Films as an aesthetic medium: Mediating the Political Process

By Aparna Divya Introduction   International Politics has a very wide-ranging scope of study. Diplomacy, diaspora, immigration and environment are a few of its dimensions. However, the dominant theories like realism and liberalism don’t cover these aspects. The role that cinema plays in international politics comes under the soft power domain. Cinema as a tool …

We are all neighbours : A perspective from Political Theory

By Shivam Kumar This essay does not claim to offer an academic answer to the under-theorization of a system like ‘neighbour’ in political theory but primarily undertakes a nascent, rudimentary and sympathetic endeavour to delve into, understand, associate and explore a subject seemingly relevant to the time and space we are living in. Political theorists …

The Assam-Mizoram Border Dispute: A Study of British Colonial Border-making

By Pratyush Pran Sarma Source: thebothsidenews.com Introduction  For any civilization or a group of people to develop, the importance of being located in  geographically superior plains has always been the reason of immigration of other  communities in search of a more civilized lifestyle. This puts into contrast the hilly areas or  the deserts, and the …

Will China significantly increase its economic contributions to the Taliban-led Afghanistan? 

By Ashrika Paruthi Ashrika Paruthi argues that China will continue employing low-risk economic initiatives to coax the Taliban into securing Chinese borders. Introduction The withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Afghanistan and the consequent Taliban takeover has led to widespread speculations about the possibility of China increasing its contributions, especially economic contributions to Afghanistan, in order …

An Analysis of the Differences and Similarities in Machiavelli’s The Prince and Hobbes’ Leviathan

By Shivam Kumar Abstract Machiavelli and Prince, although centuries apart, coming from different societies, speaking with different intentions, in different voices, tones and vocabularies, form a foundation to the western political philosophy. This essay is an analytical presentation of Machiavelli's 'The Prince' and Thomas Hobbes' 'Leviathan' around ten themes that also best capture their central …

Relevance of Balancing Strategies and Balance of Power in the 21st Century

By Aditya Kodukula Introduction Various scholars especially of the realist persuasion regard Balance of power as the keystone principle of International Relations. Hans Morgenthau has referred to balance of power as the “iron law of politics”.  Palmer and Perkins have defined the concept in the following manner: “the balance of power assumes that through shifting …

The Copenhagen perspective and a missing gender lens

By Shubhangi Jain Introduction  Security Studies as a discipline over the years has widened the approach of understanding the international. The traditional approach to Security from a realist perspective has broadened to include non-traditional theories as well. One such is the Copenhagen School, which is a post-positivist movement that gained momentum after the end of …

AMBEDKAR: Reformer of the Indian Society

By Utkarsh Agarwal INTRODUCTION  “Agitate, educate and organize”   -Dr. BR Ambedkar  Society, as defined, is a group of individuals involved in constant social interaction, sharing the  same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant  cultural expectations.   Indian society, as a salad bowl, is a pluralistic society with a complex …

Kautilya and Jawaharlal Nehru: Strategic thinking of two Prime Ministers

By Shivam Kumar Abstract: Strategic thinking, in context to a state, primarily, engages with three kinds of questions. What does it want to achieve? How will that be achieved? And when will that be achieved? Alongside, there are certain paradigms of strategic thinking which tend to seek answers to certain questions of international importance like …

Great Power and Transition, Distinctive Trajectories and the rise of China: Theoretical reflections on Balance of Power

By Resham Raj In 2008 political commentator Fareed Zakaria came up with a book “The Post- American World”. The Book argued that new powers strongly asserting their interests has caused a relative decline in US power.  After a quarter century of technically and practically uncontested US leadership, US now faces sincere geo-politico provocations from China …