OrbisPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-06-17DOI: 10.1016/j.orbis.2024.05.006
Anthony Celso
{"title":"Iran’s Proxy War Strategy","authors":"Anthony Celso","doi":"10.1016/j.orbis.2024.05.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2024.05.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This article analyzes Iran’s Shia Imamate project that shapes its proxy war strategy. The Islamic Republic of Iran’s (IRI) indirect surrogate warfare doctrine is discussed in three stages. First, the historical forces behind Tehran’s proxy war approach and ideological factors that drive it are analyzed. Second, the historical execution of its militia strategy is examined; and third, the consequences of the Iranian-Hezbollah military entrenchment in Syria and its impact on the October 2023 Gaza War are assessed. The author concludes that Iran and its Shia proxies are poorly positioned to sustain a regional war against Israel to save Hamas.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45433,"journal":{"name":"Orbis","volume":"68 3","pages":"Pages 416-437"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141424239","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}
OrbisPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2023-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.orbis.2023.11.013
Leon Hadar
{"title":"Former diplomats express disillusionment with US experience in the Middle East","authors":"Leon Hadar","doi":"10.1016/j.orbis.2023.11.013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2023.11.013","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45433,"journal":{"name":"Orbis","volume":"68 1","pages":"Pages 155-166"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138480659","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}
OrbisPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2023-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.orbis.2023.11.002
Olena Snigyr
{"title":"Russian strategic narratives, 2022–2023","authors":"Olena Snigyr","doi":"10.1016/j.orbis.2023.11.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2023.11.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Russia, in its competition with the liberal world for establishing the dominant discourse—alongside hard power military means—deploys soft power, leveraging the allure of illiberal values to forge foreign policy alliances, undermine the credibility of international institutions, and reshape the global order. Russian strategic narratives delineate the political objectives of the Russian government. In a contest for discursive authority with other global actors, Russia presents its vision of a new world order—a world partitioned among major powers—where Moscow holds the authority to determine the fate of peoples in the “Greater Eurasia” region, including Europe</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45433,"journal":{"name":"Orbis","volume":"68 1","pages":"Pages 3-23"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138480790","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}
OrbisPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-03-19DOI: 10.1016/j.orbis.2024.02.011
Jakub Grygiel
{"title":"Three Illusions of US Foreign Policy","authors":"Jakub Grygiel","doi":"10.1016/j.orbis.2024.02.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2024.02.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The United States, and more broadly, the West, is prone to be surprised. We are surprised by China’s pursuit of hegemony through economic and military means; by Russia’s engaging in the largest conventional war in Europe since 1945; by the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. We think that economic sanctions will fundamentally alter the calculus of our enemies—even deter a potential attack—and we are puzzled when they do not. The recent streak of surprises is not a fluke of history, an unlucky combination of events. This article contends that our surprise is due to a series of illusions that characterize our foreign policy vision. These illusions stem from a mistaken series of assumptions about the causes of political order and about the drivers of political behavior.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45433,"journal":{"name":"Orbis","volume":"68 2","pages":"Pages 328-347"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140160784","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}
OrbisPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-03-19DOI: 10.1016/j.orbis.2024.02.006
Mohammed Soliman, Nikolas K. Gvosdev
{"title":"Make Africa Atlantic Again","authors":"Mohammed Soliman, Nikolas K. Gvosdev","doi":"10.1016/j.orbis.2024.02.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2024.02.006","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45433,"journal":{"name":"Orbis","volume":"68 2","pages":"Pages 254-258"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140160844","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}
OrbisPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-03-19DOI: 10.1016/j.orbis.2024.02.002
Charles A. Ray
{"title":"The United States’ Position in Africa: On Solid Ground or Shifting Sand?","authors":"Charles A. Ray","doi":"10.1016/j.orbis.2024.02.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2024.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>After decades of benign neglect, followed by a four-year period of outright disdain, the United States finally announced on August 8, 2022, a policy towards the continent of Africa that seemed to herald an era of treating the countries of Africa with respect and dignity, and acknowledging African agency in our bilateral and multilateral dealings. The question is whether the countries of Africa take this newly announced attitude seriously and will they act accordingly. Is the US position in Africa on a solid foundation, or are we witnessing a shift in global alliances with this significant portion of the global south moving closer to those who are not our friends? The large number of African countries abstaining on the United Nations votes calling for a Russian pullout from Ukraine or condemning Russia for the invasion have exposed cracks in African solidarity with the so-called West. But is this a new phenomenon, or an indication of the way things have always been?</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45433,"journal":{"name":"Orbis","volume":"68 2","pages":"Pages 169-189"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140160712","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}
OrbisPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-06-17DOI: 10.1016/j.orbis.2024.05.008
Joel R. Hillison, Christopher Hickey
{"title":"NATO at 75 Years: A Guide to the Past and a Roadmap for the Future","authors":"Joel R. Hillison, Christopher Hickey","doi":"10.1016/j.orbis.2024.05.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2024.05.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) reaches its 75<sup>th-</sup> year anniversary, it is important to reflect on the past, examine the present, and to imagine the future of the alliance. NATO has had periodic self-reflections in the past, including the influential 1967 Harmel Report. Importantly, the report laid out the rationale for a dual-track NATO policy that would retain a strong deterrence posture while moving toward a détente with the Soviet Union and later toward cooperation with Russia. While Russia’s war against Ukraine rages, it is impossible to return to a more cooperative relationship with Russia. Yet, NATO’s history demonstrates that conflict with Russia is not inevitable. In any case, only a strong NATO can prevent that conflict and provide stability to the transatlantic region.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45433,"journal":{"name":"Orbis","volume":"68 3","pages":"Pages 470-490"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141424284","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}
OrbisPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-09-27DOI: 10.1016/j.orbis.2024.09.011
Nasir Mehmood, Julian Spencer-Churchill
{"title":"Pakistan-US Friendship: An Enduring Geo-Political Relationship","authors":"Nasir Mehmood, Julian Spencer-Churchill","doi":"10.1016/j.orbis.2024.09.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.orbis.2024.09.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the growing salience of the Pakistan-China and US-Indian alliances, Pakistan-US relations continue to be a valuable enhancement both to stability and to Washington’s influence in South Asia. The United States contributes to Pakistan’s national security, just as Pakistan reciprocates in those areas where the U.S.-Indian relationship has its limitations. Pakistan also helps play a stabilizing effect on the US-China rivalry, despite Islamabad’s close association with Beijing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45433,"journal":{"name":"Orbis","volume":"68 4","pages":"Pages 677-690"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142326327","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}