Transformation of Middle Powers with the Decline of World Hegemony: The Case of Turkey

Turkey is widely considered to be a middle power in the international system. The authors apply hierarchical, behavioural and ideational approaches to the foreign policy of Turkey: each of the three unveils specific features of Turkey as a middle power in the post-hegemonic world. It is argued that the behavioural approach to studying middle powers should be updated to distinguish ‘benign’ and ‘revisionist’ middle power strategies. The factors contributing to Turkey’s transition from being a benign middle power to being a revisionist one are holistically investigated.

Read More

The Formation of the Indian Diaspora

The Indian Diaspora is one of the world’s largest overseas groupings. The Diaspora is considered India's 30th state with over 30 million overseas Indians. This article outlines the main strands of its formation, from the first movement of indentured workers and subsequent phases of migration of skilled professionals to the West and of workers to the Persian Gulf. They remain the single–largest contributor of foreign exchange and development in the country. Understanding its formation is an essential step for studying the Diaspora and engaging with it. This article aims to do that.

Read More

India and the Geopolitics of UNSC Permanent Membership

The United Nations completed 75 years of its existence in 2020. The last 75 years have been a roller coaster ride for this global institution mandated to maintain peace. However, the UN has received widespread criticism for not reforming its various institutions, particularly the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The G-4 nations which includes India, have led the call for accelerating the long-awaited reform process.

Read More

Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World

The concept of ‘adaptability’ was introduced by Charles Darwin in the 19th century when he had stated that it was not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Though the theory was propounded in the context of biological evolution of species, the same can apply to organizations and businesses that in order to survive must adapt to the needs of the market and demands of the time.

Read More

The Ultimate Goal: A Former R&AW Chief Deconstructs How Nations Construct Narratives

Why is it that ‘500 British nuclear weapons are less threatening to the United States than 5 North Korean nuclear weapons,’ posits Alexander Wendt (1995), a prominent theorist of the constructivist school of international relations. He ripostes, ‘the British are friends and the North Koreans are not.’ The constructivists argue that threat emanates not from nuclear weapons or their volumes but from the perception of those who possess them. In other words, the threat attribution hinges on how the bearer of nuclear weapons is perceived by the adversary.

Read More