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The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has had profound implications for global peace and security. This explorative paper aims to delve into the collective security debate to analyse the violent conflict between Russia and Ukraine, particularly considering the role of NATO's expansion in shaping this crisis. By examining the potential for nuclear escalation and its wider impact on global dynamics, this paper highlights the grave threat posed by the deployment of nuclear weapons, emphasizing the urgency of taking immediate action to avert catastrophic consequences. It also explores the far-reaching consequences of the conflict, encompassing disruptions in the movement of people and goods, economic ramifications such as escalating oil prices and inflation, and the pressing concerns surrounding global food security. By leveraging diverse secondary sources with the authors' introspective criticalities, this paper discusses the importance of diplomatic efforts, multilateral cooperation, and nuclear disarmament as crucial elements in resolving the conflict and preserving international stability.
Social Science Review, Vol. 40(2), December 2023 Page: 185-204

In the context of literary studies undergoing development, the works of Eileen Chang, a seminal Chinese-American writer, have garnered significant scholarly attention, reflecting her profound impact on modern Chinese literature. The study analyzed publication trends, high-frequency keywords, and the scholarly network, providing insights into the research status of Eileen Chang's works. The analysis revealed a disparity between Chinese and overseas research focuses, with Chinese scholars predominantly exploring themes such as Eileen Chang's works, feminist consciousness, and literary figures related to her. Overseas scholars, on the other hand, exhibit a broader research scope encompassing topics like translation, modern Chinese literature, and cultural aspects. The analysis highlighted the prominent scholars in the field and their publication patterns, indicating the emergence of new scholars in recent years. Based on the findings, this study proposed suggestions for future researchers, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, international collaboration, comparative studies, utilization of digital humanities, and exploration of underrepresented topics.

This study aims to illustrate that multi-vectorial approaches in foreign policy could not only be practical but also productive for middle powers. With this aim, the study conceptualizes Turkish foreign policy in Asia with multi-vectorism, a foreign policy behavioral pattern that has been mainly utilized for post-Soviet countries' concurrent interactions with the West (the EU, the U.S.) and the non-West (Russia). The study, firstly, argues that Asian international relations require a more composite re-definition of multi-vectorism, since in Asia, due to the intra-regional fragmentations and diversions, there are more than the conventional two vectors, the West and the non-West. By considering this argument the study applies multi-vectorism to Türkiye's foreign policy in Asia by comparing the practicability of different interaction patterns, e.g., multilateralism, minilateralism, and bilateralism. The study, secondly, argues that Türkiye's multi-vectorial foreign policy in Asia is particularly successful in its bilateral relations and less so in its multilateral and minilateral interactions.

AbstractThis article analyses whether and how fairness considerations affect citizens' support of European Union (EU) policies and integration. While past literature has revealed that perceptions of procedural and substantive fairness impact on public opinion at the level of the nation state, we know less about the fairness‐support nexus when it comes to international cooperation. We here make use of the case of differentiated integration (DI) to experimentally dissect normative and utility‐oriented considerations in the evaluation of EU policies. DI as an instrument to overcome heterogeneity‐induced gridlock has been linked to both autonomy and dominance, and it can generate winners and losers in the EU. Our experiments reveal that citizens largely support DI. However, they are opposed to forms of DI which impose negative externalities on a subgroup of EU member states. This holds irrespective of the affectedness of citizens' own member states. We take these findings as a first experimental confirmation that citizens, indeed, care about the fairness of the EU and its policies.

The article discusses theoretical-conceptual approaches to the development of personnel management measures in innovation-oriented educational organizations. The purpose of the study is to identify the most relevant theoretical-conceptual approaches to improving the efficiency of management of higher educational institutions at this stage of social development, taking into account the needs of employers and development strategies of the Russian Federation. The study's methodology relied on analytical, comparative, and deductive theoretical approaches, drawing from recent research by both domestic and international scholars focused on examining management practices within different educational institutions. It is analyzed that universities use not only innovative methods, but also strict directive approaches, which provide for the application of sanctions to senior management in case of low performance indicators, up to their replacement with new personnel. It is shown that in an increasingly competitive environment, the concept of building human resource management capacity in an educational organization is to find and retain talented employees in the workplace, as well as to select optimal approaches and methods of human resource management.

Despite the worldwide condemnation of Russia's aggressive activities in the war against Ukraine, there is no unified definition of terrorism in relation to Russia. Russia is referred to as a terrorist state as well as a state that supports terrorism, and the conceptions of a terrorist regime or a user of terrorist methods dominate. The answer to whether Russia should be labelled a terrorist state, a state that sponsors terrorism, or possibly not designate Russia's actions as terrorism depends on the definition of terrorism. Given the complexities of the conception of terrorism, the purpose of this article is to present a possible assessment of Russia's aggression in Ukraine by exploring the challenge of defining state and state-sponsored terrorism in traditional and critical terrorism studies. The article promotes a wider academic discussion regarding state and state-sponsored terrorism, not only from diverse theoretical perspectives in terrorism studies but also by evaluating the issue of the phenomenon's politicization in the context of international relations.

AbstractThe methodology of differential games is a combination of optimal control theory and game theory. It is the natural framework for economic analysis with strategic interaction and dynamical optimization. The theory gained traction by seminal papers in the early seventies, and it gradually found its way into economics. The purpose of this paper is to make theory and applications of differential games easily accessible by explaining the basics and by developing some characteristic applications. The core of the theory focuses on the open-loop and the multiple Markov-perfect Nash equilibria that use the maximum principle and dynamic programming as the techniques to solve the optimal control problems. The applications are the game of international pollution control and the game of managing a lake, which is an example of an ecological system with tipping points. Finally, it is interesting to note that the discovery of time-inconsistency in the open-loop Stackelberg equilibrium had a huge impact on macroeconomics, since policy making under rational expectations is a Stackelberg differential game.

Many theorists argue that justice in international migration requires states to maximize the openness of their borders, even when that can only be done by denying full political membership to some migrants. In contrast, this article contends that democratic ideals recommend inclusion as the guiding principle of migration policy, since full membership for all the state's residents is the only way to preserve democratic self-rule, whereas the justice- and freedom-related goals associated with openness can be promoted via other means. I define full inclusion as involving not only formal rights, but also solidarity. Against accounts that define solidarity in terms of shared identity (i.e., a specific commonality), I argue that democratic solidarity requires intersubjective "identification" among members of the demos, oriented toward their shared future. This account suggests how migration policy might advance the practical goal of more open borders, along with other moral goals associated with calls for greater openness, without sacrificing important democratic ideals.

This study examines the implications of fuel subsidy removal for Nigeria's external relations. Employing the ex-post facto research design, the primary data for the study were generated from focus group discussions with foremost economists, policy analysts, and experts in the oil sector. Other information was sourced from texts, periodical reports of the Central Bank of Nigeria, National Bureau of Statistics, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Nigerian Statistical Bulletin. A qualitative descriptive method is used to analyse the data. Anchored on a theoretical perspective of linkage politics, the study finds that subsidy removal, which is Nigeria's domestic policy, has far-reaching impacts on the nation's external relations. The policy ultimately shapes relations between Nigeria and other states on the global scene. Nigeria must effectively manage the challenges brought about by subsidy removal to maintain and strengthen its international ties and to open doors for more trade and investment with nations that are strategic to its development aspirations.

AbstractIn light of a collapsing healthcare system in Sudan, attacks on healthcare institutions and staff have markedly increased since the eruption of war on the 15th of April, costing many precious lives and valuable hospitals. Around 60 attacks on health facilities have been reported so far, many occupied by one or the other sides of the conflict, and the rest exhibit medication shortages and safety issues; hence, two-thirds of the medical centers are nonfunctioning. More than 200 violations against medical staff were recorded all over the country, which led to the death of 38 healthcare workers. Killing, kidnapping, and assaulting doctors, consequently led to a huge shortage in staff in the few barely working facilities, as the remaining health workers were concerned regarding their safety. Recommendations consisted of ceasing fire, restoring and resuming healthcare services, and insurance of a safe working environment. International collaboration and sufficient financial support are crucial to restore the healthcare system in Sudan.

Due to the increasing influence of the People's Republic of China in world politics against the background of the transformation of the global world order, the concept of the "Community of the Common Destiny for Mankind", which defines the main vector of modern Chinese foreign policy and diplomacy, is gaining recognition and attracting increasing attention from the global community. Aimed at maintaining good neighborliness between countries and promoting global development, this concept reflects the aspirations of not only modern Chinese politicians, but also the ideas of traditional Chinese philosophical thought, as well as cosmopolitanism and Marxism, developing and updating them. Thus, in this study, the author traces and analyzes the theoretical foundations for promoting the concept of a "Community of the Common Destiny for Mankind": reveals elements of Chinese traditional culture, the theme of the "human community" in Western philosophy, the conceptual syncretism of foreign policy thought of the previous generations of Chinese leaders and the "theory of relations" - the cornerstone of the Chinese school of international relations.

AbstractEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies have increased to the forefront of global discourse, appealing to the consideration of international and national institutes alike. To stay ahead of the curve and build long‐term competitive advantage, companies must prioritize proactive ESG research and integrate its findings into their strategies. Additionally, comprehensive ESG research is crucial to inform effective policy interventions that address pressing environmental, social, and governance issues. This article leverages Scopus data to conduct a bibliometric analysis of ESG research from 2007 to 2022, aiming to map the field's intellectual landscape and identify key themes driving its current state. The study highlights the top contributors, institutions, and journals that have focused on ESG issues. Moreover, it examines co‐citation networks, collaboration networks, and keyword co‐occurrences, which provides a comprehensive overview of intellectual structure. This study contributes to the understanding of the ESG research landscape and provides insights for future research directions.

We provide an overview of transnational non-state actors and their agency that shape today's out-of-home childcare around the world, specifically institutional residential childcare. Based on existing studies and desktop research, we reveal a broad range of complexly inter-related for-profit and non-profit actors promoting diverse, often conflicting policies and practices – with ambiguous implications for children in care. We focus on secular and faith-based international non-governmental organisations, transnational companies, private regulators, and individuals. Many of them promote family- and community-based care, yet many others support orphanages and other forms of institutional care. The growing number of transnational actors in residential childcare, the emergence of private regulatory frameworks, the advance of market-based, for-profit players, and the involvement of well-resourced religious communities make the future of child institutionalisation uncertain. We discuss how this transnational agency compares with other policy fields and propose directions for future investigations of how transnationalism impacts children in care.

We revise the conventional wisdom that Africa's international borders were drawn arbitrarily. Europeans knew very little about most of Africa in the mid-1880s, but their self-interested goals of amassing territory prompted intensive examination of on-the-ground conditions as they formed borders. Europeans negotiated with African rulers to secure treaties and to learn about historical state frontiers, which enabled Africans to influence the border-formation process. Major water bodies, which shaped precolonial civilizations and trade, also served as focal points. We find support for these new theoretical implications using two original datasets. Quantitatively, we analyze border-location correlates using grid cells and an original spatial dataset on precolonial states. Qualitatively, we compiled information from treaties and diplomatic histories to code causal process observations for every bilateral border. Historical political frontiers directly affected 62% of all bilateral borders. Water bodies, often major ones, comprised the primary border feature much more frequently than straight lines.

Abstract The interrelations between trade, FDI and migrations have an important impact on the global economy that resulted in the golden age of globalization at first and in a process of slowbalization in the last decade. Against this background, this paper focuses on migrations and FDI and shows that migrant networks encourage cross-border investments. The presence of immigrants is likely to attract new FDI from their country of origin. FDI abroad, furthermore, are positively related to the presence of migrants, thanks to their knowledge of the two markets. We apply a multilevel mixed model to disentangle the hierarchical structure of the data in order to test the relations between FDI and (directional) migration flows. More specifically we test how and to what extent the structure of the international migrants' network contributes to bilateral FDI flows, besides standard models. Results show that migrants' networks exploit the information migrants have on both source and destination markets, and that a more diverse migrants' community in investing countries lowers bilateral FDI.