To respond to the rise of China, the Obama administration is promoting Pacific-wide economic integration with the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Over the last several years, the U.S. has been engaged in a so-called ‘pivot’ towards Asia. Matteo Dian takes a close look at one of the major parts of that pivot: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He writes that the TPP is important to the Obama administration not only for the economic benefits it will bring to the U.S. and to the region, but also for its strategic aspects, which aim to shape the norms of economic and commercial integration in the Asia-Pacific region to be more closely aligned with those of the U.S

Free and Open Indo-Pacific, features and limits of a model of regional order.

The competition between two models of regional order, a US-led Free and Open Indo Pacific, and a Sino-centric order led by Beijing, is at the heart of contemporary great power politics. This article discusses the main features and the main limits of FOIP as promoted by the Trump and Biden administrations. FOIP entails a coherent approach based on an attempt to promote US leadership, cooperation among regional democracies and the centrality of international law. However, significantly different positions compared with local allies and partners on the role and the status of China and different perspectives on multilateralism and sovereignty might undermine the US efforts to build consensus around its project of regional order

The rise of China between Global IR and area studies: an agenda for cooperation

East Asia is increasingly at the centre of debates among International Relations (IR) scholars. China’s pol- itical, economic, and military ascendency is increasingly considered as a crucial test case for main approaches to IR. Despite this renewed attention, mainstream theories employed to analyse contemporary Asia are still remarkably Euro-centric. A wave of studies has argued in favour of a broad ‘decolonization’ of theoretical concepts used to analyse East Asia as well as other regions. These efforts have produced several distinct research agendas. Firstly, critical and post-colonial theorists have worked on the par destruens, highlighting the inherent Euro-centrism of many IR concepts and theories. Secondly, scholars such as Buzan and Acharya have promoted the idea of Global IR, seeking to advance a ‘non-Western’ and non-Euro-centric research agenda. This agenda has found fertile ground especially in China, where several scholars have tried to promote a Chinese School of IR. This article has three main purposes. Firstly, it briefly explores the issue of Eurocentrism in IR studies dedicated to East Asia. Secondly, it maps the the- oretical debates aimed at overcoming it, looking in particular at the ‘Global IR’ research programme and the so-called Chinese School. Finally, it sketches a few other possible avenues of research for a very much needed cooperation between Global IR and area studies

Trump’s Grand Strategy and the Post-American World Order

The election of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States paved the way to a period of uncertainty about whether the US continue to play the role of main supporter and operator of the current rule-based international order.On the one hand, the 2016 elections signalled a fundamental erosion of the bipartisan consensus on the American post-war grand strategy, based on free trade, advancement of democracy and military primacy. On the other hand,Trump’s victory represents a moment of sudden and largely unexpected eclipse for liberal internationalism and a rejection of Wilsonian ideas. Writing a year and a half after Trump’s inauguration, this special issue analyses the main elements, discourses and values that are characterising the American foreign policy after 2016, proposing a preliminary evaluation of the potential effects of the Trumpadministration on the international order, looking at different regional theatres

Book review: China’s challenges edited by Jacques deLisle and Avery Goldstein

Should we anticipate the collapse of the CCP or coming Chinese dominance? Matteo Dian argues that China’s Challenges, a new collection of essays by twelve respected scholars edited by Jacques deLisle and Avery Goldstein, situates itself between these polar perspectives by exploring the pressing economic, social and political concerns of contemporary China. China’s Challenges gives the reader a sense of the complex issues that the Chinese elite are currently confronting following the rapid economic development of the last thirty years. China’s Challenges. Jacques deLisle and Avery Goldstein (eds). University of Pennsylvania Press. 2015

Japan and the US pivot to the Asia Pacific

This paper analyses the consequences of the US pivot to Asia on the US-Japan alliance and on Japanese foreign and security policies. On the one hand, the US pivot is reassuring for Tokyo, since it seeks to ‘rebalance’ Chinese military ascendency and to strengthen extended deterrence in the region. On the other hand, it contributes to the acceleration of the ‘normalisation’ of Japanese security policies, speeding the process of overcoming the institutional self-binding prescriptions that underpinned Japan’s post-war pacifism. This process, inaugurated by the first post-Cold War renewal of the US-Japan Alliance in 1997 and culminating with the adoption of the ‘dynamic defence concept’ in 2010 and the relaxation of the Three Principles of Arms Control in 2012, created a vicious cycle for Japan. During the post-war era, pacifist selfbinding prescriptions functioned as ‘anti-entrapment devices’ preventing Tokyo from becoming involved in the conflicts that marked the Cold War in Asia. Today an increasingly ‘normal’ Japan is no longer able to resist US pressure for a more active role in the alliance and less unequal burden sharing. Moreover, China’s military rise renders Tokyo ever more dependent on US forces. These trends compel Japan to accept further integration into the US military apparatus in the region and to take additional steps towards the definitive abandonment of Japan’s pacifist identity

A post-Western World in the Making The Conceptual Framework

The capacity of the liberal West to achieve a normative consensus and shape the international order is decreasing. In this context, the West has become both contested and contestant. Internally, rising inequality, emerging populism and political polarisation have undermined the consensus on liberal values in Western democracies. Externally, the rise of China and the consolidation of increasingly autonomous forms of regional governance in South-East Asia, Africa, and Latin America have led scholars to question the resilience of Western hegemony, resulting in the emergence of a normatively, institutionally, and economically more plural international order. The special issue provides an original perspective on how the international order has been evolving, integrating non-Western interests and norms with Western and liberal features. The introduction offers key concepts and theoretical framework to provide the relevant context for readers to address the contributions included in the special issue

A post-Western World in the Making The Conceptual Framework

The capacity of the liberal West to achieve a normative consensus and shape the international order is decreasing. In this context, the West has become both contested and contestant. Internally, rising inequality, emerging populism and political polarisation have undermined the consensus on liberal values in Western democracies. Externally, the rise of China and the consolidation of increasingly autonomous forms of regional governance in South-East Asia, Africa, and Latin America have led scholars to question the resilience of Western hegemony, resulting in the emergence of a normatively, institutionally, and economically more plural international order. The special issue provides an original perspective on how the international order has been evolving, integrating non-Western interests and norms with Western and liberal features. The introduction offers key concepts and theoretical framework to provide the relevant context for readers to address the contributions included in the special issue

Single Tooth Prosthetic Restoration Through Surgical CrownLengthening, Conservative Therapies and CAD-CAM Milled Restoration in Lithium-Disilicate: A Case Report

Cilj: Restaurativno liječenje destruiranog avitalnog gornjeg pretkutnjaka često zahtijeva interdisciplinarni pristup. Na izbor postupaka i materijala obično utječu estetski zahtjevi i žvačno opterećenje. U ovom prikazu opisuje se konzervativno liječenje u skladu s estetskim potrebama i funkcionalnim zahtjevima. Materijali i metode: Opisan je slučaj žene u dobi od 45 godina s vrlo destruiranim gornjim pretkutnjakom. Zub je ranije bio hitno provizorno endodontski liječen. U trenutku posjeta bio bolan i činilo se da se karijesna lezija proteže subgingivno. Odabran je kirurško-konzervativni pristup koji je uključivao produljenje kliničke krune, endodontsko liječenje i protetičku terapiju krunicom od monolitnog litijeva disilikata. Rezultati: Proces rehabilitacije trajao je tri mjeseca, uključujući i vrijeme cijeljenja nakon operacije te postavljanje privremene krunice. Pacijentica je opskrbljena estetski i funkcionalno. Zaključak: Konzervativno liječenje teško oštećenog zuba zahtijeva kritičku procjenu preostalih struktura i pažljiv odabir restaurativnog materijala. Monolitna krunica mogla bi biti idealno rješenje za restauraciju gornjeg pretkutnjaka koji treba ispuniti estetske i funkcijske zahtjeve. Izbor visoko translucentnog materijala koji se lako polira i uz to može obrađivati u ordinaciji, kliničarima pruža dodanu vrijednost.Objective. The restorative treatment of a decayed, non-vital upper premolar often requires an interdisciplinary approach. Esthetics and the entity of the masticatory loads are usually affecting the choice of procedures and materials. A conservative treatment in a case with esthetic needs and functional requirements is investigated in this case report. Materials and methods. A case of a 45- yearold woman with a severely decayed upper premolar is presented. The tooth has been previously treated in an emergency department with a provisional endodontic medication, but a further treatment has been then performed. The tooth was painful at the moment of the visit and the carious lesion appeared to invade the subgingival level. A surgical-conservative approach has been selected involving crown lengthening, endodontic treatment and a prosthetic crown with a monolithic Lithium- Silicate. Results. The rehabilitative process required 3 months, including maturation times after surgery and the placement of the provisional crown. The patient claimed to be both esthetically and functionally satisfied with the restoration. Conclusion. A conservative treatment of a severely involved tooth requires a critical evaluation of the remaining structures and a precise selection of the restorative materials. A monolithic crown could represent an ideal solution for restoring an upper premolar requiring esthetics and solid function, but the choice of a high translucent, easily polishable and possibly even chair-side prosthetic material might be an appreciable added value for clinicians

COVID-19 and Oral Surgery: a narrative review of preoperative mouth rinses

Cilj: Obaviti narativni pregled predloženih preoperativnih protokola za ispiranje usne šupljine prije oralno-kirurških zahvata da bi se u aerosolu suzbila pojavnosti virusa SARS-CoV-2. Izvori: Pretražene su znanstvene baze podataka PubMed, MedLine, CINAHN i Scopus kako bi se pronašli relevantni radovi objavljeni do trećeg tjedna travnja 2020. godine. Ovo istraživanje dopunjeno je pretraživanjem putem internetske tražilice te ručnim pretraživanjem međunarodnih i nacionalnih smjernica. Odabir istraživanja: Uključena su istraživanja i protokoli u kojima se predlaže preoperativno ispiranje usta kao mjera tijekom pandemije virusa COVID-19. S obzirom na to da je dostupan mali broj istraživanja, obavljen je pregled narativne literature. Ukupno se 15 referencija (11 članaka i 4 smjernice) smatralo mjerodavnima i kritički je analizirano. Zaključak: Rezultati pokazuju visoku heterogenost u predloženim protokolima. Potrebna su daljnja istraživanja da bi se bolje razumjele značajke i epidemiološka obilježja novog virusa te da bi se ispitala učinkovitost uobičajenih antiseptika protiv virusa SARS-CoV-2 u budućim kliničkim ispitivanjima. No upotreba klorheksidina, vodikova peroksida, providon-jodida i cetilpiridinijeva klorida, sa svrhom prevencije širenja bolesti uzrokovane virusom COVID-19, u različitim je časopisima opisana kao poželjna.Objective: To provide a narrative review of the preprocedural mouth rinse protocols suggested for oral surgery in order to contrast the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosol. Sources and Methods: Electronic searches were performed in medical databases PubMed, Medline, CINAHN and Scopus to identify relevant studies published up until the third week of April 2020. This research was supplemented by exploration through a web-based search engine as well as a manual search for international and national guidelines. Studies and protocols which suggested preoperative mouth rinsing as a recommended measure during the COVID-19 outbreak were included. Given the small number of studies, a narrative literature review was conducted. In total, 15 references (11 articles and 4 guidelines) were considered relevant and were critically analysed. Conclusion: The findings show a high heterogeneity in the protocols suggested. Further research is required to better understand the viral features and epidemiologic characteristics of this new virus and to test the efficacy of commonly used antiseptics against SARS-CoV-2 in future clinical trials. However, the use of chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide, PVP-I and cetylpyridinium chloride in contrasting the spread of Covid-19 is described as advisable and substantial in different publications