Publications
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Neo-Ottoman Soft Power: AKP’s Strategic Use of Turkish-Islamic Organizations in the German-Speaking Diaspora
The article indicates a shift in Turkey’s foreign policy initiated by the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Unlike its predecessors, the AKP aims to safeguard its interests not solely through traditional political alliances but also via “soft power” mechanisms. It employs a strategy of emotive communication through identity, religion, language, and culture and seeks to engage segments…
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The long breath of autocracy
Governing through as a foundation, participation as a façade: why the Erdoğan system is likely to last longer than many had hoped – and how geopolitics plays into the president’s hands.
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Chinese and other foreign investments in Africa’s development
Africa has become a focal point of foreign investments, particularly from China whose economic engagement with the continent has surged in recent years. However, the disproportionate focus of these investments on resource extraction raises concerns about long-term benefits for Africa. This paper examines the development implications of Chinese investments, with a focus on employment. The…
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The positive externalities of US–China institutional balancing in the Indo-Pacific
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the international order transition, featuring intensified strategic competition between the United States and China, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.1 A prevailing view of US–China competition is the ‘Thucydides trap’—rooted in power transition theory and suggesting that strategic competition between a rising power and the hegemon will inevitably lead to conflict in…
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When liars are considered honest
This article introduces a theoretical model of truth and honesty from a psychological perspective. W examine its application in political discourse and discuss empirical findings distinguishing between conceptions of honesty and their influence on public perception, misinformation dissemination, and the integrity of democracy.
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How States Punch above Their Weight: Introducing Hybrid Actorness as Expanded Foreign Policy
The interplay of states and transnational actors has found its way into Foreign Policy Analysis. At the same time, the call for new typologies of foreign policy actors has increased. We therefore develop a typological theory of expanded foreign policy and introduce a model of hybrid actorness that alludes to foreign policy actors with both…
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Routledge Handbook on Global China
This innovative Routledge Handbook sheds light on the complex and transformative nature of Global China, prompting a re- evaluation of existing theories on global and regional dynamics. It encourages theoretical innovation, methodological reflection and analytical transformation, providing new avenues for critical engagement with China’s global interactions. The chapters propose three key commitments for the study…
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Sentiment Shifts and a New Approach to Strategic Narratives Analysis. Russian Rhetoric on Ukraine
How do countries’ strategic narratives (SNs) evolve during conflicts? Are changes in sentiment in diplomatic communication related to kinetic developments? This paper assesses Russian rhetoric toward Ukraine from 2004 to 2019 by qualitatively and quantitively analyzing nearly 3,000 statements by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During this time, Russian identity narratives changed from projecting…
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The silence of religions in times of war
Silence is not empty, but full of answers and omnipresent in everyday social life: whether individual secrecy, situational looking away or systematically imposed silence – silence conveys messages and sends signals. Nevertheless, the phenomenon of silence tends to be researched along disciplinary traditions; a comparison and even a dialogue between the disciplines has been lacking…
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Strategic Identity Narratives Through Time
This paper illustrates how studying the evolution of strategic narratives – stories that states tell in their diplomatic communication to convince publics at home and abroad to frame their views and actions – can provide valuable insights into diplomatic developments. Rhetorical shifts often precede political shifts and can help identify opportunities to influence foreign policy.…
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Religion, War, and International Relations
How does the field of study of International Relations (IR) engage with questions of religion and war? This paper addresses the long neglect the field experienced in terms of including religion in its research agenda and presents the increase of interest and approaches which has emerged in the last two decades. By including work from…
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RE:THINK Academy Magazine #02
In this second issue of our magazine, you will find numerous articles and interviews dealing with current conflicts and suggestions for ways forward in global politics. The role of the Eastern and Central European states in the face of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is once again a central topic, which we examine from…
