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A review essay on a book by Heikki Patomaki, The Political Economy of Global Security: War, Future Crises and Changes in Global Governance (London & New York: Routledge, 2008).

AbstractWhether it is in climate change negotiations, pandemic scares, security threats or sustainable development agendas, science and technology are today at the heart of international affairs. Yet there is still limited academic work that deals with the complex relationships between international diplomatic and scientific endeavours. How can we bridge this divide and possibly 'rebalance' the encounter between the practice of science diplomacy, its practitioner‐driven literature, and the discussions of international relations theory (IR) that underpin the study of world politics? Here we propose that this move could start from a more explicit placing of science diplomacy discussions across the IR spectrum. We pose that taking seriously science 'diplomacy', whilst undoing conventions around the hitherto limited 'IR' reading of science in its literature, would do well in establishing this reality not just as a domain of reflective practitioners, but as an effective launchpad for international theorizing as much as more academically‐driven practice.

The article presents an analysis of the foundations of the formation of the concept of science diplomacy. The main problems of science diplomacy and its advantages as a mechanism of foreign policy are revealed.

In recent decades, the discipline of International Relations (IR) has experienced both dramatic institutional growth and unprecedented intellectual enrichment. And yet, unlike neighbouring disciplines such as Geography, Sociology, History and Comparative Literature, it has still not generated any 'big ideas' that have impacted across the human sciences. Why is this? And what can be done about it? This article provides an answer in three steps. First, it traces the problem to IR's enduring definition as a subfield of Political Science. Second, it argues that IR should be re-grounded in its own disciplinary problematique: the consequences of (societal) multiplicity. And finally, it shows how this re-grounding unlocks the transdisciplinary potential of IR. Specifically, 'uneven and combined development' provides an example of an IR 'big idea' that could travel to other disciplines: for by operationalizing the consequences of multiplicity, it reveals the causal and constitutive significance of 'the international' for the social world as a whole.

Foreign policy is an essential component of Egypt's general state policy. Together with its traditional diplomatic and political functions, and given that development policy is considered a key objective, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry participates in the country's development effort by trying to attract foreign investment, obtain economic assistance and facilitate technology transfers. Egyptian diplomacy also seeks to maintain strong bilateral and multilateral relationships, which is another essential goal of Egypt's general policy. Strengthening traditional friendly relations as well as building new relationships enables Egypt to exercise influence and pursue its national interest all over the globe.

Introduction: Definitions of "race" and racism -- The development of racism as a doctrine -- Racism in international relations -- Racism and the discipline of International Relations (IR) -- White supremacy and the rise of Japan -- The segregation and immigration crisis of 1905-1907 -- The 1919 Paris Peace Conference Racial Equality Proposal -- Conclusion: Racism and international relations in the 21st century.

Following widespread use in political marketing and polling, focus groups are slowly gaining recognition as a useful and legitimate method in political science. Focus groups can, however, be far more than just a secondary qualitative method to primary quantitative public opinion research: they can be used to study the micro-level process of social construction. The process in which key sub-groups collectively contest and justify the actions of elite political actors via shared values is one way to study how legitimacy is conferred. This article therefore argues that focus groups can be particularly useful for research that examines everyday narratives in world politics.

This encyclopedic-style guide to international relations and diplomacy consists of 900 entries, arranged broadly by key concepts, such as diplomatic relations; diplomatic agreements; force and diplomacy; doctrines; policies and tactics, etc. moving from the general and structural issues of the global system to more detailed events, crises and war. The editors draw together a large quantity of background and contextual information on the evolution and functioning of the global international system in one volume. It covers the time period from the Vienna Congress in 1815 to the present

Introduction -- EU-CELAC Relations -- Science Diplomacy -- Cyber and Techplomacy -- Science Diplomacy and COVID-19 -- Science Diplomacy and Climate Change -- Science Diplomacy and the SDGs and Agenda 2030 -- Science Diplomacy Between EU and CELAC -- Cyber Diplomacy and Techplomacy in the EU-CELAC -- Conclusions.