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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Our final monthly pick for September is the #OpenAccess article "Risks on the Belt and Road in Eurasia: Local Perspectives and Options" by David Morris. Make sure to give it a read by following the link below! 👇

A binary, geopolitical narrative of a new “Great Game” for power in Central Asia may be too simplistic. It remains unclear what regionalisation trends will become embedded in Central Asia, with the apparent rise of China. The paper examines potential for China's Belt and Road Initiative to build new Eurasian economic interdependence through connectivity infrastructure and to reduce dependency for some actors on Russia. A political risk and grounded theory approach is taken, utilising in-depth interviews with local experts and stakeholders to develop a risk/opportunity framework. Conclusions from the research indicate China is unlikely in the foreseeable future to replace Russia as regional hegemon, but is likely to drive greater economic integration. Empirical investigation of dynamics on the ground - including the spectrum of options available to actors - is recommended for realist understanding of economic and other international connectivity trends across Central Asia.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

🚨Another #OnlineFirst article out with Global Society!🚨 "Strategic Coercion and International Mediation of Atrocity-related Conflict" by Obinna F. Ifediora is #OpenAccess Make sure you give it a read!👇

Scholars note that coercive mediation, involving sanctions, military, and judicial tools, underpins success in atrocity-related conflicts. Coercive devices can create a hurting stalemate and conflict ripeness, preventing serious human rights violations from sliding into atrocities/genocide. The puzzle is that coercive instruments are often counterproductive, raising questions about their roles, mechanisms, actors, and how we interpret success. I develop the framework of coercive mediation to address this puzzle. I draw on coercion theory, particularly strategic coercion, and mediation concepts, such as the enticing opportunity model of ripeness, the best alternative to a negotiated agreement, and power mediation. The central theory is that conflict parties are legitimate, rational, voluntary agents who always have choices, even when coerced, and that conflict ripeness is inherent in peace proposals. So, mediators and coercing powers supporting mediation efforts must first create ripeness by producing enticing peace plans, then deploy coercive mechanisms to influence reluctant parties’ choices. I probe and establish the theory’s analytical significance using the “crucial” and controversial case of Kenya. This article offers fresh insights into persistent theoretical debates among mediation scholars on the causes of conflict ripeness and mediation success. The coercive mediation framework is a conceptual tool for studying coercion in international mediation.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

🚨Another new #OnlineFirst article out with Global Society!🚨 "Dis(em)Powering Women in a Globalised World: Mapping Evidence from a PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review" is by Surbhi Mishra, Dukhabandhu Sahoo, and Souryabrata Mohapatra Do be sure to give it a read!👇

Despite growing global commitments to gender equality, women’s empowerment remains uneven and often constrained under globalisation. While existing literature has explored various aspects of globalisation, it lacks a comprehensive synthesis of how economic, social, and political globalisation affects multiple dimensions of women’s empowerment. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review of 77 peer-reviewed studies published in Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, spanning diverse countries and regions. Our review reveals that 90% of the studies link globalisation with women’s employment and wages, 39% highlight impacts on education and skill development, 31% examine health and quality of life, 27% focus on decision-making roles, 16% on women’s rights, and 9% on violence against women. The evidence shows both positive and negative outcomes, with sectoral and geographical heterogeneity and institutional barriers shaping the extent of empowerment. Globalisation is a powerful process whose gender effects are shaped, and can be shaped further, by the institutional, cultural, and political choices made at global, national, and local levels.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

🚨New #OnlineFirst article out with Global Society!🚨 "“Tell the World We Are Not Terrorists; We Are Goddesses of Mesopotamia” A Profoundly Dizzying Mythological Narrative of Terrorism: PKK and Jineology" is by @sedacolakoglu.bsky.social and Hakan Kıyıcı Do give it a read!👇

In this research, we analytically ask: How do PKK women (re)construct their identities and gender-centred violent narratives? How do mythological narratives function in this process? What are the political functions of these narratives? To this end, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the Jineology periodical through a gender lens, utilising the Discourse Mythological Approach and the core framing tasks of the Framing Theory: diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational. The philosophical foundation of our analysis is based on the German philosopher Blumenberg’s interpretation of myth as work on myth (Arbeit am Mythos) and Bottici’s approach to political myth. The following headings present the research’s main findings. Diagnostic Framing: Slave Woman, Queen of Commodities; Prognostic Framing: Killing the Dominant Male, Jineology; Motivational Framing: Ethics-Aesthetics, Self-Defence. Our findings reveal that the mythological-based jineology reconstructs women’s identity through the goddess Inanna/Ishtar symbol and serves as a political interpretative practice that underpins the ideological justification for the PKK’s political violence. By demonstrating how myths can illuminate our understanding of real-world problems, we highlight the analytical importance of gendered mythological narratives and contribute to both terrorism studies and counter-terrorism efforts.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Our second monthly pick for September is the #OpenAccess article "Play and Counter-Conduct: Migrant Domestic Workers on TikTok" by @libertychee.bsky.social. Make sure you give it a read by following the link below!👇

This paper examines how migrant domestic workers subvert domination, exploitation and subjection through performances in TikTok videos. Through this medium, workers exercise autonomy in severely restrictive employment and living conditions, where collective action may not only be improbable but also illegal. I argue that these videos demonstrate Foucauldian counter-conduct or the “art of not being governed so much”. Counter-conduct is a form of resistance distinct to those who have limited access to the public sphere, due in part to the gendered nature of cooking, cleaning and caring. Domestic work is not normally included in labour laws, and the place of employment are private homes. This makes it difficult to organise or make rights claims. I build on literatures of everyday resistance to examine the practices and subjectivities by migrant domestic workers in Gulf countries. In so doing, so-called “modern slaves”, enact freedom, already present, as subjects of ethics and politics.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

🚨New #OnlineFirst article out with Global Society!🚨 "Ordering Epistemic Diversity in Global Governance: The Case of Climate Change" is by @andreslr.bsky.social It's #OpenAccess, so do click on the link below and give it a read!👇

The knowledge politics of global governance have become increasingly diverse in recent decades through the recognition of culturally specific ways of knowing, often labelled “local”, “traditional”, or “Indigenous” knowledges. Although epistemic authority has become an established concept in International Relations and the sociology of expertise, the question of epistemic diversity remains undertheorised. Prevailing approaches continue to rely on science–policy models that inadequately capture the politics of epistemic diversity. This paper addresses this gap by developing a framework that conceptualises the ordering of knowledge as a process through which authority and diversity are co-constituted. A focus on ordering reorients inquiry towards the production of authorised forms of epistemic difference and its consequences. The argument is developed through an analysis of global climate governance, examining the politics of epistemic diversity within UN governance and transnational Indigenous mobilisation around forest-based policies in Amazonia.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

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Andrés López Rivera @andreslr.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Happy to finally share my new paper, “Ordering Epistemic Diversity in Global Governance: The Case of Climate Change,” published in @globalsociety.bsky.social. The paper develops a framework for thinking about the relationship between epistemic authority and diversity in global governance.

tandfonline.com

Ordering Epistemic Diversity in Global Governance: The Case of Climate Change

The knowledge politics of global governance have become increasingly diverse in recent decades through the recognition of culturally specific ways of knowing, often labelled “local”, “traditional”,...

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

🚨New #OnlineFirst article out with Global Society!🚨 "Anti-Intellectualism in Illiberal France: A Soft Authoritarian State at Work" is by @ericfassin.bsky.social and Hagen Steinhauer. Do follow the link below and give it a read!👇

This interview with Éric Fassin, Professor of Sociology at Université Paris 8, on the upsurge of anti-intellectualism in France considers it as part of the soft authoritarian practices gaining ground under President Macron. Fassin begins by introducing the concept of actualité, which he uses as a methodological tool to analyse unfolding disruptive events that are historically embedded though not fully formed yet. He identifies 2005 as a turning point that links the dismantling of liberal democratic norms to the rise of neoliberal governance, and the mainstreaming of far-right discourse along with increasing postcolonial tensions around the banlieues. He points to a logic of inversion whereby republican values such as universalism and laïcité are instrumentalized to target ethnic minorities/immigrants as well as to discredit critical scholarship. The convergence of neoliberalism and neofascist tendencies fosters inequality and exclusion while redirecting popular resentment towards religious and ethnic minorities as well as intellectual and cultural elites defending minority rights. The interview addresses an important facet of soft authoritarian rule, namely a pervasive anti-intellectualism that undermines critical knowledge production. Intellectuals can only ignore these assaults on academic freedom at their own peril.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Our first monthly pick for September is "When Nationalism Encounters the COVID-19 Pandemic: Understanding Chinese Nationalism From Media Use and Media Trust" by @dechunzhang.bsky.social (Copenhagen) and Yuji Xu (City U Hong Kong). It's #OpenAccess, so do click the link & give it a read!👇

COVID-19, as a major public health crisis, has triggered nationalism to different degrees all around the world. This study utilises an online survey to explore the relationships between media use, media trust, and nationalism in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that the level of nationalism was still considerably high in China at the time of the pandemic and that the role of the media in nation-state building enterprises remains significant. It becomes more pervasive after the news media's adoption of digitalisation. Our study argues that contemporary China's expression of nationalism is socially constructed by media and rooted in its Chinese Confucian culture. Meanwhile, the Chinese government is increasingly designing the news media and manages social media. It has already successfully constructed a sense of nationalism to facilitate its own interests in response to the national crisis. This has led nationalism being embodied in the media's constructed social reality.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

🚨New #OnlineFirst article out with Global Society!🚨 "Ploughshares to Swords: The Delegitimization Entrapment and the Liberal International Order" by Roee Kibrik and Piki Ish-Shalom is #OpenAccess so do follow the link below and give it a read!👇

The aim of this paper is to explore one of the challenges facing the Liberal International Order (LIO): Delegitimization Entrapment. Building on Alan Kuperman’s notion of Moral Hazard, Delegitimization Entrapment broadens the concept’s scope and applies it to the struggle for international legitimacy. The concept of Moral Hazard, borrowed from economics, explains how expectations of international intervention can increase the likelihood and escalation of violence. Delegitimization Entrapment extends this ex ante logic by arguing that actors seeking to damage the reputation and legitimacy of their rivals – and to gain advantage in the broader global struggle for legitimacy – can strategically exploit the humanitarian regime, mass media, and human rights organisations and institutions in order to entrap their rivals into documented violations of the principles of the LIO. Such dynamics may further exacerbate human rights violations and contribute to the erosion of the LIO itself. We support these theoretical arguments through an examination of the conflict along the Gaza border between Israel and Hamas (2018–2019) and the conflict along the Polish–Belarusian border (2020–2022).

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Our final monthly pick for August is "The Attributability of Combatant Status to Military AI Technologies under International Humanitarian Law" by @cansati.bsky.social (@lawinmaastricht.bsky.social). It's #OpenAccess, so be sure to click the link below and give it a read! 👇

The concepts of means of warfare and combatants are not comparable or on the same scale in IHL. Yet the human-like performances of AI technologies, such as independent decision-making, may blur the line between these two concepts. This may also lead one to compare the technology with a human combatant rather than with other means of warfare. In this context, this paper questions the attributability of combatant status to military AI technologies by concentrating on the scope of the combatant concept. Contrary to some existing studies that found combatant status insufficient for machines based on ethics or behavioural human-machine differences, this study examines why combatant status is unsuitable for military AI technologies from a legal conceptual perspective, even in their most intelligent and independent forms by visiting terms—membership to armed forces, armed forces and prisoners of war (POW)—that are relevant to disclose the scope of the term combatant.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

We are accepting special issue proposals! We welcome proposals relating to any area of global and international studies as well as interdisciplinary scholarship. For more info, contact us or follow the link below 👇 1. globalsociety@kent.ac.uk 2. www.tandfonline.com/action/journ...

tandfonline.com

News & offers from Global Society

Guidance for Special Issue proposals

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Michael Donnelly @mjdonnelly.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Come work with me! U of T is searching in American politics. I'm on the committee. My APSA schedule is booked, but if you see me around, feel free to introduce yourself and ask anything about the search. I'm also happy to do Zooms before or after APSA. jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...

jobs.utoronto.ca

Assistant Professor - American Politics

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

🚨New #OnlineFirst article out with Global Society! 🚨 "Institutional Complementarity in the Governance of Military Artificial Intelligence" is by Mahmoud Javadi (Vrije Universiteit Brussel). The article is #OpenAccess, so do follow the link below and give it a read! 👇

Abstract: "Why do fragmented governance arrangements sometimes become organised without producing hierarchy or substantive agreement? This article answers that question through the relationship between the Responsible AI in the Military Domain (REAIM) process and the United Nations General Assembly’s agenda on military AI. Drawing on primary and secondary sources, including elite interviews with diplomats serving at UN missions in New York and Geneva, it traces how REAIM widened international deliberation through consultation, practical guidance, and knowledge exchange, while the General Assembly gave the broader agenda universal political standing, a documentary record, and recurring procedures. Their connection produced a bounded institutional arrangement. REAIM supplied ideas and preparatory resources that entered UN reports, submissions, and deliberation, while negotiated authority remained with states in the General Assembly. The article therefore explains how fragmented governance can develop an organised architecture before states agree on regulatory substance. The article advances research on institutional overlap by identifying procedural connection, political support, and shared capacity as sources of order in contested military technology governance."

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Our third monthly pick for August is the article, "The Global Diffusion of Managerialism: Transnational Discourse Communities at Work" by Sven Bislev, Dorte Salskov-Iversen, and Hans Krause Hansen. Click the link below and give it a read! 👇

The image shows the first paragraph of the linked article

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Our second monthly pick for August is the #OpenAccess article "Encoding the Enemy: The Politics Within and Around Ethical Algorithmic War" by @jeremymosesnz.bsky.social and Geoffrey Ford (both @ UCNZ). Be sure to give it a read via the link below👇

This article develops a critique of the politics of algorithmic war and autonomous weapons systems. While much of the existing debate is focused on whether algorithmic weapons technologies can satisfy the ethics and laws of war, we argue that more focus should instead be placed on the politics within and around these systems. The theoretical contributions of Elke Schwarz, Louise Amoore, and Carl Schmitt are employed to critique the implied neutrality of ethical war algorithms and excavate the place of the friend/enemy distinction within them. Ronald Arkin's influential work on Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots (2009) and the more recent DARPA-funded work of the Allen Institute for AI, which has led to the release of Ask Delphi, are discussed as examples of these issues. We conclude by calling for a radicalisation of the existing debate over algorithmic war and AWS in order to create space for anti-militarist and pacifist voices and to avoid reification of the ethical war discourse.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

The first Global Society monthly pick for August is "Fear of the (Un)known: How to Think About Risk and Threat Cultures in Cyber Conflict" by @monicakello.bsky.social (@warstudieskcl.bsky.social). It's #OpenAccess, so be sure to read it by clicking the link below! 👇

The question of how states make operational decisions in cyber conflict is under-theorised. Much of existing scholarship has answered it within general frameworks of materialist and rationalist theory. Yet, states with similar cyber capabilities and operating in the same environment often display markedly different operational styles. This article argues that accounting for operational variation among states requires greater attention to how risk and threat perception shape operational preferences under uncertainty, particularly when multiple feasible options exist. To this end, the article develops a conceptual framework that distinguishes between a risk society, which tends towards operational restraint and caution rooted in a cultural preoccupation with the reduction of uncertain and diffused security risks, and a threat society, which exhibits operational brazenness owing to a fixation on a perceived existential threat. The article illustrates the framework within two case studies, the United States and Russia.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

The final article in Global Society 40(3) is "State Recognition, Conflict and International Parliaments: The European Parliament and Kosovo" @georgekyris.bsky.social (Birmingham) and Bruno Luciano (UNESP). Click the link below to give it a read! 👇

"States in international relations emerge through diplomatic state recognition, yet when there are rival statehood claims over the same territory, recognition becomes contested and a security concern. International organisations and their parliaments express recognition positions that matter because of their collective nature, but this remains underexplored in predominantly state-centric scholarship. This study addresses that gap by analysing how International Parliamentary Institutions (IPIs) facilitate recognition in statehood conflicts. We propose an analytical framework to capture how IPIs exercise agency through using their own instruments (e.g. resolutions) to express recognition positions, particularly when these diverge from their executive counterparts. Applying this framework, we conduct a historical analysis of the European Parliament’s approach to Kosovo as a case study of IPIs’ significance for recognition, drawing on extensive original and secondary data. Findings show that the activism of parliamentarians and majority decision-making rules enabled a stance in favour of Kosovo’s recognition; that EP support has strengthened over time; and that plenary debates fostered reflection on recognition of Kosovo and beyond. The study highlights the importance of both institutional rules and individual agency, contributing to a deeper understanding of collective recognition by diverse international actors in some of the world’s most complex security environments."

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

🚨New #OnlineFirst article out in Global Society! 🚨 "NGO Influence on the World Bank: Principals, Agents, and Quasi-Ultimate Principals" is by Chibuzo Achinivu (@ Williams College). #Agents #NGO #WorldBank Click the link below to give it a read! 👇

There is agreement in the extant literature on international organisations (IOs) that nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) matter in shaping IO behaviour, especially regarding the World Bank’s environmental and human rights practices. However, we know less about the mechanism through which NGOs can influence binding and durable institutional change in the Bank and IOs at large. I use a principal-agent theoretical framework to reconceptualise donor state NGOs as quasi-ultimate principals able to influence the Bank through state authority. Using a qualitative plausibility probe of three episodes of World Bank reform and drawing from US congressional reports and testimonies, official NGO statements, and secondary historical accounts, I trace how NGOs influenced donor state behaviour toward the Bank. I find that NGOs can indirectly influence Bank behaviour by aligning donor state preferences with theirs, leading to formal and informal state pressure on the Bank. These findings have implications for how we understand delegation, compliance, and reform within the Bank and IOs.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

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George Kyris @georgekyris.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

My latest article with Bruno Luciano shows how international parliaments might play a distinct role in statehood conflicts and matters of recognition. We do that through a deep dive into the EP's position on Kosovo. Full access: share.google/Cs693FnS7Iey...

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

New Article out in Global Society! 🚨 "Anti-Satellite Weapons and Norm Clusters in Space: Dynamics of Contestation, Activation, and Resiliency" is an #OnlineFirst article by Jeffrey S. Lantis (College of Wooster). Click the link below to give it a read! 👇

Modern advances in the development of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons threaten the safety and sustainability of orbital space operations, and critics charge that government tests of ASAT systems may represent violations of norms embedded in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and follow-on agreements. This study explores how international norm structures for orbital and outer space security offer adaptive mechanisms to respond to applicatory contestation. It develops a multi-stage model of meso-level norm clusters and responses to challenges, including activation, stigmatisation, response, and remediation, and then tests the utility of this model using two case studies of responses to meso-level norm contestation over ASAT weapons. The study concludes that the activation of norm networks appears to provide some level of resiliency for norm structures, allowing them to absorb, diffuse, and even redirect the energy of contestatory challenges toward new norm development for space governance in the 21st century.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

The sixth article in Global Society 40(3) is "Anti-gender Normativity and Advocacy in Turkey – Making a Case for Practice Diffusion" by Hüsrev Tabak and Marella Bodur Ün. Click on the link below to give it a read! 👇

This article offers a practice-oriented perspective on the near-simultaneous rise of anti-genderism in the post-2010 context. Using the Turkish case, it argues that normative isomorphism across different locales is not always the result of recent norm diffusion; their simultaneous and isomorphic emergence can be attributed to the diffusion of practices that enact pre-existing normative frameworks. Empirically speaking, this would mean re-reading the rise of anti-genderism as also a process of practice diffusion, no doubt, within the broader context of the growing influence of right-wing populism and illiberalism. The research suggests focusing on the diffusion of practices rather than norms per se, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of global normative similarities and claims of globality.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

New Article out in Global Society! 🚨 "After the Patron Falls: Iranian Proxy Networks and Hybrid Threats in the Middle East" is an #OnlineFirst and #OpenAccess article by Martin Solik and Martin Můčka. Click the link below to give it a read! 👇

This article examines the future trajectories of Iranian-linked hybrid threats in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and Gaza under a hypothetical scenario involving the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Using mechanism-based process tracing, the study extrapolates empirically observed patterns of proxy behaviour following patron disruption to assess plausible post-collapse outcomes. It develops a structured framework that links proxy autonomy, patronage continuity, and domestic constraints to four distinct trajectories: autonomization, fragmentation, external substitution, and decline. Rather than predicting outcomes, the article identifies the conditions under which each trajectory becomes plausible across different regional contexts. The findings contribute to security studies by offering a systematic approach to forecasting proxy dynamics after regime collapse.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

The fifth article in Global Society 40(3) is "Artificial Intelligence and the Algorithmic Discursive Sphere: Policymaking Dilemmas and the Rise of a New Public Intellectual" by Branislav Radeljić (@nebrija.bsky.social). #AI #Power #Democracy Click the link below and give it a read! 👇

ABSTRACT
This paper explores the multifaceted relationship between artificial intelligence (AI), programming languages, and ethical-political structures, emphasising how AI development both reflects and reshapes global power dynamics. When prompted about its participation in political discourse or its potential to function as a public intellectual (a hybrid human–nonhuman actor that redefines the link between technology, politics, and public reason), generative AI often expresses a willingness to engage with complex ideas, while simultaneously acknowledging its limitations in terms of original thought and its inability to advocate for social change. It tends to prioritise neutrality over taking definitive stances, which raises critical concerns. This neutrality may inadvertently contribute to inequality, particularly in the context of the divide between the Global North and the Global South. Moreover, the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China, combined with AI’s growing role in decision-making processes, underscores its potential to privilege certain agendas – often those aimed at power maximisation and wealth accumulation. This paper argues that the promise of AI must be weighed against its risks, especially in high-stakes domains, and that meaningful accountability demands more than ethics-as-branding. By framing AI as a sociotechnical artifact embedded in ideology and power, the study highlights the need for global, pluralistic, and enforceable ethical frameworks in the face of accelerating digital transformation.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

The 2nd article in Global Society 40(3) is "The US-Sino Tech War Through the Eyes of Secondary States: An Analysis of the Reactions of the US Five Eyes Allies to Huawei’s 5G" by Zeno Leoni (@ KCL) & Eugenio Lilli (@ucddublin.bsky.social). It's #OpenAccess, so do give it a read 👇

This paper contributes to the scholarly debate on secondary states’ agency in the context of US–China technological competition by examining how members of the Five Eyes (FVEY) intelligence alliance, excluding the United States, responded to perceived security risks posed by Huawei’s 5G infrastructure. While all FVEY states ultimately excluded Huawei from national networks, the pathways to this outcome diverged markedly, reflecting differences in threat perception, institutional processes, political priorities, and strategic cultures. Australia acted decisively, leveraging established mechanisms to implement a hardline stance; Canada and New Zealand proceeded cautiously, balancing domestic politics and trade concerns; and the United Kingdom initially resisted US pressure before reversing course amid domestic scrutiny. These variations show that alliance cohesion cannot be assumed, even among long-standing intelligence partners, and that convergence in policy outcomes does not imply convergence in underlying rationale, though all members ultimately reached a de facto similar outcome. The study underscores the limits of US influence over allied interpretations of asymmetric technological threats and highlights the critical role of secondary states in shaping technological geopolitics. By illuminating how liberal democracies navigate security, economic, and political imperatives in asymmetric competition, it provides insights into the challenges of multilateral coordination over emerging technologies.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

The third article in Global Society 40(3) is "The Ties that Bind?: Affinity and Challenges in Contemporary Brazil-China Relations" by Pedro Abelin and Margaret M. Pearson (both @univofmaryland.bsky.social). Do give it a read! 👇

As China’s diplomatic and economic outreach towards the Global South has expanded in recent decades, so too have its efforts to align with important Global South countries and create movement away from US hegemony. Brazil’s relationship with China is emblematic, as it is a big player in Latin America and in multilateral bodies, and due to its historical relationship with the United States. While theories about China’s rise lead us to expect that relations between China and Global South countries such as Brazil should be positive and straightforward due to economic interests, normative identity, and successful diplomatic outreach, empirical studies yield mixed results, with challenges arising from host state domestic politics. We explore how Brazil’s domestic policy preferences, public opinion, and polarisation shape China’s ability to achieve its diplomatic goals in multilateral (focusing on BRICS) and bilateral (especially agribusiness trade) settings. We find that despite an overall strong relationship, Brazil diverges from China’s policies and preferences in important ways, exposing limits on China’s efforts. In addition to tracing major diplomatic statements, we draw on newly collected survey data reflecting Brazilian public opinion on salient issues.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

The third article in Global Society 40(3) is "For a Better Future: How Parenthood Affects Attitudes toward War" by Shih-chan Dai (@ National Chengchi University) and Navida Chun-han Wang (@umich.edu). Click the link below and be sure to give it a read!

ABSTRACT
How does parenthood affect individuals’ attitudes toward war? Existing literature on public support for war offers some explanations as to when the public is more likely to support the use of military force. Yet, it has largely overlooked an essential factor: parenthood. Building on rational choice and social identity theories, we argue that individuals who are parents are less likely to support war. Individuals with children face greater uncertainty and are more vulnerable to the damages that war could bring. In addition, the shift in identity as parents affects how individuals perceive security threats. We test our hypothesis using the World Value Survey Wave 6 (2010-2014). The results show that parenthood decreases the likelihood of expressing support for war, for both females and males, even after controlling for other demographic traits and country-level covariates such as exposure to militarised violence and gender inequality. Our findings contribute to the literature on security studies and public opinion and suggest a need to consider the impact of parenthood.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

The first, #OpenAccess, article in Global Society 40(3) is "After Neoliberalism? Interregnum, Polycrisis and the Principle of Expansive Democratisation" is by Francesco Laruffa (University of Geneva) & Dieter Plehwe (@wzb.bsky.social). Click below to give it a read! #Neoliberalism #Democracy

In this paper, we contribute to the debate on the end of neoliberalism and on possible alternatives to the latter. We start by clarifying the relationship between neoliberalism, globalisation and the state as well as between neoliberalism, “populism”, and far-right conservatism. We argue that, despite important political-economic changes, we are still in an “interregnum”, whereby neoliberalism is increasingly challenged and dysfunctional but still dominant. Moreover, neoliberalism is mutating, as it is becoming mixed with stronger doses of nationalism and populist authoritarianism. However, the hegemonic crisis also opens the way to counterhegemonic projects. Building on Polanyi, we elaborate an analytical framework centred on the principle of expansive democratisation for distinguishing between political initiatives that aim to reinforce neoliberal hegemony and between reactionary and progressive counterhegemonic projects. We argue that building emancipatory alternatives to neoliberalism requires revitalising the critique of capitalism, fighting for global social-ecological justice.

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Global Society @globalsociety.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

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