Suchergebnisse

President Macron talks of France's 'Indo-Pacific strategy' (une stratégie indo-pacifique). This article analyzes French strategic discourse and strategy adopted for the Indo-Pacific by France. It finds that French strategy has three main elements. Firstly it has seeks legitimacy, politically seeking to move from a colonial possessions position to democratic integration with France, and has sought to achieve regional integration and legitimacy of this. Secondly, geographically France has moved up northwards from its possessions in the Southern Indian Ocean and Southern Pacific to active maritime involvement in the northern Indian Ocean, South China Sea and Western Pacific. Thirdly, French strategy is to actively secure security partnerships with other countries in the region. Naval projection is a prominent feature of French strategy, which is a strategy which is significantly driven by China's maritime expansion across the Indo-Pacific. The article thus seeks to analyze, explain and evaluate the effectiveness of France's Indo-Pacific strategy.

This article analyses and evaluates Indonesia's grappling with the Indo-Pacific. Analysis is threefold – Indonesia's actorness in the Indo-Pacific, its strategic discourse on the Indo-Pacific, and its Indo-Pacific diplomacy. Actorness is pursued with regard to Indonesia's more active involvement in regional and subregional structures in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Strategic discourse is threefold – Natalegawa's "Indo-Pacific Treaty" concept (2013–2014), Widodo's "maritime nexus" drive (2014 onwards), and the current "Indo-Pacific Cooperation Concept" (IPCC; 2018 onwards). Diplomacy is pursued with regard to Indonesia's relationship with Australia, Japan, China, India, and the United States. The article concludes that while Indonesia certainly is on the rise as an Indo-Pacific actor, its continuing naval weakness undermines Indonesia's "maritime nexus" stance, while its reluctance to challenge China leaves Indonesia's Indo-Pacific Treaty and its IPCC vague and to some degree ignoring uncomfortable security issues posed by China. A closer synergy for Indonesia with the US and Japanese Free and Open Indo-Pacific initiative is suggested. (JCSA/GIGA)

Abstract
The article considers traditional and non-traditional security concerns faced by the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the face of China's increasing presence. Consequently the article first considers the geo-economic challenges posed to these Baltic States through the China and Central and East Europe Countries (CCEEC) grouping, and China's Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) initiative. This economic leverage translates to political leverage able to be exerted on the Baltic states by China, with regard to human rights and the issue of the Dalai Lama. Moreover, such mechanisms and Chinese financing serves to politically divide the Baltic states, and also divides EU solidarity vis-à-vis China. Finally there are the conventional security issues posed to the Baltic states in the Russia-China naval exercises carried out in Baltic waters in 2017; with China's role in effect providing implicit support and legitimisation of explicit Russian threats in the Baltic. It concludes by suggesting alternative infrastructure routings to at least reduce the threat of Russian interference.

Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, arrangements of Irish airs were popularly performed in Victorian drawing rooms and concert venues in both London and Dublin, the most notable publications being Thomas Moore's collections of Irish Melodies with harmonisations by John Stephenson. Performances of Irish ballads remained popular with English audiences but the publication of Stanford's song collection An Irish Idyll in Six Miniatures in 1901 by Boosey and Hawkes in London marks a shift to a different type of Irish song. This was a move away from the typical 'Irish ballad,' towards original art song settings of Irish poetry. Can this collection be said in any way to have contributed to or inspired a distinctive tradition of Irish art song? This thesis examines the original Irish song collections that Stanford composed between 1901 and his death in 1924 alongside similar works by his most prominent Irish contemporary in England, Hamilton Harty. It contrasts these with the emerging group of composers in early twentieth-century Ireland, such as Ina Boyle and John Larchet, placing them within the broader context of song composition in Ireland. As well as highlighting key songs, the thesis will consider the social, political and economic factors which affected both their reception and their afterlife in England and Ireland. Finally, the thesis will evaluate which songs would be particularly suitable for revival on the concert platform today.