Jan'20
The IUP Journal of International Relations
Focus
Also, I failed to understand why some nations behave in a particular pattern and why others differently. In this context, the four papers in the current issue of the journal give a glimpse of the present international situation which is quite interesting and confusing too. The paper, ?Establishing an Energy Security Subcomplex in the Caucasus: India, a Prospective Partner?, by Hriday Ch Sarma applies the concept of Regional Security Complex to gauge the dynamics in the broad Caucasus through the prism of energy security, hypothesizing it as a Regional Energy Security Subcomplex (RESsC). As far as India is concerned, an RESsC would help India to up the ante with the other actors in the region to increase its national energy security and make inroads into Eurasia.
Baruna Kumar Behera?s paper, ?India?s Initiative in Defense and Development: The Case of Space Program?, throws light on the space age which came into existence in the middle of the 20th century with the launching of former Soviet Union?s Sputnik-1, the first artificial satellite. The space was also engulfed in Cold War power politics as the two Superpowers did not spare space too. National prestige, pride and military applications were the main motivating forces to take up arms race into space. On the other, India?s space program, managed by ISRO has become, within five decades, a full-fledged one, serving both its defense and development needs, besides joining the elite Space Club with its recent accomplishments.
Rafael Leal-Arcas?s paper, ?The EU and China in a New World Order: Challenges Ahead?, analyzes EU-China trade relations in the context of the current negotiations for a new comprehensive agreement between the two. The paper concludes that dealing with China was one of the main arguments in favor of ratifying the Treaty of Lisbon because it provides for a permanent president of the European Council and a single foreign affairs post for the entire EU. Besides, without appearing to be patronizing, the EU should negotiate with China as an equal player keeping in view the current multipolar framework.
Finally, Nicos Panayiotides? paper, ?The Great Syrian Civil War: A Realist Approach to the Syrian Conflict?, explains the Syrian Civil War through the prism of the Realist approach to international relations. The author, while delving into the Syrian crisis,has taken recourse to not only the Realist theory but also Walts?s Balance of Threat theory, and to some extent Neorealism and Neoclassical realism that are adequate instruments to sufficiently address and throw light on the causes of the behavior of the major and regional powers involved in this protracted war.
Consulting Editor
| Article | Price (₹) | ||
| Establishing an Energy Security Subcomplex in the Caucasus: India, a Prospective Partner |
100
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| India?s Initiative in Defense and Development: The Case of Space Program |
100
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| The EU and China in a New World Order: Challenges Ahead |
100
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| The Great Syrian Civil War: A Realist Approach to the Syrian Conflict |
100
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Establishing an Energy Security Subcomplex in the Caucasus: India, a Prospective Partner
The paper applies the concept of Regional Security Complex (RSC) to gauge the dynamics in broad Caucasus through the prism of energy security, hypothesizing it as a Regional Energy Security Subcomplex (RESsC). The region has always remained strategically important, which especially has been the case in the recent years due to geopolitical events that have occurred there and impacted global security. Powerful parties, both states and non-states (including multilateral institutions), are stakeholders to the region. Each of them has tried to maximize its individual interests/agendas, and seldom collective. With such larger interests at play, actors from within the region and those with integral interests (particularly Russia) have clamored to achieve energy security and maneuvered accordingly. The paper, while examining energy-driven engagements between different actors in the region, derives that it remains largely fragmented, however, positioned towards becoming an RESsC if stakeholders make coordinated attempts towards achieving that. This would then result in an increase in overall trade, economic prosperity and energy security in the region and across Eurasia. India, which is increasing its energy portfolio worldwide, has a well-timed opportunity to scale up engagements with other actors in the region to increase its national energy security and build strategic inroads into Eurasia.
India?s Initiative in Defense and Development: The Case of Space Program
Hans J Morgenthau said, ?International politics is a struggle for power?, where each nation seeks to enhance its power and influence. The age of space technology that commenced with the launch of Sputnik ? I in 1957, heralded the beginning of a new program capable of serving as a double-edged instrument fulfilling both the defense and development needs of a country. Space program has been instrumental in the enhancement of national power. During the initial period of commencement of space age, national prestige, national pride and military applications were the main motivating forces behind the embracement of space program. India?s space program, which started its journey in 1962, has been now recognized as one of the leading countries in the world in the arena of space-based research. A post-colonial country, which is aspiring to become a major power in the 21st century, has a magical instrument in its possession, i.e., its space program, which has immense capabilities to serve both defense and development needs of India.
The EU and China in a New World Order: Challenges Ahead
This EUCROSS working paper analyzes European Union-China trade relations in the context of the current negotiations for a new comprehensive framework agreement between the European Union (EU) and the People?s Republic of China. China is a strong economic power with increasingly sophisticated production in its coastal regions and is attempting to establish itself as a gravity center by concluding many bilateral free-trade agreements in the region. Although China has a stronghold in the Far East, there may be specific policy areas in which China?s influence ends up being global. The paper concludes that dealing with China was one of the main arguments in favor of ratifying the Treaty of Lisbon because it provides for a permanent president of the European Council and a single foreign affairs post for the entire EU, which facilitates the EU?s coherence in its external affairs. Moreover, the paper concludes that the European Commission should negotiate the prospective Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and China more constructively, without patronizing, and instead accept China as an equal player in the current multipolar framework of global economic governance.
The Great Syrian Civil War: A Realist Approach to the Syrian Conflict
The aim of this paper is to explain the Syrian Civil War through the prism of the Realist theory of international relations. Although up till now there have been many analyses of the conflict, only a few sought to analyze it by using the tools of the realist school of thought. The author firmly believes that besides Walt?s Balance of Threat theory, neorealism and neoclassical realism are to a lesser extent adequate instruments that can sufficiently address and shed light on the causes of the behavior of the major powers and regional powers involved in this protracted war. As it is well known to scholars of international politics, major powers possess the greatest capabilities in the international system and therefore their actions are considered systemic (relative distribution of material capabilities). More analytically, great powers? actions regarding the conflict take the place of the independent variable,1 while the adaptive strategies of regional and non-state actors become the dependent variable.