This book investigates the roles that ideas and constructs associated with Eurasia have played in the making of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy during the Nazarbaev era. This book delves into the specific Eurasia-centric narratives through which the regime, headed by Nursultan Nazarbaev, imagined the role of post-Soviet Kazakhstan in the wider Eurasian geopolitical space. Based on substantive fieldwork and sustained engagement with primary sources, the book unveils the power implications of Kazakhstani neo-Eurasianism, arguing that the strengthening of the regime’s domestic power ranked highly in the list of objectives pursued by Kazakhstani foreign policy between the collapse of the Soviet Union and Nazarbaev’s apparent withdrawal from the Kazakhstani political scene (19 March 2019). This book, ultimately, is a study of inter-state integration, which makes use of a rigorous methodological approach to assess different incarnations of post-Soviet multilateralism, from the Commonwealth of Independent States to the more recent, and highly controversial, Eurasian Economic Union. This book offers a ground-breaking analysis of Kazakhstani foreign policy in the Nazarbaev era. It will be of interest to students and scholars of Central Asian Politics, International Relations and Security Studies.

This book explores Central Asia’s relationship with Southeast Asia and ASEAN. It examines the “Southeast Asian vector” in the Central Asian countries’ mostly multi-vector foreign policies and the key dynamics that are transforming interregional relations into one of greater engagement. It argues that Central Asian states are interested in developing stronger ties with Southeast Asian countries, amongst others, as part of their hedging strategy in order to diversify their foreign economic relations and to lessen their overdependence on neighbouring great powers. It also looks at Central Asian views of ASEAN as a successful model of regionalism and as a hedging platform for Central Asian states to collectively manage relations with external powers.

This book presents the evolution of the field of foreign policy analysis and explains the theories that have structured research in this area over the last 50 years. It provides the essentials of emerging theoretical trends, data and methodological pitfalls and major case-studies and is designed to be a key entry point for graduate students, upper-level undergraduates and scholars into the discipline. The volume features an eclectic panorama of different conceptual, theoretical and methodological approaches to foreign political analysis, focusing on different models of analysis such as two-level game analysis, bureaucratic politics, strategic culture, cybernetics, poliheuristic analysis, cognitive mapping, gender studies, groupthink and the systemic sources of foreign policy. The authors also clarify conceptual notions such as doctrines, ideologies and national interest, through the lenses of foreign policy analysis.

Personalist leaders, such as Russia's Vladimir Putin, Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko or Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro, are increasingly prominent players in the international landscape; their motivations and policies, however, are poorly understood. The regimes they lead are difficult to examine, mostly because of their most defining feature-an inordinate concentration of power in the hands of one single individual. Yet, personalist leaders do not rule alone, even if they do not always govern through institutional channels. How do personalist regimes really work? How do their rulers acquire and maintain personal control? How does contemporary personal rule differ from how it was practised during the Cold War? These are the key questions addressed in Personalism and Personalist Regimes, which offers a systematic examination of the logic of personalism, or personalist rule, tackling comprehensively the study of personalist leaders and personalist regimes. The book is underpinned by a theoretical framework that combines historical and comparative analyses, brought forward through a series of detailed country studies authored by a distinguished group of comparativists and area studies experts. The book also revisits, and builds upon, Sultanistic Regimes, the seminal study by H.E. Chehabi and Juan Linz. In contrast to Sultanistic Regimes that studied sultanism-an extreme form of personalism-Personalism and Personalist Regimes examines personal rule on its full continuum, from Turkey under Erdo?an or Venezuela under Maduro, to Turkmenistan under Berdimuhamedov or Libya under Gaddafi. Because personalism, or personal rule, can be present across all regimes, the book also includes several studies of personalism and institutions in party dictatorships, China or Cuba amongst others.

Central Peripheries explores post-Soviet Central Asia through the prism of nation-building. Although relative latecomers on the international scene, the Central Asian states see themselves as globalized, and yet in spite of – or perhaps precisely because of – this, they hold a very classical vision of the nation-state, rejecting the abolition of boundaries and the theory of the ‘death of the nation’. Their unabashed celebration of very classical nationhoods built on post-modern premises challenges the Western view of nationalism as a dying ideology that ought to have been transcended by post-national cosmopolitanism. Marlene Laruelle looks at how states in the region have been navigating the construction of a nation in a post-imperial context where Russia remains the dominant power and cultural reference. She takes into consideration the ways in which the Soviet past has influenced the construction of national storylines, as well as the diversity of each state’s narratives and use of symbolic politics. Exploring state discourses, academic narratives and different forms of popular nationalist storytelling allows Laruelle to depict the complex construction of the national pantheon in the three decades since independence. The second half of the book focuses on Kazakhstan as the most hybrid national construction and a unique case study of nationhood in Eurasia. Based on the principle that only multidisciplinarity can help us to untangle the puzzle of nationhood, Central Peripheries uses mixed methods, combining political science, intellectual history, sociology and cultural anthropology. It is inspired by two decades of fieldwork in the region and a deep knowledge of the region’s academia and political environment. Praise for Central Peripheries ‘Marlene Laruelle paves the way to the more focused and necessary outlook on Central Asia, a region that is not a periphery but a central space for emerging conceptual debates and complexities. Above all, the book is a product of Laruelle's trademark excellence in balancing empirical depth with vigorous theoretical advancements.’ – Diana T. Kudaibergenova, University of Cambridge ‘Using the concept of hybridity, Laruelle explores the multitude of historical, political and geopolitical factors that predetermine different ways of looking at nations and various configurations of nation-building in post-Soviet Central Asia. Those manifold contexts present a general picture of the transformation that the former southern periphery of the USSR has been going through in the past decades.’ – Sergey Abashin, European University at St Petersburg

This book explores power in international relations, in a world characterized by the growing competition of major powers for smaller nations. Focusing on the major powers and smaller countries of Eurasia, it argues that power in international relations is different from coercion and is rather a social contract between a leader state and follower states where reciprocity is key and where leadership relationships cannot be adequately explained by focusing solely on the leader. It challenges the perception that genuine regional leadership is quite common, contending instead that it is rare; that much more often major powers make claims for leadership; and that regional leadership does not indicate the status of a particular state, but rather the social role of the leader, which is recognized by its followers, a role which is always relative and based on communication and constant interaction with followers. The book highlights the important role followers play in recognizing regional power, the importance for a state's regional leadership strategy in creating and holding a valuable position attractive for followers and delivering greater value to followers compared to other potential leaders.

In an age marked by unparalleled industrialization and technological strides, intricate energy challenges reverberate through economies, societies, and international relations. The world's dependence on fossil fuels and delicate energy supply chains lays bare the vulnerability to imminent energy crises, carrying extensive economic, social, and geopolitical implications. Analyzing Energy Crises and the Impact of Country Policies on the World steps in as a vital resource, meticulously navigating historical contexts, current crises, and policy-driven influences shaping the energy panorama. This book empowers policymakers, researchers, stakeholders, and students, fostering a profound comprehension of energy dynamics. It unveils the origins of crises, scrutinizes vulnerabilities across supply and demand, and underscores the pivotal role played by major energy stakeholders in shaping global markets. Ultimately, the book offers a guiding light to decision-makers, illuminating proactive strategies and urging transformative solutions to steer the world toward an energy future that is both secure and sustainable.

The book examines Turkey’s new foreign policy operating in the new international system. Especially with the AKP government, Turkish foreign policy principles have been changed and/or modified radically. Therefore, new foreign policy mentality has to be analyzed in detail. The book also focuses on the “strategic depth” paradigm of Prof. Dr. Ahmet Davutoglu. In his book, Davutoglu inspects the Turkey’s place within the world politics and its relations neighboring countries through historical-religious lense. In order to understand this new mentality in the Turkish foreign policy, historical developments of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic has been covered. The book mainly focuses on following subjects: analysis of Turkish foreign policy framework, changes in Turkish government’s foreign policy paradigm, reflections of new approaches in the Turkish foreign policy, Turkey’s shifting foreign policy and the new Turkish foreign policy’s future, continuity and change in Turkish foreign policy and lastly implications of Turkey’s new foreign policy doctrine. Türk dış politikası uzun yıllar gündem yaratma yerine, başka aktörlerin oluşturduğu gündemleri takip etme ve müttefiklik adı altında ülke çıkarları ile örtüşmeyen, hatta zaman zaman çelişen seçeneklerin peşine takılma çizgileri arasında sıkışıp kalmıştır. Özellikle son on yılda Türk dış politikasındaki önceliklerin değiştiğine, Türkiye'nin pasif dış politika gömleğini üzerinden çıkardığına tanıklık ediyoruz. 2002 yılından itibaren onu uluslararası sistemde düzen kurucu merkez bir ülke konumuna taşıyacak alt yapının inşa edildiği siyasi istikrar yanında kaydedilen ekonomik büyüme ve kalkınma Türkiye'nin kendine güvenini artırdı. Başbakan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan'ın sık sık altını çizdiği "kendine güven" vurgusu dış politika kararlarının alınmasında önemli bir dayanak oldu. Avrupa Birliği, ortak bir dış politika inşasında üyeleri arasındaki belirsizliklerle ve ekonomik krizlerle mücadele ederken, ABD başlattığı ve sürdürdüğü savaşların aşındırdığı imajını tamir etme çabası sürdürürken, Türkiye kaybettiği yılları Afrika, Balkanlar ve Güney Amerika açılımlarıyla telafi etmeyi başardı. Stratejik derinlik, merkez ve düzen kurucu ülke olmak, komşularla sıfır sorun, proaktif dış politika gibi kavramları siyasete dönüştüren ve uygulamaya koyan yeni Türk dış politikasının tasarımcısı Dışişleri Bakanı Ahmet Davutoğlu, gündemi takip eden değil önceden belirleyen bir liderlik sergilemektedir. Dış politika tutumlarına göre ülkeler iddialı ve iddiasız olarak basitçe ikiye ayrılabilir. Tahmin edileceği üzere ikinci grup hayli kalabalık olduğu halde, birinci gruba ABD gibi, Rusya gibi, Çin gibi sayılı ülkeler girer... Türkiye'nin son on yılda izlediği dış politika tutumu ve hamleleri ikinci gruptan çıkıp birinci gruba girme çabası içinde değerlendirilebilir. Türkiye’nin tarihi, coğrafyası, sahip olduğu kültürel değerler onu böyle bir konuma doğal olarak itmekle beraber, Dışişleri Bakanı Ahmet Davutoğlu’nun danışman olduğu dönemden beri savunduğu ''stratejik derinlik'' felsefesi bu kabul üzerine oturuyor. Türkiye'nin getirmiş olduğu yeni dış politika anlayışı sayesinde bölgesinde artan jeoekonomik etkinliğini hisseden Arap ülkeleri, komşularla sıfır problem modelinin açmış olduğu fırsat alanlarına nüfus etmeye başlamışlardır. Türkiye, Ürdün, Lübnan ve Suriye'yi içine alan Yüksek Düzeyli Stratejik İşbirliği Konseyi tesis edilmesi ve bu ülkeler arasında serbest ticaret ve dolaşım alanı oluşturulması ve vizelerin kaldırılmasının altında bahsetmiş olduğumuz yeni güvenlik kültürünün dinamizmi yatmaktadır. Bu tür girişimler ilişkilerin doğasını sıfır toplamlı oyun politikasından kazan kazan politikasına dönüştürmektedir. Özellikle ülkeler arası ekonomik bağımlılığın artması ise bizi ilerde yaşanacak olan bölgesel krizlerin çabuk ve düşük maliyetlerle aşılmasını sağlayacak mekanizmalar geliştirmesine zemin hazırlayacak ve potansiyel çatışma alanlarının devreye girme ihtimalini miminuma çekecektir. Bu anlamda Türkiye'nin son dönemde jeo-ekonomik anlamda kazanmış olduğu dinamizmin bölgesel aktörler tarafından dikkatle izlendiği bilinmektedir.

The Routledge Handbook of Great Power Competition is a comprehensive, pioneering, and interdisciplinary guide of this re-emerging field. Offering a team of cutting-edge researchers in the field, it advances an analytical framework of great power competition. It surveys the major theories (mainstream and critical), actors (state, quasi-state, and non-state), mechanisms (military, economic, and ideational influence), and domains (territorial and non-territorial) pertaining to contemporary great power competition. This Handbook is an essential text for scholars and students of international relations, security studies, global governance, and comparative politics. It will also appeal to global policy makers and practitioners who need to observe contemporary great power competition.

This succinct yet comprehensive introduction to Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) is geared toward advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students. Cogently written, clearly organized, and filled with illuminating examples, the third edition has been thoroughly revised and updated. Beginning with an overview of this broad field of study, Hudson and Day consider theory and research at multiple levels of analysis, including personality and psychology of foreign policy decision makers, small group dynamics, the organizational process, bureaucratic politics, domestic politics, cultural and societal influences, national attributes, and system-level effects on foreign policy. The authors also examine the promise and frustration of theoretical integration in FPA and overview promising new work by non-North American scholars.