{"title":"“Canada is a Big Deal Here”: The eFP Battle Group and Host Nation Public Opinion","authors":"Andris Banka, Margit Bussmann","doi":"10.1177/00207020241255998","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00207020241255998","url":null,"abstract":"Does personal contact between allied service members and local citizens result in greater public acceptance of foreign military presence? To what extent do members of the host nation's domestic society assess favorably the forward deployment of allied military personnel on their own national territory? Substantial scholarly literature has probed these types of questions in the context of US globe-spanning military deployments. This study, however, departs from the US-centric approach and focuses on the deployment of a middle power. In the presented analysis, we examine the Canadian approach to “winning hearts and minds” in Latvia. Today, upwards of 800 Canadian troops are stationed in Latvia. Using original survey data, we measure local citizens' attitudes towards the Canadian-led battlegroup. Our results speak to the fact that Canadian and other foreign armed forces' presence in Latvia is generally accepted by the wider society. Despite Moscow's active attempts to cultivate anti-NATO sentiments, the Latvian public welcomes the stationing of Canadian troops on the country's soil.","PeriodicalId":357565,"journal":{"name":"International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis","volume":"59 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141114085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Irreconcilable Differences? NATO's Response to Russian Aggression Against Ukraine","authors":"Alexandra Gheciu, Stéfanie von Hlatky","doi":"10.1177/00207020241255999","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00207020241255999","url":null,"abstract":"With Russia's full-spectrum war in Ukraine, NATO is rethinking its force posture and responding in ways that are consistent with its norms and identity as an alliance. While the war has been framed by some as a vindication of structural realism, we instead revisit constructivist arguments about security communities. This literature, which foregrounds learning and socialization processes, advanced scholarly and policy debates from NATO enlargement to defence sector reform. By contrast, how security communities engage with adversaries has received less attention. Noting the obvious balancing dynamics on display, we emphasize how threats take on particular meanings, which shape the types of military options considered. We also provide an explanation for NATO's resilience in the face of this external shock. Alliance disunity notwithstanding, we argue that collective defence is being redefined in real time, through dynamics that are not exclusively bound by a narrow focus on the military threat posed by Russia.","PeriodicalId":357565,"journal":{"name":"International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis","volume":"133 33","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141114808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Spectrum of Autonomy: Towards a Theoretical Framework of Strategic Autonomy","authors":"Hoang Le Thai Vu, Lan Di Ngo, Thanh Tien Nguyen","doi":"10.1177/00207020241256000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00207020241256000","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the renewed significance and popularity of strategic autonomy in recent years, this term remains undertheorized. Current usage of the term makes it difficult to determine whether an actor is strategically autonomous or not, and whether a particular course of action enhances autonomy or decreases it. This article thus begins by tracing the intellectual history of strategic autonomy, and then by evaluating the way in which modern scholars use this term. Consequently, it advances a novel conceptualization of the term, arguing that instead of being a binary concept, strategic autonomy represents the highest level of autonomy on a full spectrum of autonomy. While providing a comprehensive theory of strategic autonomy is beyond the scope of this article, we offer some preliminary hypotheses on why the international system incentivizes actors to pursue strategic autonomy.","PeriodicalId":357565,"journal":{"name":"International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis","volume":"118 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140978075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond general elections: How could foreign actors influence the prime ministership?","authors":"Ronaldo Au-Yeung, A. Tagirova","doi":"10.1177/00207020241234240","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00207020241234240","url":null,"abstract":"Recent reports of election interference ring alarm bells about the vulnerability of the Canadian political process. We examine a different but potentially more perilous loophole in the electoral process beyond general elections to demonstrate how foreign actors could directly influence the prime ministership through the manipulation of party membership. We suggest that foreign actors could influence the selection process of party leadership and, consequently, the prime ministership, simply by purchasing party memberships that distribute ballots in leadership elections without identity verification. After introducing China and Russia's strategies to influence Canadian politics, we offer a few recommendations to address the party membership loophole. These include identity verification at the time of membership registration and ballot mail-in, flagging membership irregularities, additional and dedicated funding to political parties to build robust cybersecurity practices, and creating additional content in languages other than English or French to mitigate the influence of state–controlled or sponsored media on immigrant and diaspora communities.","PeriodicalId":357565,"journal":{"name":"International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis","volume":"21 S12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140231932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"China-Russia Strategic Partnership: The Strategic Fulcrum of China's Rise?","authors":"Lei Yu, Sophia Sui","doi":"10.1177/00207020241232987","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00207020241232987","url":null,"abstract":"During the post-Cold War era, China has committed to creating a strategic partnership with Russia. Doing so is a key part of China's foreign strategy of restoring its past glory as a great power, with this partnership as the strategic fulcrum for its “peaceful” rise at the systemic or global level. It also reflects China's desire to intensify cooperation with its largest neighbour to sustain economic growth. By formulating a strategic partnership, China wishes to re-shape the current global order and counterattack its perceived containment of its rise by the US. By intensifying cooperation, particularly around the economy and resource development, China hopes to sustain the growth that its political leaders have long considered as underlying China's “hard” power and rejuvenation. By expanding their military collaboration, China aspires to accelerate the PLA's modernization and work with Russia to contain US military unilateralism and hegemony.","PeriodicalId":357565,"journal":{"name":"International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis","volume":"131 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140417702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Realist or Just Anti-Liberal? Trump's Foreign Policy in Retrospect","authors":"Robert S. Snyder","doi":"10.1177/00207020241234245","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00207020241234245","url":null,"abstract":"Donald Trump's foreign policy has been characterized as realist. His “America First” theme, economic nationalism, and scorn for traditional alliances and international norms are alleged evidence. But was Trump's foreign policy realist? Instead, it is better seen as anti-liberal. Trump was most realist in his recognition of China as a great power rival not committed to liberal values. But he was also a protectionist. With respect to Russia, Europe, the Middle East, and various international issues, Trump's foreign policy was decidedly more anti-liberal than realist. The shocking event of January 6, 2021 suggests that Trump's foreign policy be re-evaluated in a different light: Trump sought to promote anti-liberal values abroad in order to advance them at home. This article evaluates Trump's foreign policy in light of these two theoretical perspectives.","PeriodicalId":357565,"journal":{"name":"International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis","volume":"21 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140442116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Book Review: Recentering Pacific Asia: Regional China and World Order by Brantly Womack","authors":"Yuxing Huang","doi":"10.1177/00207020241234873","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00207020241234873","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":357565,"journal":{"name":"International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis","volume":"45 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140444090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“A Battle for the Soul of This Nation”: How Domestic Polarization Affects US Foreign Policy in Post-Trump America","authors":"Stefan Borg","doi":"10.1177/00207020241232986","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00207020241232986","url":null,"abstract":"Growing polarization among the US electorate has in recent years attracted considerable attention from academic and non-academic observers. This paper examines some of the ways in which polarization affects US foreign and security policy in the post-Trump era. In particular, the paper offers an account of why bipartisan agreement over the so-called “rise of China” has prevailed in the face of powerful trends towards increased polarization, while domestic opinions over US aid to Ukraine have become much more contested. Drawing on a constructivist understanding of foreign policy as performative of a certain vision of the domestic self, this paper shows how US aid to Ukraine has become entangled with competing visions of the US, while domestic opinions of China have remained stable. While such a constructivist understanding does not necessarily challenge rationalist accounts, it is helpful in unravelling the link between national identity, domestic polarization, and foreign policy.","PeriodicalId":357565,"journal":{"name":"International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139781867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“A Battle for the Soul of This Nation”: How Domestic Polarization Affects US Foreign Policy in Post-Trump America","authors":"Stefan Borg","doi":"10.1177/00207020241232986","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00207020241232986","url":null,"abstract":"Growing polarization among the US electorate has in recent years attracted considerable attention from academic and non-academic observers. This paper examines some of the ways in which polarization affects US foreign and security policy in the post-Trump era. In particular, the paper offers an account of why bipartisan agreement over the so-called “rise of China” has prevailed in the face of powerful trends towards increased polarization, while domestic opinions over US aid to Ukraine have become much more contested. Drawing on a constructivist understanding of foreign policy as performative of a certain vision of the domestic self, this paper shows how US aid to Ukraine has become entangled with competing visions of the US, while domestic opinions of China have remained stable. While such a constructivist understanding does not necessarily challenge rationalist accounts, it is helpful in unravelling the link between national identity, domestic polarization, and foreign policy.","PeriodicalId":357565,"journal":{"name":"International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis","volume":"56 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139841789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"India's Quest for Status and Neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine War: BRICS, a Case Study","authors":"Raj Verma","doi":"10.1177/00207020231221831","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00207020231221831","url":null,"abstract":"Employing BRICS as a case study, this paper argues that India's neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine war is not influenced by its quest for status via BRICS because a souring of the India-Russia bilateral relationship will not affect India's quest for status through the BRICS. First, India and Russia have joined and co-developed BRICS to achieve their national and foreign policy goals such as great power status, challenging US hegemony and achieving a multipolar world order, reform of the liberal international order and Bretton Woods institutions and other objectives. Both countries have much to lose by allowing their problematic bilateral relationship to adversely impact the BRICS. Second, the BRICS is structured in such a way that its operating procedures/principles including consensus-based decision making and intentionally omitting controversial issues implies that bilateral problems between member states are not tabled and they do not make the group dysfunctional.","PeriodicalId":357565,"journal":{"name":"International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis","volume":" 20","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138962218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}