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- John M. Jennings and Chuck Steele, eds. The Worst Military Leaders in
History. London: Reaktion Books Ltd, 2022.
Authors: Nadir A. Nasidi
Abstract: Nadir A. Nasidi received his B.A and M.A (Intellectual History) from Bayero University, Kano, and a Ph.D. (Art-History) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. His area of specialization is at the intersections of Intellectual, Art, and Military History, with great interest in West African Islamic Art. He teaches in the Department of History, at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
PubDate: 2025-02-25
Issue No: Vol. 23, No. 4 (2025)
- NATO and the Defence Production Challenge: A Policy Analysis of the
Industrial Capacity Defence Pledge
Authors: Karen Kowalski , Burcu Sahmali
Abstract: Six months ago, NATO announced its Industrial Capacity Expansion Pledge. In this paper, the authors raise the question of how effective this Pledge is expected to be and what challenges it is likely to encounter. The authors argue that NATO’s focus on bolstering its defence industrial base in response to vulnerabilities highlighted by the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a step in the right direction; however, implementation faces significant challenges that threaten progress toward adequate defence readiness in a world with increasing global threats. By analyzing political, structural, and other conditions of the Industry Capacity Expansion Pledge, the authors show how the sovereignty of member nations over their defence spending decisions trumps the Alliance’s role in expanding defence industrial capacity. The authors illustrate that increasing production capacity and improving military readiness in response to evolving threats must first be addressed at the national level before being tackled as a collaborative initiative initiated by NATO. Collaborative efforts are likely to be more effective when conducted through a legally binding framework rather than voluntary participation; and member nations’ defence economies need to be relieved of unnecessary financial burdens and the complications of navigating complex bureaucratic procedures to achieve long-term interoperability goals.
PubDate: 2025-02-25
Issue No: Vol. 23, No. 4 (2025)
- HONOURABLE MENTION Hedging for Oil: Foreign Energy Investments and
Military Intervention Strategies in Civil Wars
Authors: Michèle St-Amant
Abstract: Conventional wisdom and popular myths suggest states will go to great lengths to secure oil and gas resources. Recent academic work supports this idea, particularly in explaining why states reliant on energy imports become involved in the civil wars of their suppliers. However, this research has mainly focused on the incentives among importers, overlooking the role of foreign energy investments. Do states with oil and gas investments in conflict-ridden countries also go to great lengths to protect these assets' This paper explores how energy investments alter the motivations for foreign military intervention strategies in civil wars. Rather than going “all in,” invested states will opt for more limited military support strategies due to the long-term implications created by investments. This approach, known as ‘hedging,’ allows states to show commitment to the supported side while signalling restraint to the opposition, effectively managing long-term reputations with all parties to safeguard investments. I test this theory in a quantitative analysis of 94 civil wars between 1975 and 2017. I find when civil war countries host foreign oil and gas resources, invested supporters opt for limited support strategies rather than intensive interventions, such as deploying troops. These findings have implications for civil war dynamics, such as impacting conflict duration, intensity, and outcomes.
PubDate: 2025-02-25
Issue No: Vol. 23, No. 4 (2025)
- HONOURABLE MENTION Quasi-States in Name Only: How System Integration May
Address Somaliland, Eritrea, and the Quasi-State Problem
Authors: Graydon Cragg, Jamie Levin
Abstract: In theory, global politics is built around internationally recognized states – one would be hard pressed to find an area of land anywhere on the planet not claimed by a widely recognized sovereign state. With this sovereignty comes special diplomatic privileges that enable these states to participate in global affairs, the world economy, and crucial security deals, among other things. Many fundamental state actions are only permissible by virtue of recognized sovereignty. So, what happens to the states that fail to earn widespread recognition' This thesis explores states that have long been unrecognized, and attempts to square the circle of novel quasi-statehood. Novel quasi-states (or entities that have seemingly all of the characteristics of a recognized state but lack the legitimacy of recognition) persist in the international system and present a reality antithetical to the perceived status-quo of political theory that operates exclusively around legally and legitimately sovereign states. Examining one of the preeminent examples of novel quasi-statehood, the Republic of Somaliland, in contrast with the similar (but recognized) Eritrea, my thesis presents System Integration as a new lens through which the recognition of states, and the research thereof, may be perceived.
PubDate: 2025-02-25
Issue No: Vol. 23, No. 4 (2025)
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