Two modes of dialogue in IR : testing on Western versus non-Western engagement with IR theory

Dialogue in International Relations (IR) is neither a unitary concept nor an undifferentiated process; the aim of this paper is to separate out two principal modes of dialogue, their attributes and differing efficacy in contributing to IR theory (IRT). The two mechanisms of 'competition' and 'learning' will be tested on selected cases of Western and non-Western applications of IRT to Asian international relations. By showing how 'competition' leads to sameness, I will explain current monolithic nature of IRT. The main argument I advance is that dialogue is particularly constructive when it operates in the responsive mode of 'learning', as contrasted with passive and reactive modes. This paper contributes to enhancing the application of dialogue as a method in IR. The applied analysis indicates that dialogue can be most fruitful via engagement with existing theory from Asian perspective. This finding could not be achieved when treating dialogue as a uniform practice

English School – 'Chinese IR' engagements : order, harmony and the limits of elitism in Global IR

This article addresses ongoing discussions across the English School (ES) of International Relations (IR) theory and IR theory drawing on Chinese philosophical traditions and Chinese history as exemplifying a “Global IR” approach. However, common interests in long-run history, non-material forms of power, and an international social structure have not yet led to sustained discussion of normative issues important to both approaches. Showing how analytical commonalities between ES and “Chinese” IR accounts of international societies and concepts of order and harmony focus on elite-level perspectives and priorities, I draw on critical and decolonial aspects of Global IR to argue for alternative accounts. Unexplored potential for this exists within the distinct methodological bases of ES and “Chinese IR,” opening space for normative engagement that can provide a model for other inter-tradition encounters in Global IR

The English School and Global IR - a research agenda

This paper explores the different ways in which the English School of International Relations (ES) can contribute to the broader Global IR research agenda. After identifying some of the shared concerns between the ES and Global IR, such as the emphasis placed on history and culture, the paper proceeds with discussing what the authors believe to be the areas in which the ES can align itself more closely with the ideas and values underpinning Global IR: a more thorough engagement with the origins of global international society rooted in dispossession, violence, and colonialism; a more localised and diverse understanding of ‘society’; a sharper and more grounded conceptualisation of ‘the state’ as a basic ontology; an embracement of the interpretivist principle of charity; and a problematisation of assumptions of ‘globality’ of international society. The paper concludes with a tentative research agenda, emphasising the value of fieldwork, local practices and languages, archives, and a theorisation of international society that is grounded in the very social contexts being investigated.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Russia in the post-Cold War international order

This paper argues that while Russia has always had a strong need to be acknowledged as a great power, its ability to sustain that position has been under question since the onset of global modernity during the 19th century. Although generally able to sustain a plausible military profile, Russia has been amongst the less successful modern states in economic terms, not least because of its difficulty in establishing an efficient relationship with capitalism. This unbalanced development continues in place today and shows no sign of changing. Russia’s decision to link itself strategically to China, puts its great power status increasingly at risk as it becomes an ever-more junior partner to the rising Asian giant

A viable project of solidarism? The neglected contributions of John Vincent's basic rights initiative.

We analyse a part of Vincent's theory that has been neglected by the English School discourse: his idea of the right to subsistence, particularly the right to food, as the basis on which to build a cross-cultural human rights project across the societies of the world. Vincent insisted that starvation is the `resident emergency' of international society, and its elimination should be the minimum standard for the society of states to achieve legitimacy. We assess here the normative and practical viability of that enterprise as a project of solidarism in international society. Such assessment reveals that Vincent's work has made three contributions to English School thinking. In relation to the solidarist agenda, Vincent both widened the human rights agenda, and pushed the idea of developing a normative consensus around the basic right to food. More generally, his work forces the English School to think seriously about the relationship between international society and International Political Economy.

On the complexity of collaborative cyber crime investigations

This article considers the challenges faced by digital evidence specialists when collaborating with other specialists and agencies in other jurisdictions when investigating cyber crime. The opportunities, operational environment and modus operandi of a cyber criminal are considered, with a view to developing the skills and procedural support that investigators might usefully consider in order to respond more effectively to the investigation of cyber crimes across State boundaries

On the subject matter of international relations

This article deals with the subject matter of International Relations as an academic discipline. It addresses the issue of whether and how one or many realms could legitimately be claimed as the discipline’s prime subject. It first raises a number of problems associated with both identifying the subject matter of IR and ‘labelling’ the discipline in relation to competing terms and disciplines, followed by a discussion on whether, and to what degree, IR takes its identity from a confluence of disciplinary traditions or from a distinct methodology. It then outlines two possibilities that would lead to identifying IR as a discipline defined by a specific realm in distinction to other disciplines: (1) the ‘international’ as a specific realm of the social world, functionally differentiated from other realms; (2) IR as being about everything in the social world above a particular scale. The final section discusses the implications of these views for the study of International Relations

Pengembangan Strategi Pembelajaran Bahasa Arab Berbasis Kreatifitas Peserta Didik pada Pembelajaran Membaca

Penelitian ini berangkat dari sebuah asumsi penulis terhadap pembelajaran bahasa Arab yang masih menekankan proses pembelajaran berpusat pada materi ajar dan guru. Peserta didik yang menjadi subjek belajar tidak dimanfaatkan secara maksimal, hal ini tentu bertitik tolak terhadap apa yang telah dirancang dalam undang-undang nomor 20 tahun 2003 tentang Sistem Pendidikan Nasional serta prinsip pembelajaran yang ideal. Dari permasalahan inilah penulis mendesain strategi pembelajaran yang berpusat pada aktivitas peserta didik sehingga mereka mampu mengembangkan pola pikir mereka dalam menemukan informasi penting yang mereka butuhkan serta mampu memecahkan atau menjawab permasalahan-permasalahan yang mereka hadapi melalui membaca dalam menemukan makna