarian firewalls
Although history is replete with democracies supporting autocracies, democratic black knights have not been approached in a systematic manner. This article examines American rhetoric and policy towards the 2011 uprising and subsequent crackdown in Bahrain in order to further our understanding of how and why democratic states act to reinforce authoritarian firewalls. It finds that the USA was instrumental in providing diplomatic and political cove…
The Architecture of Alignment
The relative durability of the growing alignment between Russia and China is perhaps the central question regarding this relationship. This article examines the degree to which cooperation and policy coordination have become institutionalised between these two states through the creation of a complex and self-reinforcing network of bilateral and multilateral agreements. Grounded in the literature on treaty nestedness and utilising social network …
Sustainable Development Agendas of Regional International Organizations
The paper analyzes how the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) approach sustainable development in their legal documents and social media. Unlike democracies, autocracies are driven by concerns of regime survival, but they often seek legitimacy through expressed commitments to global norms. We find that while the EBRD has a clear and detailed environmental agenda, this is not so for the E…
Belarus, Kazakhstan and Alliance Security Dilemmas in the Former Soviet Union
Following the 2014 Ukraine crisis, Belarus and Kazakhstan appear caught in an alliance security dilemma characterised by intra-alliance threat and entrapment, as both are potential targets of militarised hybrid warfare by their vastly more powerful ally, Russia. Despite having sought foreign policy flexibility between the two increasingly opposed geopolitical camps of the West and Russia, Minsk and Nur-Sultan appear drawn further towards Moscow. …
Trying Saddam Hussein
Efforts to enhance the quality of teaching and better engage undergraduate students have resulted in a noticeable shift toward active and problem-based learning techniques. This essay examines a multi-week, in-depth simulation designed for my upper-division international law course in which students assumed roles in a mock war crimes trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It seeks to accomplish three goals. First, I wish to provide ideas fo…
The fall of Yanukovych
This article examines the fall of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych as a failure of authoritarian learning. When confronted by the Euromaidan protests in November 2013, Yanukovych responded in a manner similar to that seen during the Arab Uprisings of 2011, attempting to adopt a series of counter-protest strategies (promise, repress, bribe, mobilise, divide) which preserved most Arab governments against mass protests. However, the strategies …
The rhetoric of irredentism
Following the February 2014 fall of Viktor Yanukovych as president of Ukraine and the installation of a pro-Western government in Kiev, Russia initiated an irredentist intervention to annex the Crimean peninsula. Although much attention has focused on the use of military forces without country or unit insignia (the ‘little green men’ of irregular warfare), a crucial part of this operation involved a complex and multilayered perception management …
Mapping Kazakhstan’s geopolitical code
Kazakhstan sits at the crossroads of Eurasia. Its foreign policy is heavily defined by geopolitics – the intersection of geography and international politics. However, there have been few studies that have systematically analyzed the rhetoric used to define its geopolitical condition. Building upon prior works on United States and Russian presidential addresses, this article examines 18 presidential addresses by Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan …
The Kurdistan Referendum Movement
This article examines the lack of mass mobilization by Iraqi Kurds to establish an independent Kurdistan. It argues that while the outcome of an unofficial January 2005 referendum – in which 98 per cent of Kurds supported independence – was a clear expression of their will, the political opportunity structures within which the Kurdistan Referendum Movement operates are closed to the formation of a mass-based social movement. Utilizing data from a…
The Russo–American dispute over the invasion of Iraq
The war in Iraq will have a significant effect on the psychological and political climate in Russia. ... The American–Iraqi conflict seems to have brought to light a public demand that we regain our
The American securitization of China and Russia
Policymakers define threats through the development and presentation of threat narratives, which seek to shape, promote, and limit policy agendas and debate through public discourse. Since 2015, American officials engaged in a securitization process which depicts great power competition, in the form of a rising and aggressive Eurasian alignment of China and Russia, as an existential threat to both America’s geopolitical position in the internatio…
Mapping the Geopolitics of the Russian Federation
This paper builds upon previous research on American state-of-the-union addresses and Russian geopolitics by examining how the Kremlin has represented Russia's geographic and geopolitical position in the post-Soviet era. It analyses presidential addresses to the Federal Assembly from 2000 to 2011, a period encompassing Vladimir Putin's first two terms as president and the single term of Dmitry Medvedev. In addition to exploring general trends evi…
The architecture of annexation? Russia's bilateral agreements with South Ossetia and Abkhazia
Following the August War of 2008, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Both territories remain dependent upon Moscow for their security and economic survival, and they remain dominated militarily, economically, and even politically by their northern patron. These relationships are structured, in part, by a series of bilateral agreements signed since September 2008, which have created a comprehensive legal architectu…
Authoritarian Norms in a Changing International System
The normative structure of the international system is changing, driven by the logics of effectiveness and appropriateness. Whereas the balance between democracy and autocracy had clearly favored the former, this appears to no longer be the case. Not only are authoritarian methods spreading because they have been found to be successful, but democracy’s very legitimacy has been eroded from self-doubt and as a consequence of rising and increasingly…
The non-material cost of bandwagoning
The decision to balance against or bandwagon with the United States is heavily influenced by non-material values, especially the perceived status and prestige of the major powers. As a test case, this essay examines the nexus between the US, Russia, and Yugoslavia during the early 1990s. Russia's initial pro-Western foreign policy gave way to a new grand strategy emphasizing Russia's great power status and the independence of its foreign policy. …
Bringing Ethnic Conflict into the Classroom
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Performing the Cold War through the 'The Best Board Game on the Planet
Scholarly study of the popular geopolitics of boardgames has lagged behind that of other ludic artefacts, such as toys and videogames. This article examines the boardgame Twilight Struggle as a premiere example of a historically-structured boardgame (HSBG). HSBGs are distinct for their tight and intentional integration of narrative, gameplay, and in-game freedoms consistent with historical events, processes, and actors. Although not requiring pla…
Russia’s Ukraine Intervention and Changes to American Perceptions of the Russian Threat
The Russian Federation’s intervention in Ukraine in the spring of 2014 triggered a significant shift in the US government’s perception of that country. Before that event, statements by US officials depicted Russia as a non-threatening potential partner with compatible interests and common security concerns. After the Ukraine intervention, officials characterized Russia as a significant threat to the United States, its allies, and the European reg…
Ps
In 2011, PS: Political Science and Politics published articles covering a vast range of topics. The journal's commitment to publishing articles on pedagogy and the profession, as well as exemplary topical scholarship on a spectrum of issues, call for an equally broad stable of reviewers. PS cannot publish such diverse work without the outstanding work (and openmindedness) of our peer reviewers. The peer-review process relies on the professionalis…
Unfreezing the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict? Evaluating Peacemaking Efforts under the Obama Administration
Barack Obama came into office identifying a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a priority of his presidency. Since the mid-1990s, international mediation had not yielded any substantive progress on bringing Armenia and Azerbaijan closer to a deal. It was hoped that the new administration would change this dynamic. However, with the passage of 2 years, the pattern that has emerged is one of continuity with previous approaches. Despite …
The geopolitics of Slavic Union
Whether new ‘poles’ will rise to challenge American hegemony is an important issue for international relations theory and policymakers. This article examines the conscious effort by Russian and Belarusian politicians to promote multipolarity through the construction of a ‘Slavic Union’. Although largely theoretical, this union is a clear reaction to the sharp, relative increase in American power since the end of the Cold War and misgivings about …
Russia's quest for multipolarity
A good deal of attention has recently been focused on whether and how new ‘poles’ will rise to challenge American hegemony. This article examines the conscious effort by Russian policymakers and commentators to foster a multipolar world designed to resist American domination of the international system. In particular, three policies are examined: the formation of a Slavic Union with Belarus; the developing de facto alliance with China; and the ‘d…
Stephen D. Shenfield, Russian Fascism. New York
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
From balancer to ally? Russo-American relations in the wake of 11 september
Since the mid-1990s, Russian policy-makers have consistently rejected the American-led ‘hegemonic coalition’ of conservative powers and the unipolar international system, seeking instead to promote a multipolar international system in which the United States would be balanced and Russia could resist American domination. After the terrorist attacks of 11 September, Russia has shifted its policy away from balancing US power and toward supporting th…
Bringing Ethnic Conflict into the Classroom
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
The Russo–American dispute over the invasion of Iraq
The war in Iraq will have a significant effect on the psychological and political climate in Russia. ... The American–Iraqi conflict seems to have brought to light a public demand that we regain our
The Third Side? The Multipolar Strategic Triangle and the Sino-Indian Rapprochement
In a move aimed at balancing America's position in the unipolar international system, Russian Foreign Minister Primakov proposed the formation of a “strategic triangle” of Russia, China, and India to serve as the foundation of global multipolarity. Such plans were stymied by a number of factors. The most important of these was the poor relationship between India and China. Without closer ties between these two powers, the “third side” of the stra…
Trying Saddam Hussein
Efforts to enhance the quality of teaching and better engage undergraduate students have resulted in a noticeable shift toward active and problem-based learning techniques. This essay examines a multi-week, in-depth simulation designed for my upper-division international law course in which students assumed roles in a mock war crimes trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It seeks to accomplish three goals. First, I wish to provide ideas fo…
The non-material cost of bandwagoning
The decision to balance against or bandwagon with the United States is heavily influenced by non-material values, especially the perceived status and prestige of the major powers. As a test case, this essay examines the nexus between the US, Russia, and Yugoslavia during the early 1990s. Russia's initial pro-Western foreign policy gave way to a new grand strategy emphasizing Russia's great power status and the independence of its foreign policy. …
The Geopolitics of Demographic Decay
A specialist in international relations examines the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the context of Russia's security interests and status in the international system. Sources from the international news media's coverage of HIV/AIDS in Russia and the social science literature on the epidemic in Russia are used not only to outline the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Russia in terms of trends in the last decade and those factors promoting the spread of the virus bu…
A Reply to McFaul and Vacroux
Insulating Russia from a Colour Revolution
An increasingly authoritarian Russia has recently come under pressure from the so-called 'colour revolutions' in the former Soviet Union. The spread of democracy in this region is reminiscent of what democratization scholars call 'diffusion' or 'contagion', a process by which a democratic transition in one country sparks similar transitions in close proximity. Expanding upon the previous literature on democratic diffusion, this article proposes t…
Catching the ‘Shanghai Spirit’
This article examines how the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) seeks to undermine democratisation in Central Asia. Prior studies of the interplay between international organisations and democracy have tended to examine only one half of this relationship: whether, how, and under what circumstances do international organisations promote democracy? However, the opposite has been largely ignored: how do international organisations sustain auto…
The Kurdistan Referendum Movement
This article examines the lack of mass mobilization by Iraqi Kurds to establish an independent Kurdistan. It argues that while the outcome of an unofficial January 2005 referendum – in which 98 per cent of Kurds supported independence – was a clear expression of their will, the political opportunity structures within which the Kurdistan Referendum Movement operates are closed to the formation of a mass-based social movement. Utilizing data from a…
Constructing a Framework of Authoritarian Diffusion
As the color revolutions have stalled and the challenge to democracy by authoritarianism has increased, it is essential to explore the potential of a new “reverse wave” which may create a greater balance between liberalism and autocracy. This article seeks to begin this process by outlining a framework of authoritarian diffusion. Two key diffusion dynamics are outlined: appropriateness, the impact of changes in the relative normative power of dem…
Unfreezing the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict? Evaluating Peacemaking Efforts under the Obama Administration
Barack Obama came into office identifying a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a priority of his presidency. Since the mid-1990s, international mediation had not yielded any substantive progress on bringing Armenia and Azerbaijan closer to a deal. It was hoped that the new administration would change this dynamic. However, with the passage of 2 years, the pattern that has emerged is one of continuity with previous approaches. Despite …
Ps
In 2011, PS: Political Science and Politics published articles covering a vast range of topics. The journal's commitment to publishing articles on pedagogy and the profession, as well as exemplary topical scholarship on a spectrum of issues, call for an equally broad stable of reviewers. PS cannot publish such diverse work without the outstanding work (and openmindedness) of our peer reviewers. The peer-review process relies on the professionalis…
The rise of the ‘China Model’ and ‘Beijing Consensus
The rise of authoritarian great powers has raised questions about the dominance of the liberal democratic model and has led to a perception that the relative balance between democracy and authoritarianism is shifting. Consequently, there is increasing interest in and concerns about the diffusion of alternative 'models' of political and economic development. Given that China's impressive economic development has led to growing military strength an…
Mapping the Geopolitics of the Russian Federation
This paper builds upon previous research on American state-of-the-union addresses and Russian geopolitics by examining how the Kremlin has represented Russia's geographic and geopolitical position in the post-Soviet era. It analyses presidential addresses to the Federal Assembly from 2000 to 2011, a period encompassing Vladimir Putin's first two terms as president and the single term of Dmitry Medvedev. In addition to exploring general trends evi…
Mapping Kazakhstan’s geopolitical code
Kazakhstan sits at the crossroads of Eurasia. Its foreign policy is heavily defined by geopolitics – the intersection of geography and international politics. However, there have been few studies that have systematically analyzed the rhetoric used to define its geopolitical condition. Building upon prior works on United States and Russian presidential addresses, this article examines 18 presidential addresses by Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan …
Democratic states and authoritarian firewalls
Although history is replete with democracies supporting autocracies, democratic black knights have not been approached in a systematic manner. This article examines American rhetoric and policy towards the 2011 uprising and subsequent crackdown in Bahrain in order to further our understanding of how and why democratic states act to reinforce authoritarian firewalls. It finds that the USA was instrumental in providing diplomatic and political cove…
Leadership Succession in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan have ruled their respective countries since before the Soviet Union dissolved, dominating their political systems and centring power around themselves and their families. However, both are in their 70s and questions of who will succeed them and whether their departure will result in political instability have become increasingly pressing in both societies. Rooted in the literature…
The rhetoric of irredentism
Following the February 2014 fall of Viktor Yanukovych as president of Ukraine and the installation of a pro-Western government in Kiev, Russia initiated an irredentist intervention to annex the Crimean peninsula. Although much attention has focused on the use of military forces without country or unit insignia (the ‘little green men’ of irregular warfare), a crucial part of this operation involved a complex and multilayered perception management …
The architecture of annexation? Russia's bilateral agreements with South Ossetia and Abkhazia
Following the August War of 2008, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Both territories remain dependent upon Moscow for their security and economic survival, and they remain dominated militarily, economically, and even politically by their northern patron. These relationships are structured, in part, by a series of bilateral agreements signed since September 2008, which have created a comprehensive legal architectu…
Russia’s Ukraine Intervention and Changes to American Perceptions of the Russian Threat
The Russian Federation’s intervention in Ukraine in the spring of 2014 triggered a significant shift in the US government’s perception of that country. Before that event, statements by US officials depicted Russia as a non-threatening potential partner with compatible interests and common security concerns. After the Ukraine intervention, officials characterized Russia as a significant threat to the United States, its allies, and the European reg…
Political science (36 obras) · Law (31 obras) · Politics (30 obras) · Law (27 obras) · Sociology (24 obras) · Political economy (21 obras) · Economics (17 obras) · Democracy (15 obras) · International Relations and Foreign Policy (11 obras) · Authoritarianism (9 obras)