- International Relations Theory, China's foreign policy, International Relations of East Asia, Space Security, International Relations, Space Policy, and 11 moreIndia, China, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, History of Science, English School of International Relations Theory, Contemporary China, East Asia, Asia Pacific Region, East Asian Studies, Space History, and Hedley Bulledit
One of the most notable aspects of contemporary security policy has been the growing interest in counterspace capabilities, including the testing of destructive anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, by major space powers at a time when space is... more
One of the most notable aspects of contemporary security policy has been the growing interest in counterspace capabilities, including the testing of destructive anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, by major space powers at a time when space is becoming an increasingly complex strategic domain. In this reconfigured context, the rise of China and India as space powers has a significant impact on overall space security activities and policies. As a result, China and India have assumed crucial importance in debates about space security and military uses of space. This article examines the ASAT tests of China and India that were carried out in 2007 and 2019, respectively, by offering a synthetic analysis that combines structural imperatives, domestic influences, and national identity. It argues that such an eclectic approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of the drivers behind the development and testing of their ASATs.
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This year marks half a century since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Greece. But while until recently, Beijing and Athens heralded close ties, new challenges increasingly cloud the future prospects of the... more
This year marks half a century since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Greece. But while until recently, Beijing and Athens heralded close ties, new challenges increasingly cloud the future prospects of the relationship.
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China’s meteoric economic rise has precipitated a debate about its growing profile in Europe through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In this context, for some observers Greece serves as an illustration of how China is also translating... more
China’s meteoric economic rise has precipitated a debate about its growing profile in Europe through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In this context, for some observers Greece serves as an illustration of how China is also translating its economic power into actual political influence over small European states to Brussels’ disadvantage. This article challenges such simplistic and state-centric views by considering the role of contingent and domestic factors and the wider strategic environment in which Sino-Greek relations have unfolded. It also highlights the agency of influential actors at the more micro-level of analysis. It argues that although China has achieved some limited political gains, the relationship remains mainly economics-driven at a time when Greece is strengthening strategic ties with its traditional allies.
Research Interests: Area Studies, International Relations, Foreign Policy Analysis, Geopolitics, International Security, and 14 moreForeign Policy, China, Chinese foreign policy, Modern Greece, Contemporary China, European Union Politics, International Affairs, Small States, Greek Foreign Policy, EU-China relations, United States, International Relations and European Studies, One Belt One Road, and "Belt and Road" Initiative
In recent years, there has been a growing scholarly interest in how International Relations theory can contribute to our understanding of the impact of technology on global politics, underpinned mainly by an engagement with Science and... more
In recent years, there has been a growing scholarly interest in how International Relations theory can contribute to our understanding of the impact of technology on global politics, underpinned mainly by an engagement with Science and Technology Studies (STS). However, less attention has been paid to the ways in which international society shapes technology. Building on sociological and historical studies of science and technology, this article outlines one way through which international society has constituted technology by developing a synthetic account of the emergence of technological advancement as a 'standard of civilisation' in the nineteenth century that differentiated the 'society of civilised states' from non-European societies, with a particular focus on China and India. In doing so, this article also highlights how this process has had a powerful and enduring influence on Chinese and Indian conceptions about science and technology. Thus, by shifting the focus from how technology shapes global politics to how international society shapes technology, this article provides new insights into the relationship between technology, power, and modernity in an interdisciplinary context. It also offers a new way of thinking about the complex dynamics of today's global politics of technology.
Research Interests: International Relations, Technology, Historical Sociology, International Relations Theory, Social Sciences, and 15 moreInternational Studies, Postcolonial Studies, History of Science, Nuclear Weapons, Human Spaceflight, Modernity, China, Chinese history (History), History and International Relations, India, Orientalism, Indian History, English School of International Relations Theory, Emerging powers of Global South: Rising BRICS Countries, and Science and Technology Studies
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the English School concept of world society and how it helps to illustrate the role of non-state actors and the promotion of cosmopolitan values. Yet, less attention has been paid to... more
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the English School concept of world society and how it helps to illustrate the role of non-state actors and the promotion of cosmopolitan values. Yet, less attention has been paid to the idea of science and technology as a key feature of solidarist conceptions of justice and as a unifier of humankind, usually expressed in the form of scientific interna-tionalism. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it suggests that it is important to incorporate the role of scientists and engineers as agents of international society and to assess the significance of scientific internationalism in terms of its impact on facilitating world society. Second, however, it is also necessary to consider how this solidarist conception of science and technology is staged as complementary to a pluralist logic. This is because of the political and social embeddedness of scientists and engineers as actors who also think and act on behalf of the state. I develop this argument by examining two key turning points that paved the way towards the advent of the Space Age: the spaceflight movement of the 1920s and 1930s and the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year.
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Focusing on Sino-Greek relations, this chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the economic, political, and strategic factors that shape this burgeoning bilateral relationship in order to evaluate China’s influence on Greece.... more
Focusing on Sino-Greek relations, this chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the economic, political, and strategic factors that shape this burgeoning bilateral relationship in order to evaluate China’s influence on Greece. Building on the conceptual framework of this volume, this chapter examines the extent to which China’s influence has given rise to the formation of new preferences or the consolidation of existing preferences within Greece. In doing so, this chapter highlights the role of domestic actors and domestic political considerations. It also suggests that we need to take into account the wider systemic context and its impact on the ways in which Athens attempts to manage Beijing’s influence, which involves moving beyond an analysis that centres merely on the dyadic relationship. Striking as the strengthening of Sino-Greek relations has been, this chapter argues that there are significant constraints on the nature of this bilateral relationship, as well as on the options available to Chinese and Greek policymakers that are becoming clearer as a result of international imperatives, such as the recent shift in the EU’s China policy and the emergence of US-China strategic rivalry.
Research Interests: European Studies, International Relations, Development Studies, International Security, Political Science, and 15 morePolitics, International Political Economy, Foreign Policy, Foreign Direct Investment, Shipping, China, Chinese foreign policy, Modern Greece, Chinese Politics, European Union Politics, EU-China relations, Greece, Political Power, The Rise of China, and "Belt and Road" Initiative
The regime for outer space is a paradigmatic example of Great Power Management within a hegemonic system. Although it is possible to suggest that a modicum of leadership transition is taking place as a result of China’s attempts to assume... more
The regime for outer space is a paradigmatic example of Great Power Management within a hegemonic system. Although it is possible to suggest that a modicum of leadership transition is taking place as a result of China’s attempts to assume the role of a ‘responsible great power’ in space, premised on the provision of global public goods, the international politics of space continues to be defined by the policies and preferences of the United States as the leading space power. The chapter examines the current forces that shape the space regime, concentrating on the growing military uses of space, the democratisation of space activities, diplomatic efforts to set norms of responsible behaviour in space, and China’s ascendance as a ‘space’ great power.
Research Interests: International Relations, Technology, International Relations Theory, International Studies, Foreign Policy, and 10 moreChina, Space Policy, Hegemony, Word order, Us-China Relations, International society, Space Program, Outer Space Law, English School of International Relations Theory, and Great Power Politics
This chapter asserts that one of the most important aspects of the European Union has been the complex and often ambiguous power politics of conditionality. However, less attention has been paid to the ways in which the management of the... more
This chapter asserts that one of the most important aspects of the European Union has been the complex and often ambiguous power politics of conditionality. However, less attention has been paid to the ways in which the management of the Eurozone crisis, especially with regard to the case of Greece, has been embedded in practices that construct distinctions between insiders and outsiders within the Eurozone. Drawing on the concept of the ‘standard of civilization’ and postcolonial approaches to the study of the European Union, the aim of this chapter is to examine the transformation of Greece into a negative signifier and to illustrate the relevance of civilizational practices and narratives to the Greek Financial Crisis. In this respect, the chapter provides a reflective critique to exclusionary practices engrained in the management of the crisis. It also highlights the enduring importance of hierarchy and civilization within the Eurozone.