Yin-Yang Theory and Globalization

Based on the discourse of Yin-Yang theory, the paper is to study the relationship between globalization and anti-globalization, attempting to develop an interdisciplinary analytical method via the oriental philosophy. The paper attempts to constitute the following codes for reference in the analysis of international relations: (1) as an analytical model to deconstruct the diverse international phenomena via the oriental traditional philosophy (2) as a mirror or medium to learn international conflicts, helps to communicate ideas, and achieves the moral or ethical consensus; and (3) as a theoretical tool attempting to constitute a new discourse in IR study.Key words: Yin-Yang; Theory; Globalization;  International Relations; I Ching; Discours

Eigenvalue, Quadratic Programming and Semidefinite Programming Bounds for Graph Partitioning Problems

The Graph Partitioning problems are hard combinatorial optimization problems. We are interested in both lower bounds and upper bounds. We introduce several methods including basic eigenvalue and projected eigenvalue techniques, convex quadratic programming techniques, and semidefinite programming (SDP). In particular, we show that the SDP relaxation is equivalent to and arises from the Lagrangian relaxation for a particular quadratically constrained quadratic model. Moreover, the bounds obtained by the eigenvalue techniques are good and cheap

The Currency of Fantasy: Popular Culture’s Discourse in International Relations

The “facts” of international politics constituting the first-order representations of political life, could be reflected in popular entertainment as a second-order or fictional representation. It significantly demonstrates that the discourse of Popular Culture is powerful and implicated in IR studies. In turn, it also identifies two correlated conceptions: one is that pop culture, as a humanist and anthropological methodology, if contextualized, could be applied to analyse international issues; the other is, a nation could constitute its discourse in international politics via its popular culture, as a soft power

The Currency of Fantasy: Discourses of Popular Culture in International Relations

The “facts” of international politics constitute the first-order representations of political life and can be reflected in popular entertainment as second-order or fictional representations. This article demonstrates that discourses of popular culture are powerful and implicated in International Relations (IR) studies. The article makes two correlated claims: the first is that the humanist and anthropological methodology often used to analyse pop culture could also be used to analyse international issues, if appropriately contextualized; the second claim is that a nation can manifest its ‘discourse’ in international politics via its popular culture, as soft power