This book delves into the resurgence of China and Russia as assertive regional powers, igniting debates and renewed interest in the dynamics of great power politics and power transitions. The questions of how competition with these states will evolve and what the future international system may resemble given their potential regional dominance are at the forefront of global concerns in the coming decades. As power politics intensify, the significance of allies and alliance systems escalates, becoming critical tools for states seeking to navigate this rising great power competition effectively.

This book offers a thorough geopolitical analysis of modern China through the lens of defensive realism. It uniquely scrutinizes China's "globalness" within the taxonomy of great powers, challenging the common narrative of China as a global power. In doing so, the book presents an empirical-qualitative model to assess China's global power status, encompassing four dimensions: 1) The Great Wall of Technology and Economic Access (Material Power); 2) The Great Wall of Cultural and Intangible Access (Intangible Power); 3) The Great Wall of Political Access and Global Governance (Governance Power); and 4) an analysis of China's comprehensive power. Drawing from firsthand observations, the book examines China's ascent in the international order, emphasizing its strengths and vulnerabilities. With this, it concludes that China has a global vision and ambition, positioning itself as a quasi-global power. Essential for scholars, policymakers, and global politics enthusiasts, this book is a valuable contribution to existing international relations scholarship.

For the first time in modern Canadian history, the leader of one of the two governing party was chosen on a decidedly populist platform. Before the election of Pierre Poilievre as leader of the Conservative Party, many believed that Canada was immune to populism. In the months following his arrival as leader of the Official opposition, the polls in his favor soared. So much so, that it prompted Prime minister Justin Trudeau's resignation. The success of Poilievre's stand in favor of the working class also forced the main left-wing party, the NPD, to adopt an even more populist tone. Does Pierre Poilievre's populism come from Donald Trump's playbook? Are the 2022 truckers' occupation of Ottawa and the post-Covid pandemic inflationary context explanatory factors? This new populism made in Canada is essentially economic, with no nativist component. But its first victims were carbon pricing policies to combat climate change. From a global perspective, what lessons can we draw from this shift in Canadian politics?

Taiwan is seen as one of the most dangerous global flashpoints today. The political status of Taiwan (i.e., the Taiwan issue) is very complex, which involves multiple important aspects, including nationalism, ideology, democracy, national identity, regional security, geopolitics, geoeconomics, and great power rivalry. Taipei, Beijing, and Washington are the three key parties that have particularly high stakes and play the most important role in the Taiwan issue. Because of their very different concerns and fundamentally conflicting interests behind the Taiwan issue, Taipei, Beijing, and Washington are pursuing very different goals regarding the future of the island. Covering some most important aspects of the Taiwan issue, this edited volume provides readers with a multifaceted picture of this important and complex issue in the world today.

The book is the first historical reconstruction of Italian political events over the last thirty years, that is, the period from the Tangentopoli crisis of the early 1990s to the present day. In particular, the book examines, for the first time in a systematic and documented way, the controversial relationship between parties and intellectuals, highlighting the distance, not to say the unbridgeable gap, created between politics and culture in Italy in the last three decades, the decades of the so-called Second Republic. In other words, it tries to explain why the close link between politics and culture that was the hallmark of twentieth-century politics has dissolved in Italy, and through what stages we have come to a substantial incommunicability between these two worlds in the last three decades.

This book looks at the way the 2020 Second Nagorno Karabakh War allowed urban spectacular transformation in war actors' attitudes towards space and transnationalism. It concentrates on some specific events, including pre- and wartime life in the Nagorno Karabakh political capital Stepanakert and compelling historical and cultural heritage issues in the cultural capital Shushi and its meaning for the Armenian population worldwide. Attention is placed both on wartime social and urban changes and to the destruction, or attempted destruction, of Armenians cultural heritage during the conflict and in post-war Azerbaijani occupation. The first part of the book reconstructs the historic and religious context of Nagorno Karabakh, linking it with the regional geo-political dimension; meanwhile, the case studies analysed in the second part of the book will help understand spatial meanings (e.g., towns, cultural centres, monasteries) and the symbolic value of urban heritage while also discussing some conflict markers in the context of theories of transnationalism and diaspora studies.

This open access book delves into the politics of oppression and dispossession driven by global neoliberalism and state authoritarianism. Challenging liberal biases, it introduces the concept of "neoliberal authoritarianism," highlighting how the Russian state has transformed within the context of neoliberal globalization into a new state formation where authoritarianism is reinforced by neoliberal rationalities. The book analyzes neoliberal authoritarianism through an ethnographic lens on universities and their governance, which have become a new frontier of neoliberal economic development, serving the imperatives of growth and competition.

This book explores how a place becomes a place in the Korean context, with a particular focus on power, knowledge, and strategy. Discussion of government-involved placemaking initiatives, including place-marketing, urban regeneration, new city development, and land reclamation, demonstrate how actors from the public, private, and voluntary sectors contribute to governance structures. The research examines how key actors from national and local governments, civic organisations, ordinary citizens, and businesses communicate and interact with actors in other sectors within the realm of placemaking governance, and will interest scholars of Asian urbanism, architects, urban politics, geography, and town planners.

This book, based on a systematic analysis of leaders' speeches, examines how regimes in Turkey, India, Russia, and China strategically weaponize the concept of 'civilization' along with emotional appeals, such as pride, fear, and nostalgia, to challenge global liberal democratic norms. As the influence of liberal democracy wanes, these nations increasingly declare themselves 'civilization-states'. By redefining national identity to include peoples living in foreign countries, justifying belligerence abroad, and reinforcing anti-democratic practices domestically, these regimes position themselves as guardians of transnational peoples with distinctive civilizational values. This is the first book to systematically explore how and why these states leverage civilization and emotional manipulation to reshape both domestic politics and international relations.

This volume offers a critical evaluation of China's programs and projects on the African continent, zooming in on: (a) whether China is preying on states and societies on the continent or, if indeed, she is a benevolent partner on the continent; (b) whether many of the projects are undeniably integral to the growth and development of the continent, or are mostly white elephant projects; (c) examine the cost-benefit of China's involvement on the continent economic and political space; and (d) why Euro-America countries complain about the role and place of China in Africa? Bringing together mostly African scholars, the research underlines the key pros and cons of China and the Chinese involvement in the continent.

This is the first book to apply the concept of good international citizenship to the international relations of the Global South. The edited book introduces good international citizenship as a theoretical framework for analysing a diversity of agencies across the Global South. It covers different cases of non-Western states, global governance, foreign policy, and international law, and examines how non-Western actors enact ideas of good international citizenship to engage and shape the global order. The book shows how good international citizenship is not limited to Western notions of liberal internationalism but also encompasses the efforts of non-Western actors to promote distinct approaches to ethics, morality, responsibility, and leadership. The book contributes theoretically and empirically to the field of non-Western International Relations. It allows for rethinking established International Relations concepts so that these become more inclusive to the histories and experiences of different actors across the globe.

The relentless bombardment and blockade on Gaza have not only drastically restricted the inflow of essential food supplies but have also led to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis with unprecedented casualties. The widespread destruction has crippled the ability of the population to grow and process food, leaving Gazans without sufficient access to basic nutrition and pushing them to the brink of famine. Building on the previous work of Dr. Hassoun on acute food insecurity and malnutrition in Gaza, this book addresses not only Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2-Zero Hunger, SDG 3-Good Health and Well-being, and SDG 6-Clean Water and Sanitation, but all seventeen SDGs. While brief reports have been published on the topic, this will be the first in-depth scholarly work, offering case studies, data-driven analysis from various fields, and a comprehensive examination of the multidimensional and devastating impacts of war.

With an urgent and multidisciplinary perspective, this book highlights the interconnectedness of war, sustainability, and global security, emphasizing how hostilities in Gaza have reversed progress toward achieving all SDGs, both in Gaza and beyond. Bringing together diverse expertise from 60 authors across 27 countries, the book showcases the international and interdisciplinary collaboration underlying its research. Through a series of carefully curated chapters written by specialists in various fields, it provides a comprehensive analysis of how war has affected societal structure, economic resilience, and environmental sustainability in Gaza.

For each issue addressed, the text offers strategic insights and practical measures aimed at mitigating damage and fostering resilience. This book serves as a critical resource for policymakers, researchers, humanitarian organizations, and anyone who is interested in understanding and addressing the complex dynamics of conflict and sustainability.

Chapter "'Waiting for a Better Time Is a Waste of Time': Motivations of Learning Amid the Genocide in Gaza in Light of Sustainable Development Goal 4" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.