IR Theory

In international politics, competition over resources is not a new phenomenon. Oil, gas, minerals, water, food supplies, and strategic trade routes have long shaped alliances, conflicts, and foreign policy decisions. What is changing today is the type of resources that states increasingly consider critical, the speed with which demand is rising, and the geopolitical context in which this competition is unfolding. In the twenty-first century, critical resources are no longer limited to traditional energy commodities. They now include rare earth elements, lithium, cobalt, nickel, semiconductors, freshwater, and other inputs that are essential to digital infrastructure, green technologies, military production, and industrial resilience. This shift has made resource competition one of…

Continue Reading Competition for Critical Resources as a Source of New International Tensions

Historical memory is never only about the past. In political life, it often functions as a tool for shaping identity, defining legitimacy, and justifying action in the present. States do not simply remember history; they organize, interpret, and present it in ways that serve contemporary purposes. This becomes especially visible in foreign policy, where historical memory can be used to explain alliances, frame conflicts, claim moral authority, and legitimize strategic decisions before both domestic and international audiences. In this sense, historical memory is not identical to history as an academic discipline. History seeks critical reconstruction, complexity, and evidence-based interpretation. Historical memory, by contrast, is selective, symbolic, and politically meaningful. It…

Continue Reading Historical Memory as an Instrument of Foreign Policy Legitimation

When governments need a war fought but don’t want the political headache of body bags coming home, they call in the contractors. It’s a neat trick that’s become standard practice: hire private military companies, let them do the dangerous work, and if things go sideways, claim plausible deniability.  The problem is that international law has essentially thrown up its hands and let this happen, creating a system where armed conflict operates in a regulatory vacuum. Why Private Armies Keep Slipping Through Legal Cracks Private military contractors are now a booming industry — from Africa to the Middle East. Many of them don’t just guard gates; they train fighters, take part…

Continue Reading From Monte Carlo to The Hague: Why International Law Hasn’t Banned the ‘Warfare Gamble’ of Private Armies

Switzerland didn’t fight in World War II. No Swiss soldiers stormed beaches or defended cities. But while the rest of Europe was being destroyed, Swiss banks were open for business. They processed transactions, stored gold, and kept the money flowing between enemies. When the war ended, Switzerland came out richer than before. The country made a fortune from the deadliest war in history. And the uncomfortable truth is most people still don’t want to talk about it. Making Money While Staying “Neutral” Switzerland had been officially neutral since 1815. When WWII started, they stuck to that position. But being neutral didn’t mean doing nothing. It meant doing business with everyone.…

Continue Reading How Neutral Switzerland Earned Billions from World War II – A Lesson the World Still Won’t Accept