Category: International Relations & Diplomacy
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Taiwan’s Porcupine Strategy
To what extent does Taiwan’s defence production and external security cooperation enhance the effectiveness of its porcupine strategy in response to escalating Chinese PLA pressure? Both are mutually reinforcing and have produced success, implementation issues mean that the strategy remains a work in progress. Whether Taiwan will be able to effectively respond will depend on…
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Bahrain after the Arab Spring
This article asks why Bahrain’s Arab Spring uprising failed to produce democratic change. It argues that the monarchy survived through repression, opposition exclusion, sectarian framing, and regional Gulf backing. The conclusion is that Bahrain illustrates authoritarian reconsolidation: formal institutions remained, but political space became more closed.
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The Arab Springs in Yemen : A stolen revolution
This article examines how external intervention in the Yemeni revolution contributed to one of the most severe humanitarian crises of our time. By prioritizing foreign interests over those of the local population, the Gulf Cooperation Initiative neglected the urgent needs of Yemeni society, driving the country into a regional conflict and deeper instability than before.…
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The continued fight for democracy
the reoprt follows how different countries in the MENA region have been shaped by the arab spring, focussing on its effects on 1. the legal political systems 2. the socio-political impact 3. the role of regional/domestic and international human rights organisations – providing a comparative overview of the differences and similiarities shaping MENA
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Morocco’s Dual Strategy of Control
Main question: Why has Morocco experienced renewed youth-led protest (GENZ212) more than a decade after the Arab Spring, despite formal political reform and institutional stability? Argument: Morocco’s post-2011 stability is the result of a dual process of top-down reforms and repression Conclusion: The GENZ212 protests are not a new phen but the re-emergence of unresolved…
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NATO and the IP4 – Closer Cooperation Incoming?
Main question: How and to what extent is cooperation between NATO and the Indo-Pacific Four evolving? Argument: Cooperation is deepening across political, military, and industrial domains, but remains selective and shaped by differing national priorities. Conclusion: NATO’s Indo-Pacific role is becoming a flexible, network-based partnership—expanding, yet strategically limited and non-alliance-based.
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The Ineffective Diplomacy of the Middle East War
This article explores the failures of current diplomacy of the Middle East War, arguing that the opportunistic use of mediation rather than genuine peace negotiations complicate any progress towards de-escalation substantially. It examines a string of diplomatic failures and reasons behind them, covering Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz, while examining the roles of actors.…
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Surviving the Spring
Show moreShow lessMain question: How did Egypt’s regime survive the 2011 uprising and re-emerge stronger? Argument: It did so through “compound authoritarianism” — the interaction of institutional entrenchment (military control), economic co-optation (rentier dynamics), and calibrated repression. Conclusion: Regime durability stems from these mutually reinforcing mechanisms, creating a structurally resilient authoritarian system beyond individual leadership.
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Hungary After Orbán
Did U.S. support influence Hungary’s 2026 election outcome? U.S. backing of Orbán added symbolic pressure and may have weakened his sovereignty narrative, but domestic factors (economic issues, corruption concerns, and voter fatigue) were decisive. Thus, the election reflects the limits of U.S. influence and shows a shift toward pragmatic, institution-based engagement over leader-focused alliances.
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From Managed Permanence to Managed Mobility
Can circular migration provide a viable policy response to pressures for refugee return in Germany? Circular migration is presented as a mechanism to reconcile migration control, labour demand, and refugee protection, but for forced migrants it is structurally undermined by legal, economic, and political contradictions. Its capacity to deliver durable policy outcomes is therefore limited.