Daniel F . Wajner | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (original) (raw)
Books by Daniel F . Wajner
Part of the book series: Global Foreign Policy Studies , 2023
This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign ... more This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign policy, highlighting some of the more important scientific advances in the past decade and setting the stage for future contributions to this growing research program. Across its different chapters, this edited volume examines what is distinctive about populist foreign policy (PFP) in parallel to its diversity in cultural, socio-economic, and political terms. Moreover, by exploring how populist governments addressed their foreign policies in Latin America, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, the Middle East, East and Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Africa, the book analyzes the domestic and international conditions which enable or constrain PFP in each region.
Cambridge University Press, 2021
Scholars of international relations generally consider that under conditions of violent conflict ... more Scholars of international relations generally consider that under conditions of violent conflict and war, smuggling and trans-border crime are likely to thrive. In contrast, this book argues that in fact it is globalisation and peaceful borders that have enabled transnational illicit flows conducted by violent non-state actors, including transnational criminal organizations, drug trafficking organizations, and terrorist cells, who exploit the looseness and demilitarization of borderlands. Empirically, the book draws on case studies from the Americas, compared with other regions of the world experiencing similar phenomena, including the European Union and Southeast Europe (the Western Balkans), Southern Africa, and Southeast Asia. To explain the phenomenon in itself, the authors examine the type of peaceful borders and regimes involved in each case; how strong each country is in the governance of their borderlands; their political willingness to control their peaceful borders; and the prevailing socio-economic conditions across the borderlands.
Papers by Daniel F . Wajner
Journal of global security studies, Jan 9, 2024
Practitioners, pundits, and scholars increasingly recognize the role that international organizat... more Practitioners, pundits, and scholars increasingly recognize the role that international organizations play in conflicts. Regional organizations (ROs), as brokers of collective security, welfare, and identity, have become particularly active agents during violent crises by granting legitimacy to certain protagonists and discrediting the legitimacy of others, thus affecting international policymaking. However, existing research generally assesses the legitimizing effects of ROs in either a static way, in which the stances of their member states do not change over time, or in an institutional vacuum, where ROs are not challenged by other ROs. This study aims to shed light on the impact of multiple ROs dynamically and simultaneously intervening in legitimation struggles. It focuses on the 2014–2020 regional “battle” over the legitimate authority of the Chavista–Madurista regime in Venezuela, examining how multiple Latin American ROs articulated their discourse seeking to influence the crisis’ outcomes. To this end, a multi-step process tracing based on four phases (opening, deliberation, judgment, and denouement) is applied. The findings reveal the lively competition between involved actors for the recognition of ROs as the relevant legitimating agents, and the limits faced in achieving collective action when polarization over such a regional legitimating role prevails. The study has novel implications for scholarly understanding of the role of legitimation dynamics in promoting international cooperation during periods of disruption.
Routledge Handbook on Israel's Foreign Relations. Routledge, pp.363-375., 2024
This chapter explores the evolution of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin America,... more This chapter explores the evolution of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin America, with a particular focus on the ways the dynamics of their relations has been affected by a reciprocal (though asymmetrical) search for legitimation and recognition; economic cooperation and development; and power and influence. Special attention is devoted to identifying the underlying patterns that characterized the gradual development of diplomatic links as well as the elements that have influenced the shifts experienced over seven decades of international interactions. The chapter refers in general to the relations between Israel and the region, as well as to specific examples from key Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Venezuela.
Globalizations, 2024
This article explores the distinctive features of Latin American regionalism by examining its rhe... more This article explores the distinctive features of Latin American regionalism by examining its rhetorical justifications during the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic offered an exceptional opportunity to witness the professed role of regional organizations in the Global South as bridges between national and international systems: how this role is discursively constructed and the practical limitations it faces in times of disruption. We address different attempts to (self-)justify the relevance of regionalist visions, analyzing how three (inter-)regional organizations of the Americas reacted discursively to the global public health crisis: the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Ibero-American Summits (SEGIB). We examine three features that have traditionally shaped Latin American visions of regionalism: coping with world hegemony; striving for regional autonomy; and expressing transnational solidarity. The findings provide insights for further understanding the legitimation of regional and global governance under conditions of uncertainty.
The Ideational Approach to Populism, Volume II: Consequences and Mitigation. , 2024
The quest for legitimacy has traditionally been intrinsic to the political phenomenon of populism... more The quest for legitimacy has traditionally been intrinsic to the political phenomenon of populism, while (de-)legitimation struggles are increasingly relevant once populist leaderships take government control. However, the rich literatures on populism and legitimacy have hardly interacted and, therefore, analysis of populists’ international (de)legitimation strategies has been scarce. This chapter addresses the ways in which incorporating theoretical frameworks on legitimacy and (de)legitimation into the ideational approach can contribute to better understand the drivers, patterns, and impact of the global rise of contemporary populist leaderships, suggesting new avenues for research on the potential international mitigation of populism.
International studies review, Dec 27, 2023
This article reviews one of the expanding research programs in International Relations (IR): the ... more This article reviews one of the expanding research programs in International Relations (IR): the study of populist foreign policy (PFP). Recent years have witnessed a significant proliferation of IR scholars researching the nexus between the global rise of populism and their foreign policies across different countries, regions, and subfields. However, scientific progress at such stage of this research program demands an in-depth “mapping” of its different ontological approaches. To this end, we identify and explore five different “schools” of PFP that have been consolidated in the last decade, while highlighting their accomplishments in understanding the distinctive populist elements in foreign policy and their possibilities of analyzing local and external conditions under which PFP impacts global politics. We also set the stage for future contributions on the drivers, patterns, and effects of PFP, under the assumption that the populist phenomenon and its transnational dimensions will continue to affect IR prospects for a long time to come.
Comparative European politics, Feb 23, 2024
Populist politics in Southern Europe displays several distinctive patterns related to a shared hi... more Populist politics in Southern Europe displays several distinctive patterns related to a shared history, geography, culture, and economy, while being subject to similar geopolitical pressures. In the last decade, moreover, the Euro-Mediterranean region has been struck by destabilizing shocks: the Eurozone crisis and the refugee crisis, which led to a realignment of party politics, with populist parties of both the left and the right enjoying high levels of popular support and taking, or have gotten close to taking, governmental power. These patterns make Southern Europe an interesting case for the study of populism and foreign policy through a (sub-)regional comparative approach. This article applies a structured, focused comparison of the populist foreign policies (PFP) of France, Italy, Spain, and Greece, seeking to explain how populist leaderships have shaped foreign policy in these countries and the conditions under which their PFP were translated into action. After putting Euro-Mediterranean populism in context, we examine four structural themes of catalysts or constraints that populists face when 'navigating' PFP around the European Mare Nostrum: international power distribution, ideological underpinnings, domestic political system, and policy domains. The comparative analysis reveals how, while populist performances are often aimed at executing a rupture and, as a result, gaining legitimacy, the implementation of PFP in Southern Europe has ultimately been affected by structural pressures to discard these revolutionary impulses and align with the mainstream.
In Populist Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives of Populism in the International Scene, 2023
This chapter examines the foreign policies of contemporary populist leaderships in the Middle Eas... more This chapter examines the foreign policies of contemporary populist leaderships in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Although research on international relations in the region has largely overlooked the impact of populism on policymaking in general and foreign policy in particular, the emergence and strengthening of multiple political leaderships in the last two decades has made this concept increasingly relevant for a greater
Journal of Global Security Studies, 2024
Practitioners, pundits, and scholars increasingly recognize the role that international organizat... more Practitioners, pundits, and scholars increasingly recognize the role that international organizations play in conflicts. Regional organizations (ROs), as brokers of collective security, welfare, and identity, have become particularly active agents during violent crises by granting legitimacy to certain protagonists and discrediting the legitimacy of others, thus affecting international policymaking. However, existing research generally assesses the legitimizing effects of ROs in either a static way, in which the
stances of their member states do not change over time, or in an institutional vacuum, where ROs are not challenged by other ROs. This study aims to shed light on the impact of multiple ROs dynamically and simultaneously intervening in legitimation struggles. It focuses on the 2014–2020 regional “battle” over the legitimate authority of the Chavista–Madurista regime in Venezuela, examining how multiple Latin American ROs articulated their discourse seeking to influence the crisis’ outcomes. To this end, a multi-step process tracing based on four phases (opening, deliberation, judgment, and denouement) is applied. The findings reveal the lively competition between involved actors for the recognition of ROs as the relevant legitimating agents, and the limits faced in achieving collective action when polarization over such a regional legitimating role prevails. The study has novel implications for scholarly understanding of the role of legitimation dynamics in promoting international cooperation during periods of disruption.
International Affairs, 2024
With the global rise to power of populist leaders, over the past decade research on populism, inc... more With the global rise to power of populist leaders, over the past decade research on populism, including its international implications, has flourished. However, we still lack a nuanced understanding of the international effects of this new populist wave. This special section seeks to bridge this gap by systematically examining three types of international effects of populism. One group of contributions addresses the impact of populism on the processes of foreign policy-making in countries governed by populists (politics). Another group focuses on effects in terms of foreign policy agenda and its substantive outcomes (policies). A third group of contributions studies the impact of populism on states’ stances towards international institutions (international polity). This introduction proposes a theoretical framework that takes into account the existent diversity among populist governments, specifically addressing how the more or less authoritarian character of populism explains variations in international outcomes across politics, policies, and polities. A better understanding of these varied characters and effects can contribute new insights to lively debates about the potential challenges that populism(s) pose in the contemporary international order and the potential mitigation prospects.
International Studies Review, 2024
This article reviews one of the expanding research programs in International Relations (IR): the ... more This article reviews one of the expanding research programs in International Relations (IR): the study of populist foreign policy (PFP). Recent years have witnessed a significant proliferation of IR scholars researching the nexus between the global rise of populism and their foreign policies across different countries, regions, and subfields. However, scientific progress at such stage of this research program demands an in-depth “mapping” of its different ontological approaches. To this end, we identify and explore five different “schools” of PFP that have been consolidated in the last decade, while highlighting their accomplishments in understanding the distinctive populist elements in foreign policy and their possibilities of analyzing local and external conditions under which PFP impacts global politics. We also set the stage for future contributions on the drivers, patterns, and effects of PFP, under the assumption that the populist phenomenon and its transnational dimensions will continue to affect IR prospects for a long time to come.
Populist Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives of Populism in the International Scene, 2023
This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign ... more This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign policy, highlighting some of the more important scientific advances in the past decade and setting the stage for future contributions to this growing research program. Across its different chapters, this edited volume examines what is distinctive about populist foreign policy (PFP) in parallel to its diversity in cultural, socio-economic, and political terms. Moreover, by exploring how populist governments addressed their foreign policies in Latin America, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, the Middle East, East and Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Africa, the book analyzes the domestic and international conditions which enable or constrain PFP in each region.
Comparative European Politics, 2024
Populist politics in Southern Europe displays several distinctive patterns related to a shared hi... more Populist politics in Southern Europe displays several distinctive patterns related to a shared history, geography, culture, and economy, while being subject to similar geopolitical pressures. In the last decade, moreover, the Euro-Mediterranean region has been struck by destabilizing shocks: the Eurozone crisis and the refugee crisis, which led to a realignment of party politics, with populist parties of both the left and the right enjoying high levels of popular support and taking, or have gotten close to taking, governmental power. These patterns make Southern Europe an interesting case for the study of populism and foreign policy through a (sub-)regional comparative approach. This article applies a structured, focused comparison of the populist foreign policies (PFP) of France, Italy, Spain, and Greece, seeking to explain how populist leaderships have shaped foreign policy in these countries and the conditions under which their PFP were translated into action. After putting Euro-Mediterranean populism in context, we examine four structural themes of catalysts or constraints that populists face when 'navigating' PFP around the European Mare Nostrum: international power distribution, ideological underpinnings, domestic political system, and policy domains. The comparative analysis reveals how, while populist performances are often aimed at executing a rupture and, as a result, gaining legitimacy, the implementation of PFP in Southern Europe has ultimately been affected by structural pressures to discard these revolutionary impulses and align with the mainstream.
Populist Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives of Populism in the International Scene, 2023
This edited volume aimed to provide answers to two key questions: what is distinctive about Popul... more This edited volume aimed to provide answers to two key questions: what is distinctive about Populist Foreign Policy (PFP), and what are the domestic and international factors that enable and constrain PFP. The answers to these questions are increasingly pressing given the changes in global politics...
The Unintended Consequences of Peace, 2021
Global Studies Quarterly
Under what conditions do populists embrace or reject “the international”? Some scholars of populi... more Under what conditions do populists embrace or reject “the international”? Some scholars of populism argue that populist leaders tend to neglect political (inter-)action in the international arena due to their stated preference for isolationist, nationalistic, and protectionist stances. Meanwhile, others claim that through their promotion of performative encounters and transnational solidarities between “People(s),” populists are actually more likely to engage with actors, ideas, styles, and agendas coming from abroad. This article explores this apparent contradiction, hypothesizing that three main elements influence the “populist mindset” to narrate the external world and thus adopt or rather resist new contingencies originating internationally: legitimacy, support, and opportunity. To examine the combination of these behavioral patterns, we compare two populist presidents who are paradigmatic of a fourth wave of populism in Latin America: Brazil's Jair Messias Bolsonaro and Mex...
Populist Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives of Populism in the International Scene, 2023
This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign ... more This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign policy, highlighting some of the more important scientific advances in the past decade and setting the stage for future contributions to this growing research program. Across its different chapters, this edited volume examines what is distinctive about populist foreign policy (PFP) in parallel to its diversity in cultural, socioeconomic , and political terms. Moreover, by exploring how populist governments addressed their foreign policies in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Africa, the book analyzes the domestic and international conditions which enable or constrain PFP in each region.
This essay explores the evolution of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin America, w... more This essay explores the evolution of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin America, with a particular focus on the ways the dynamics of their relations has been affected by a reciprocal (though asymmetrical) search for legitimation and recognition; economic cooperation and development; and power and influence. Special attention is devoted to identifying the underlying patterns that characterized the gradual development of diplomatic links as well as the elements that have influenced the shifts experienced over seven decades of international interactions. The essay refers in general to the relations between Israel and the region, as well as to specific examples from key Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela.
In: Giurlando, P., Wajner, D.F. (eds) Populist Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives of Populism in the International Scene, 2023
This chapter explores the foreign policies of populist governments in several countries of Southe... more This chapter explores the foreign policies of populist governments in several countries of Southern Europe, notably France, Greece, Italy, and Spain. These Mediterranean countries show similar characteristics in terms of not only geography, culture, and political system but also a dense presence of populist leaderships with governmental power (or close to having it, in the French case), both from the right and from the left. A comparative analysis of Populist Foreign Policy (PFP) in this sub-region allows us to unravel some of the distinctive ways in which populists shape foreign policy, especially in relation to the EU, and how this is influenced by structural positions in the regional distribution of power and the relative strength of domestic parties and institutions.
Part of the book series: Global Foreign Policy Studies , 2023
This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign ... more This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign policy, highlighting some of the more important scientific advances in the past decade and setting the stage for future contributions to this growing research program. Across its different chapters, this edited volume examines what is distinctive about populist foreign policy (PFP) in parallel to its diversity in cultural, socio-economic, and political terms. Moreover, by exploring how populist governments addressed their foreign policies in Latin America, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, the Middle East, East and Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Africa, the book analyzes the domestic and international conditions which enable or constrain PFP in each region.
Cambridge University Press, 2021
Scholars of international relations generally consider that under conditions of violent conflict ... more Scholars of international relations generally consider that under conditions of violent conflict and war, smuggling and trans-border crime are likely to thrive. In contrast, this book argues that in fact it is globalisation and peaceful borders that have enabled transnational illicit flows conducted by violent non-state actors, including transnational criminal organizations, drug trafficking organizations, and terrorist cells, who exploit the looseness and demilitarization of borderlands. Empirically, the book draws on case studies from the Americas, compared with other regions of the world experiencing similar phenomena, including the European Union and Southeast Europe (the Western Balkans), Southern Africa, and Southeast Asia. To explain the phenomenon in itself, the authors examine the type of peaceful borders and regimes involved in each case; how strong each country is in the governance of their borderlands; their political willingness to control their peaceful borders; and the prevailing socio-economic conditions across the borderlands.
Journal of global security studies, Jan 9, 2024
Practitioners, pundits, and scholars increasingly recognize the role that international organizat... more Practitioners, pundits, and scholars increasingly recognize the role that international organizations play in conflicts. Regional organizations (ROs), as brokers of collective security, welfare, and identity, have become particularly active agents during violent crises by granting legitimacy to certain protagonists and discrediting the legitimacy of others, thus affecting international policymaking. However, existing research generally assesses the legitimizing effects of ROs in either a static way, in which the stances of their member states do not change over time, or in an institutional vacuum, where ROs are not challenged by other ROs. This study aims to shed light on the impact of multiple ROs dynamically and simultaneously intervening in legitimation struggles. It focuses on the 2014–2020 regional “battle” over the legitimate authority of the Chavista–Madurista regime in Venezuela, examining how multiple Latin American ROs articulated their discourse seeking to influence the crisis’ outcomes. To this end, a multi-step process tracing based on four phases (opening, deliberation, judgment, and denouement) is applied. The findings reveal the lively competition between involved actors for the recognition of ROs as the relevant legitimating agents, and the limits faced in achieving collective action when polarization over such a regional legitimating role prevails. The study has novel implications for scholarly understanding of the role of legitimation dynamics in promoting international cooperation during periods of disruption.
Routledge Handbook on Israel's Foreign Relations. Routledge, pp.363-375., 2024
This chapter explores the evolution of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin America,... more This chapter explores the evolution of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin America, with a particular focus on the ways the dynamics of their relations has been affected by a reciprocal (though asymmetrical) search for legitimation and recognition; economic cooperation and development; and power and influence. Special attention is devoted to identifying the underlying patterns that characterized the gradual development of diplomatic links as well as the elements that have influenced the shifts experienced over seven decades of international interactions. The chapter refers in general to the relations between Israel and the region, as well as to specific examples from key Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Venezuela.
Globalizations, 2024
This article explores the distinctive features of Latin American regionalism by examining its rhe... more This article explores the distinctive features of Latin American regionalism by examining its rhetorical justifications during the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic offered an exceptional opportunity to witness the professed role of regional organizations in the Global South as bridges between national and international systems: how this role is discursively constructed and the practical limitations it faces in times of disruption. We address different attempts to (self-)justify the relevance of regionalist visions, analyzing how three (inter-)regional organizations of the Americas reacted discursively to the global public health crisis: the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Ibero-American Summits (SEGIB). We examine three features that have traditionally shaped Latin American visions of regionalism: coping with world hegemony; striving for regional autonomy; and expressing transnational solidarity. The findings provide insights for further understanding the legitimation of regional and global governance under conditions of uncertainty.
The Ideational Approach to Populism, Volume II: Consequences and Mitigation. , 2024
The quest for legitimacy has traditionally been intrinsic to the political phenomenon of populism... more The quest for legitimacy has traditionally been intrinsic to the political phenomenon of populism, while (de-)legitimation struggles are increasingly relevant once populist leaderships take government control. However, the rich literatures on populism and legitimacy have hardly interacted and, therefore, analysis of populists’ international (de)legitimation strategies has been scarce. This chapter addresses the ways in which incorporating theoretical frameworks on legitimacy and (de)legitimation into the ideational approach can contribute to better understand the drivers, patterns, and impact of the global rise of contemporary populist leaderships, suggesting new avenues for research on the potential international mitigation of populism.
International studies review, Dec 27, 2023
This article reviews one of the expanding research programs in International Relations (IR): the ... more This article reviews one of the expanding research programs in International Relations (IR): the study of populist foreign policy (PFP). Recent years have witnessed a significant proliferation of IR scholars researching the nexus between the global rise of populism and their foreign policies across different countries, regions, and subfields. However, scientific progress at such stage of this research program demands an in-depth “mapping” of its different ontological approaches. To this end, we identify and explore five different “schools” of PFP that have been consolidated in the last decade, while highlighting their accomplishments in understanding the distinctive populist elements in foreign policy and their possibilities of analyzing local and external conditions under which PFP impacts global politics. We also set the stage for future contributions on the drivers, patterns, and effects of PFP, under the assumption that the populist phenomenon and its transnational dimensions will continue to affect IR prospects for a long time to come.
Comparative European politics, Feb 23, 2024
Populist politics in Southern Europe displays several distinctive patterns related to a shared hi... more Populist politics in Southern Europe displays several distinctive patterns related to a shared history, geography, culture, and economy, while being subject to similar geopolitical pressures. In the last decade, moreover, the Euro-Mediterranean region has been struck by destabilizing shocks: the Eurozone crisis and the refugee crisis, which led to a realignment of party politics, with populist parties of both the left and the right enjoying high levels of popular support and taking, or have gotten close to taking, governmental power. These patterns make Southern Europe an interesting case for the study of populism and foreign policy through a (sub-)regional comparative approach. This article applies a structured, focused comparison of the populist foreign policies (PFP) of France, Italy, Spain, and Greece, seeking to explain how populist leaderships have shaped foreign policy in these countries and the conditions under which their PFP were translated into action. After putting Euro-Mediterranean populism in context, we examine four structural themes of catalysts or constraints that populists face when 'navigating' PFP around the European Mare Nostrum: international power distribution, ideological underpinnings, domestic political system, and policy domains. The comparative analysis reveals how, while populist performances are often aimed at executing a rupture and, as a result, gaining legitimacy, the implementation of PFP in Southern Europe has ultimately been affected by structural pressures to discard these revolutionary impulses and align with the mainstream.
In Populist Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives of Populism in the International Scene, 2023
This chapter examines the foreign policies of contemporary populist leaderships in the Middle Eas... more This chapter examines the foreign policies of contemporary populist leaderships in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Although research on international relations in the region has largely overlooked the impact of populism on policymaking in general and foreign policy in particular, the emergence and strengthening of multiple political leaderships in the last two decades has made this concept increasingly relevant for a greater
Journal of Global Security Studies, 2024
Practitioners, pundits, and scholars increasingly recognize the role that international organizat... more Practitioners, pundits, and scholars increasingly recognize the role that international organizations play in conflicts. Regional organizations (ROs), as brokers of collective security, welfare, and identity, have become particularly active agents during violent crises by granting legitimacy to certain protagonists and discrediting the legitimacy of others, thus affecting international policymaking. However, existing research generally assesses the legitimizing effects of ROs in either a static way, in which the
stances of their member states do not change over time, or in an institutional vacuum, where ROs are not challenged by other ROs. This study aims to shed light on the impact of multiple ROs dynamically and simultaneously intervening in legitimation struggles. It focuses on the 2014–2020 regional “battle” over the legitimate authority of the Chavista–Madurista regime in Venezuela, examining how multiple Latin American ROs articulated their discourse seeking to influence the crisis’ outcomes. To this end, a multi-step process tracing based on four phases (opening, deliberation, judgment, and denouement) is applied. The findings reveal the lively competition between involved actors for the recognition of ROs as the relevant legitimating agents, and the limits faced in achieving collective action when polarization over such a regional legitimating role prevails. The study has novel implications for scholarly understanding of the role of legitimation dynamics in promoting international cooperation during periods of disruption.
International Affairs, 2024
With the global rise to power of populist leaders, over the past decade research on populism, inc... more With the global rise to power of populist leaders, over the past decade research on populism, including its international implications, has flourished. However, we still lack a nuanced understanding of the international effects of this new populist wave. This special section seeks to bridge this gap by systematically examining three types of international effects of populism. One group of contributions addresses the impact of populism on the processes of foreign policy-making in countries governed by populists (politics). Another group focuses on effects in terms of foreign policy agenda and its substantive outcomes (policies). A third group of contributions studies the impact of populism on states’ stances towards international institutions (international polity). This introduction proposes a theoretical framework that takes into account the existent diversity among populist governments, specifically addressing how the more or less authoritarian character of populism explains variations in international outcomes across politics, policies, and polities. A better understanding of these varied characters and effects can contribute new insights to lively debates about the potential challenges that populism(s) pose in the contemporary international order and the potential mitigation prospects.
International Studies Review, 2024
This article reviews one of the expanding research programs in International Relations (IR): the ... more This article reviews one of the expanding research programs in International Relations (IR): the study of populist foreign policy (PFP). Recent years have witnessed a significant proliferation of IR scholars researching the nexus between the global rise of populism and their foreign policies across different countries, regions, and subfields. However, scientific progress at such stage of this research program demands an in-depth “mapping” of its different ontological approaches. To this end, we identify and explore five different “schools” of PFP that have been consolidated in the last decade, while highlighting their accomplishments in understanding the distinctive populist elements in foreign policy and their possibilities of analyzing local and external conditions under which PFP impacts global politics. We also set the stage for future contributions on the drivers, patterns, and effects of PFP, under the assumption that the populist phenomenon and its transnational dimensions will continue to affect IR prospects for a long time to come.
Populist Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives of Populism in the International Scene, 2023
This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign ... more This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign policy, highlighting some of the more important scientific advances in the past decade and setting the stage for future contributions to this growing research program. Across its different chapters, this edited volume examines what is distinctive about populist foreign policy (PFP) in parallel to its diversity in cultural, socio-economic, and political terms. Moreover, by exploring how populist governments addressed their foreign policies in Latin America, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, the Middle East, East and Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Africa, the book analyzes the domestic and international conditions which enable or constrain PFP in each region.
Comparative European Politics, 2024
Populist politics in Southern Europe displays several distinctive patterns related to a shared hi... more Populist politics in Southern Europe displays several distinctive patterns related to a shared history, geography, culture, and economy, while being subject to similar geopolitical pressures. In the last decade, moreover, the Euro-Mediterranean region has been struck by destabilizing shocks: the Eurozone crisis and the refugee crisis, which led to a realignment of party politics, with populist parties of both the left and the right enjoying high levels of popular support and taking, or have gotten close to taking, governmental power. These patterns make Southern Europe an interesting case for the study of populism and foreign policy through a (sub-)regional comparative approach. This article applies a structured, focused comparison of the populist foreign policies (PFP) of France, Italy, Spain, and Greece, seeking to explain how populist leaderships have shaped foreign policy in these countries and the conditions under which their PFP were translated into action. After putting Euro-Mediterranean populism in context, we examine four structural themes of catalysts or constraints that populists face when 'navigating' PFP around the European Mare Nostrum: international power distribution, ideological underpinnings, domestic political system, and policy domains. The comparative analysis reveals how, while populist performances are often aimed at executing a rupture and, as a result, gaining legitimacy, the implementation of PFP in Southern Europe has ultimately been affected by structural pressures to discard these revolutionary impulses and align with the mainstream.
Populist Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives of Populism in the International Scene, 2023
This edited volume aimed to provide answers to two key questions: what is distinctive about Popul... more This edited volume aimed to provide answers to two key questions: what is distinctive about Populist Foreign Policy (PFP), and what are the domestic and international factors that enable and constrain PFP. The answers to these questions are increasingly pressing given the changes in global politics...
The Unintended Consequences of Peace, 2021
Global Studies Quarterly
Under what conditions do populists embrace or reject “the international”? Some scholars of populi... more Under what conditions do populists embrace or reject “the international”? Some scholars of populism argue that populist leaders tend to neglect political (inter-)action in the international arena due to their stated preference for isolationist, nationalistic, and protectionist stances. Meanwhile, others claim that through their promotion of performative encounters and transnational solidarities between “People(s),” populists are actually more likely to engage with actors, ideas, styles, and agendas coming from abroad. This article explores this apparent contradiction, hypothesizing that three main elements influence the “populist mindset” to narrate the external world and thus adopt or rather resist new contingencies originating internationally: legitimacy, support, and opportunity. To examine the combination of these behavioral patterns, we compare two populist presidents who are paradigmatic of a fourth wave of populism in Latin America: Brazil's Jair Messias Bolsonaro and Mex...
Populist Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives of Populism in the International Scene, 2023
This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign ... more This book aims to introduce readers to the emerging and developing field of populism and foreign policy, highlighting some of the more important scientific advances in the past decade and setting the stage for future contributions to this growing research program. Across its different chapters, this edited volume examines what is distinctive about populist foreign policy (PFP) in parallel to its diversity in cultural, socioeconomic , and political terms. Moreover, by exploring how populist governments addressed their foreign policies in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Africa, the book analyzes the domestic and international conditions which enable or constrain PFP in each region.
This essay explores the evolution of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin America, w... more This essay explores the evolution of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin America, with a particular focus on the ways the dynamics of their relations has been affected by a reciprocal (though asymmetrical) search for legitimation and recognition; economic cooperation and development; and power and influence. Special attention is devoted to identifying the underlying patterns that characterized the gradual development of diplomatic links as well as the elements that have influenced the shifts experienced over seven decades of international interactions. The essay refers in general to the relations between Israel and the region, as well as to specific examples from key Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela.
In: Giurlando, P., Wajner, D.F. (eds) Populist Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives of Populism in the International Scene, 2023
This chapter explores the foreign policies of populist governments in several countries of Southe... more This chapter explores the foreign policies of populist governments in several countries of Southern Europe, notably France, Greece, Italy, and Spain. These Mediterranean countries show similar characteristics in terms of not only geography, culture, and political system but also a dense presence of populist leaderships with governmental power (or close to having it, in the French case), both from the right and from the left. A comparative analysis of Populist Foreign Policy (PFP) in this sub-region allows us to unravel some of the distinctive ways in which populists shape foreign policy, especially in relation to the EU, and how this is influenced by structural positions in the regional distribution of power and the relative strength of domestic parties and institutions.
Populist Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives of Populism in the International Scene (eds. Philip Giurlando and Daniel Wajner), 2023
Populism has a long life in Latin America. Latin American (proto-)populism can be traced back to ... more Populism has a long life in Latin America. Latin American (proto-)populism can be traced back to the early 1900s with the two times Argentinian president Hipolito Yrigoyen (1916-1922 and 1928-1930), also known as 'the father of the poor'. Since then, Latin America has experienced at least four waves of populist leaderships. The first wave, the so-called classic populism, took place between the 1930s and 1950s and its key figures are Lazaro
Populist Foreign Policy, 2023
This edited volume aimed to provide answers to two key questions: what is distinctive about Popul... more This edited volume aimed to provide answers to two key questions: what is distinctive about Populist Foreign Policy (PFP), and what are the domestic and international factors that enable and constrain PFP. In the conclusions that follow, therefore, we make both intra- and cross-regional comparisons, trying to identify similarities and differences in PFP patterns and in the international and national features that constrain or enact these patterns. In addition, we delve into several topics that remain to be discussed more intensively, as well as normative and policy oriented issues to be considered, in the hope this will serve as an agenda for further research.
SCRIPTS Thinkpiece 5, 2021
Modernity has returned to our lives. During 2020, we have witnessed firsthand the explosion of a ... more Modernity has returned to our lives. During 2020, we have witnessed firsthand the explosion of a global pandemic that has not only left death, hunger, inequality, stress, and loneliness. The collective trauma of COVID-19 has also left us with a set of old-new principles that might guide humanity during the reconstruction of the world. Has Modernity returned to our lives? Or rather, are we the ones who came back to it? The backbone of the socio-historical process that we understand by ‘modern’, or at least its more liberal version, has been present all these years. We are the ones who have denied the centrality of this ‘liberal script’ to describe and prescribe the forms of organization of society and individual self-determination. We have been too easily manipulated by the optical illusions of ethical relativism, institutional anarchy, individualist fundamentalism, populist verbiage, and alternative truths. We thought we were gradually entering a post-material, post-modern world. The pandemic reversed this trend. Towards the (beginning of the) end of the COVID-19 crisis, embodied in the growing and steady supply of vaccines to contain the virus, we have enough analytical perspective to explore the experiences we have gone through and learn the lessons that can allow us to build a better future. These lessons are here to stay, but it is our responsibility to interpret them socially and translate them politically. This brief article summarizes the five constituent components of the liberal script of modernity to be implemented into the post-COVID era.
Foreign Affairs Latinoamérica, 2021
La Modernidad ha vuelto a nuestras vidas. Durante 2020, fuimos testigos de la irrupción de una pa... more La Modernidad ha vuelto a nuestras vidas. Durante 2020, fuimos testigos de la irrupción de una pandemia que no solo ha dejado muerte, hambre, desigualdad, estrés y soledad. El trauma colectivo provocado por el covid-19 también nos ha legado principios que guiarán al mundo que comenzamos a reconstruir. ¿Es la Modernidad la que ha vuelto a nuestras vidas o hemos sido nosotros los que hemos regresado a ella? La columna vertebral que sustenta el proceso histórico-social que entendemos por “moderno”, o por lo menos su “guion” más liberal, ha estado presente estos años. Somos nosotros quienes le hemos quitado su centralidad a la hora de describir y prescribir las formas de organización de la sociedad y de la autodeterminación del individuo en ella. Con demasiada facilidad hemos caído en las ilusiones ópticas del relativismo ético, la anarquía institucional, el fundamentalismo individualista, la verborragia populista y las verdades alternativas. Hacia el inicio de la salida de la pandemia, que se refleja en la aprobación y la provisión progresiva de vacunas y medicamentos para contener el virus, contamos con la perspectiva analítica necesaria para explorar las experiencias que vivimos durante 2020 y aprender de manera significativa las lecciones que nos permitan construir un futuro mejor. Estas lecciones aprendidas durante el “año del coronavirus” han llegado para quedarse. No obstante, somos nosotros los responsables de cómo interpretarlas socialmente y traducirlas políticamente en los diversos escenarios. De ahí la importancia de analizar los cinco componentes constitutivos del guion liberal de la Modernidad hacia la era posterior al covid-19 que comenzamos a construir.
“Corruption and Education, a matter of Trust”, 2007
![Research paper thumbnail of International Legitimacy and Conflict Resolution: Analyzing Legitimation Dynamics during Peace Negotiations in Intractable Conflicts. Ph.D. Thesis (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2020). [Abstract + Introduction]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/62917858/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Ph.D. Thesis: Abstract + Introduction), 2020
This dissertation explores the links between the dynamics of international legitimacy and the pea... more This dissertation explores the links between the dynamics of international legitimacy and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, two important subjects in International Relations (IR) that have seldom been addressed in tandem. In the last two decades, a growing literature in IR has endorsed the assumption that legitimacy considerations matter during conflicts by affecting discourses, policymaking, and outcomes. This study seeks to demonstrate that legitimacy may be relevant not only for winning wars but also for making peace.
The study proposes a new theoretical framework to explain the causal and constitutive mechanisms operating between the perceived international legitimacy of the conflictual actors and their policy strategies during a negotiated peace settlement (NPS) and identify these mechanisms in cases of intractable conflicts based on ethnonational sources. With this aim in mind, the general question that guides this research is: How does the international legitimacy of the actors affect their policy strategies towards the peaceful resolution of the conflicts in which they are involved?
As part of the theoretical framework, the research offers multiple responses to this question, according to the phases of the negotiating process. First, the research explores how different combinations of the actors’ perceived domestic and international legitimacy can produce four policy strategies concerning their entrance to peace negotiations: status quo, advocacy, internationalization, and revisionism.
Likewise, two hypotheses are suggested to explain how (de-)legitimation dynamics can influence the actors’ policy strategies throughout negotiation processes. Both are based on the existence of a legitimacy gap (LG), which is a function of the perceived legitimacy of each of the parties and the relation between them. The research postulates, firstly, that the broader the LG between the conflictual actors, the less their policy strategies reflect a willingness to reach an NPS. In addition, a second hypothesis proposes that the narrower the LG between the conflictual actors, the more their policy strategies reflect a willingness to reach an NPS.
Finally, once the peace negotiations end, the research examines the actors’ return to the different alternatives of policy strategies according to their respective calculations of domestic and international legitimacy.
This theoretical framework is implemented in a multi-round case study of an intractable conflict between a sovereign state (Israel) and an ethnonational group seeking self-determination (the PLO). This framework is tested in the analysis of legitimation dynamics before, during, and after the critical junctures of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiated peace processes between 1990 and 2010: the Madrid-Oslo process (1991-1995), the Camp David-Taba process (2000-2001), and the Annapolis process (2007-2008).
In terms of methodology, this research implements a multi-step process tracing. Through the process tracing, we tell the story of the negotiated peace processes through the unfolding development of events, providing evidence for the external and domestic constraints and the consequent reactions of the policymakers. In parallel, concerning the analysis of the legitimation clashes and their subsequent dynamics, the research presents an interpretative analytical model based on three legitimation functions that encompass normative, strategic, and emotional dimensions (appropriateness, consensus and empathy), in an attempt to capture the inter-subjective nature of the actors' perceived legitimacies over time. Data collection for these methods relies on primary sources that describe the processes’ dynamics, prioritizing biographies and secondary sources. In addition, 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants in the negotiation processes between 2018 and 2019.
Incorporating legitimation dynamics in Conflict Resolution, Negotiation Analysis and Peace Studies not only fills in the existing theoretical lacuna but also helps overcome what remains a challenge for the ripeness theory: the moment in peace negotiations when a final deal can be closed. Understanding these dynamics may also yield insights regarding both the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and policy uncertainties such as the manner in which third parties can intervene to promote positive outcomes.
MA Thesis. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2014
This M.A. thesis deals with the subject of international legitimacy which is a topic that has ret... more This M.A. thesis deals with the subject of international legitimacy which is a topic that has returned to the stage of global politics due to the events of the “Arab Spring”. In this context, the Arab League has been frequently regarded as having assumed a prominent legitimation role, however, there is currently no existing theoretical framework in International Relations that allows for the verification of this hypothesis.
In order to contribute to this discussion, this theoretically-inclined research attempts to find an alternative to the ontological, epistemological and methodological confusion that reigns over the dynamics of legitimacy in IR. For this purpose, we address three “Arab Spring” case studies (Egypt, Bahrain and Libya) in order to analyze how the rhetorical strategies of the Arab League influenced the legitimacy of the actors involved and thus the outcomes of these conflicts. We do this by employing a framework which combines process tracing and methods for discourse analysis, including an innovative “International Legitimacy Index” (ILI) as a measuring tool. Throughout the empirical study we demonstrate how the access to the framing brokers of the ACE legitimation factors (Appropriateness, Consensus and Empathy) reveals itself to be the key to success in legitimation battles. The expected findings could lead to novel implications about the role of regional organizations as legitimation sources as well as well as explain factors that govern conflict resolution in current Middle Eastern and global politics.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2014
This M.A. thesis deals with the subject of international legitimacy which is a topic that has ret... more This M.A. thesis deals with the subject of international legitimacy which is a topic that has returned to the stage of global politics due to the events of the “Arab Spring”. In this context, the Arab League has been frequently regarded as having assumed a prominent legitimation role, however, there is currently no existing theoretical framework in International Relations that allows for the verification of this hypothesis.
In order to contribute to this discussion, this theoretically-inclined research attempts to find an alternative to the ontological, epistemological and methodological confusion that reigns over the dynamics of legitimacy in IR. For this purpose, we address three “Arab Spring” case studies (Egypt, Bahrain and Libya) in order to analyze how the rhetorical strategies of the Arab League influenced the legitimacy of the actors involved and thus the outcomes of these conflicts. We do this by employing a framework which combines process tracing and methods for discourse analysis, including an innovative “International Legitimacy Index” (ILI) as a measuring tool. Throughout the empirical study we demonstrate how the access to the framing brokers of the ACE legitimation factors (Appropriateness, Consensus and Empathy) reveals itself to be the key to success in legitimation battles. The expected findings could lead to novel implications about the role of regional organizations as legitimation sources as well as well as explain factors that govern conflict resolution in current Middle Eastern and global politics.
![Research paper thumbnail of Las negociaciones entre el MERCOSUR y la Unión Europea: hacia un Acuerdo de Asociación. ["The negotiations between MERCOSUR and the European Union: Towards an Association Agreement"]. BA Thesis (Montevideo Ort Uruguay, 2009).](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/62918291/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Montevideo Ort University, 2009
El propósito central del presente trabajo de investigación consiste en explicar el proceso de neg... more El propósito central del presente trabajo de investigación consiste en explicar el proceso de negociaciones entablado entre el MERCOSUR y la Unión Europea entre los años 1999 y 2008 hacia un Acuerdo de Asociación Interregional, con el fin de identificar las principales causas que condujeron a su estancamiento y las razones por las cuales no se ha avanzado desde entonces. Se trata de un estudio de caso en el cual se utilizan diversos conceptos y modelos teóricos para realizar una narrativa analítica profunda y meticulosa, con lo cual se responde acerca de la incidencia que han tenido actores e instituciones en el devenir y en los resultados del proceso negociador. A partir del trabajo realizado se concluye que el proceso de negociaciones se vio afectado por una serie de múltiples factores vinculados a los intereses de los actores y la institucionalidad de los bloques regionales, así como también a otras condicionantes externas e intrínsecas al propio desarrollo del proceso. Desde una perspectiva particular, se advierte la especial influencia de la dimensión institucional en los resultados del proceso negociador, a partir de las características intergubernamentales y supranacionales que conforman los bloques. En el caso del MERCOSUR, su institucionalidad laxa e imperfecta - moldeada a partir de los intereses de los actores –se considera uno de los factores determinantes que impidió avanzar en la concreción de una oferta consensuada suficientemente atractiva para la contraparte.
Hacia fines de 2008, la situación relativa a las negociaciones comerciales entre el MERCOSUR y la Unión Europea era muy similar a la que se había dejado cuatro años atrás: no se experimentaron mayores avances ni retrocesos. Una nueva caída de la Ronda de Doha en julio de 2008, sumado a diversos cambios que se están sucediendo en el contexto regional e internacional, parecen volver a captar la atención sobre las posibilidades de retomar las negociaciones en el plano birregional.
![Research paper thumbnail of Las negociaciones entre el MERCOSUR y la Unión Europea: hacia un Acuerdo de Asociación. ["The negotiations between MERCOSUR and the European Union: Towards an Association Agreement"]. BA Thesis (Montevideo Ort Uruguay, 2009).](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/58138325/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](BA Thesis. Montevideo Ort Uruguay, 2009
El propósito central del presente trabajo de investigación consiste en explicar el proceso de neg... more El propósito central del presente trabajo de investigación consiste en explicar el proceso de negociaciones entablado entre el MERCOSUR y la Unión Europea entre los años 1999 y 2008 hacia un Acuerdo de Asociación Interregional, con el fin de identificar las principales causas que condujeron a su estancamiento y las razones por las cuales no se ha avanzado desde entonces. Se trata de un estudio de caso en el cual se utilizan diversos conceptos y modelos teóricos para realizar una narrativa analítica profunda y meticulosa, con lo cual se responde acerca de la incidencia que han tenido actores e instituciones en el devenir y en los resultados del proceso negociador. A partir del trabajo realizado se concluye que el proceso de negociaciones se vio afectado por una serie de múltiples factores vinculados a los intereses de los actores y la institucionalidad de los bloques regionales, así como también a otras condicionantes externas e intrínsecas al propio desarrollo del proceso. Desde una perspectiva particular, se advierte la especial influencia de la dimensión institucional en los resultados del proceso negociador, a partir de las características intergubernamentales y supranacionales que conforman los bloques. En el caso del MERCOSUR, su institucionalidad laxa e imperfecta - moldeada a partir de los intereses de los actores –se considera uno de los factores determinantes que impidió avanzar en la concreción de una oferta consensuada suficientemente atractiva para la contraparte.
Hacia fines de 2008, la situación relativa a las negociaciones comerciales entre el MERCOSUR y la Unión Europea era muy similar a la que se había dejado cuatro años atrás: no se experimentaron mayores avances ni retrocesos. Una nueva caída de la Ronda de Doha en julio de 2008, sumado a diversos cambios que se están sucediendo en el contexto regional e internacional, parecen volver a captar la atención sobre las posibilidades de retomar las negociaciones en el plano birregional.
Routledge Handbook on Israel's Foreign Relations (forthcoming), 2023
This essay explores the evolution of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin America, w... more This essay explores the evolution of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin America, with a particular focus on the ways the dynamics of their relations has been affected by a reciprocal (though asymmetrical) search for legitimation and recognition; economic cooperation and development; and power and influence. Special attention is devoted to identifying the underlying patterns that characterized the gradual development of diplomatic links as well as the elements that have influenced the shifts experienced over seven decades of international interactions. The essay refers in general to the relations between Israel and the region, as well as to specific examples from key Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela.
British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 2022
This paper aims to contribute to the growing academic debate on the transnational drivers and pat... more This paper aims to contribute to the growing academic debate on the transnational drivers and patterns of contemporary populism. As populist leaderships expand both politically and geographically, the very nature of the populist phenomenon is changing, as it is increasingly being projected on the international stage. Contemporary populist leaders show a growing willingness to transfer the discursive construction of a struggle between 'the people' and 'the elites' to the regional and global levels as a way of obtaining internal and external legitimation. In so doing, they exploit the symbiotic two-level game that links national and international (de-)legitimation dynamics, seeking to gain 'abroad' the kind of legitimacy that they cannot obtain 'at home'. This paper suggests three mechanisms that explain the populist 'way out' from various legitimation traps based on the traditional distinctions between input, throughput, and output legitimacy. The paper's argument is illustrated with reference to prototypical cases of populism in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The incorporation of the literature on international legitimacy enhances our understanding of the strategic activation of populist attitudes through the transnational articulation of empty signifiers, the global diffusion of this phenomenon, and the possibilities for its contestation and mitigation.
The Palgrave Handbook of Populism
This chapter seeks to further our understanding of the populist phenomenon by surveying state-of-... more This chapter seeks to further our understanding of the populist phenomenon by surveying state-of-the-art research on the global dimension of populism. The very idea of ‘global populism,’ however, remains puzzling. What is truly ‘global’ about the current populist momentum? Moreover, in what way are these global political trends ‘populist’? The present chapter explores the expanding academic output on global populism, analyzing the scientific progress achieved according to three different categories: sources, patterns, and effects. The first section is devoted to explanations of populism's appearance on the world stage and how it became a global phenomenon. The second section discusses research evidence regarding the implementation of populist patterns ‘abroad’: how populist performances are ‘staged’ on the international scene. The third section delves into the literature evaluating the potential impact of populism on the international system; particularly, how populist trends may affect transnational, regional, and global spheres. Finally, the concluding remarks discuss the extent to which scientific progress has been made, while suggesting topics and methodologies that may improve the study of global populism in the future. The chapter draws critical lessons for emerging academic engagement with the transnational dimensions of populism, as well as relevant policy implications for international cooperation, regional integration, and global governance.
Team Populism edited volume on "The Ideational Approach to Populism: Consequences and Mitigation", Cambridge University Press (final draft)
This chapter delves into the ways in which populist leaderships that have government control (i.e... more This chapter delves into the ways in which populist leaderships that have government control (i.e. populist governments), conduct their legitimation strategies on the international scene. Struggles over legitimacy have traditionally been intrinsic to the drivers, patterns and impact of populism, and the dynamics of legitimization and de-legitimization are particularly relevant once populists take power. However, the theoretical frameworks of populism and legitimacy have barely been integrated, and populist strategies of international (de-)legitimation have been largely ignored.
Hence, by adopting an ideational approach to the dynamics of populist legitimation, this chapter explores why and how contemporary populist governments try to legitimize themselves abroad. Indeed, the last two decades have seen a developing consensus among scholars that the core of the populist concept is the ideational (re)construction of a permanent struggle between ‘the people’ and ‘elites’ (Hawkins et al 2018; Mudde 2004:543-5; Wiesehomeier et al, this volume). It has been widely studied how populists articulate these ‘empty signifiers’ (Laclau 2005; Panizza 2005) and how domestic audiences are more or less prone to be attracted and activated by this type of discourse (Hawkins, Riding, and Mudde 2012; Hawkins, Rovira-Kaltwasser, and Andreadis 2018). In this sense, incorporating theoretical frameworks for studying (de)legitimation strategies could be of special help in understanding populists who design a particular strategy to reach specific audiences.
This initiative is even more relevant since the dynamic process of ideational reconstruction between leaders and followers is increasingly projected on the international scene. Contemporary populist governments show a growing willingness to transfer the discursive antagonism between ‘the people’ and ‘elites’ on the regional and global spheres (Wajner 2019b). The recent ‘discovery’ of the rise of illiberal democracies internationally has shown how scholars of populism largely overlooked its external dimensions, as well as the lack of interest that for decades characterized IR scholars towards populism as a category of political analysis. Certainly, the academic debate of recent years on the ‘global’ features of populism has made a valuable contribution in developing initial theoretical links (e.g. Destradi and Plagemann 2019; Drezner 2017; Hadiz and Chryssogelos 2017; Stengel, MacDonald and Nabers 2019; Verbeek and Zazlove 2017; Voeten 2019). Yet a closer study of how populist discourse is activated through the international arena is necessary for a better understanding of populism.
The chapter is organized as follows. The first section introduces the rationale for a theoretical exchange between populism and legitimacy. The second section explains populists’ growing quest for legitimation on the international scene, suggesting three explanations for this trend. The third section identifies multiple international (de-)legitimation strategies by populists based on three legitimation functions these perform. The chapter concludes by discussing the findings, assessing their potential contribution and suggesting new avenues for research on populist legitimization.
Grassroots Diplomacy in Battles for Legitimacy: The Transnational Advocacy Network for the Brazilian Recognition of the Palestinian State, Mar 2017
Few grassroots-based coalitions from a " peripheral " region have affected high international pol... more Few grassroots-based coalitions from a " peripheral " region have affected high international politics to the degree of creating a global domino effect. However, the process that led to Brazil's declaration of Palestinian state recognition on 3 December 2010, followed by regional and worldwide echoes of similar actions, provides a pertinent illustration. This analysis examines the winding road to the declaration, focusing on the domestic circumstances that conditioned this Brazilian policy. Using process tracing and content analysis techniques, it describes how a pro-Palestinian Transnational Advocacy Network grew in its degree of institutionalisation, political access, and popular mobilisation, managing to constrain Brazilian policy-makers’ preferences. The findings suggest some novel insights about the changing nature of diplomacy and the role of civil societies in the “Battles for Legitimacy” that characterise contemporary global politics.
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Diplomacy and Statecraft on March 2017, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09592296.2017.1275521
Full quote: Wajner, Daniel F. "Grassroots Diplomacy in Battles for Legitimacy: The Transnational Advocacy Network for the Brazilian Recognition of the Palestinian State." Diplomacy & Statecraft 28.1 (2017): 128-151.
Regional & Federal Studies, 2018
The topic of international legitimacy has returned to centre stage during the Arab Spring, in whi... more The topic of international legitimacy has returned to centre stage during the Arab Spring, in which the Arab League has apparently assumed a prominent legitimation role. Although some scholarship has studied how international organizations are decisive in legitimizing actors and their actions during conflicts, relatively scant attention has been focused at constructing a comprehensive analytical framework for this kind of assessment that could be also applied to regional organizations (ROs). This paper proposes that when actors are involved in battles over international legitimation, analysing their access to the socially identified brokers of three legitimation functions (appropriateness, consensus, and empathy) is key to assess their success. Particularly, we argue that relevant identity-based ROs may have a crucial legitimizing role by operating as brokers of regional consensus. For this purpose, two case studies – Bahrain and Libya – illustrate how the Arab League’s brokerage influenced the legitimation of the actors involved and their outcomes. The findings suggest novel implications about the decisive legitimizing impact of regionalism on conflict resolution.
Latin American Research Review, 2019
This article suggests that transnational motives have remained key components of legitimation str... more This article suggests that transnational motives have remained key components of legitimation strategies for regional realignment in Latin America. Specifically, we assess the legitimation strategy of the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and the associated political movement, Chavismo, as a recent case of transnational identity politics. Studies of Chavismo have stressed its role in the changing balance of power in early twenty-first-century Venezuela and the redrafting of global alliances, through a series of organizational moves and petrodollars. Combined with these political and economic boosters, Chavismo's impact was sustained through a strategy that sought legitimation by drawing on earlier narratives of the solidarity of "Nuestramérica" (Our America), used in reshaping transnational networks within the region and beyond. This identity layer provided a basis for regional and international realignment and organizational creation, even if more recently it lost traction and became criticized for its unfulfilled promises and growing gap between rhetoric and implementation. Este artículo sugiere que la dimensión transnacional es un componente clave de las estrategias de legitimación para el realineamiento de estados y movimientos sociales en América Latina. Analizamos la estrategia de legitimación del expresidente venezolano Hugo Chávez y de los movimientos políticos aliados como un caso reciente de política identitaria transnacional. Previos estudios del chavismo se han enfocado en el cambiante equilibrio de poder en Venezuela a principios del siglo XXI y la elaboración de nuevas alianzas globales, a través de una serie de acciones institucionales y el uso de petrodólares. Combinado con tales catalizadores políticos y económicos, su impacto fue sustentado a través de una estrategia que construyó sobre la base de narrativas preexistentes un discurso de Nuestramericana solidaridad, utilizado para la remodelación de redes transnacionales dentro y fuera de la región. Dicho estrato identitario sirvió para el realineamiento regional e internacional y la construcción institucional, si bien recientemente ha entrado en una etapa de desaceleración a medida que perdió tracción y fuese criticado debido a promesas incumplidas y su creciente brecha entre retórica e implementación. This article assesses the regional legitimation strategies of the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and the political movement associated with him, analyzing it as a recent case of transnational identity politics in Latin America. It claims that transnational themes, grievances, and expectations have continued to play a key role in identity politics and international relations in the region. Focusing on the case of Chavismo-that is, the political project, movement, and regime led by Chávez and his regional allies and successors-it reconstructs the rise and partial erosion of an encompassing narrative of transnational, "Nuestramerican" solidarity and its political implications for regional dynamics. Although much has been written about the political history and structure of Chavismo (Ellner), less attention has been devoted to an equally crucial aspect of its soft-balancing strategy: how the discursive strategies used to enhance legitimacy and pursue a regional and global
Foreign Policy Analysis
Most IR scholars attribute changes in foreign-policy strategic planning to shifts in interests, c... more Most IR scholars attribute changes in foreign-policy strategic planning to shifts in interests, capabilities, alliances, norms, knowledge, and context. Even those studies focusing on social learning as a driver for policy change mostly underestimate the role of international legitimacy dynamics in influencing learning processes. This paper seeks to bridge the gap between theory and practice by building on David Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning to address the Gaza Flotilla crisis as a paradigmatic case of legitimacy learning. This tragic incident, which occurred in May 2010, deepened the diplomatic crisis between Israel and Turkey, until their official reconciliation in June 2016. Likewise, it led to growing delegitimization of Israel among several global audiences. Having internalized the magnitude of the political damage that this incident caused and the need to subordinate operational decisions to legitimation considerations, Israel sought to tackle similar future chall...
International Studies Quarterly
How can we explain the dynamics of nonconventional struggles such as the Gaza flotilla case of Ma... more How can we explain the dynamics of nonconventional struggles such as the Gaza flotilla case of May 2010? Most international relations scholars analyze international disputes using a “chess logic,” according to which the actors seek to outmaneuver their opponents on the battleground. However, an increasing number of clashes are guided by a “performance logic”: although the players interact with one another, their real targets are audiences. The present study aims to bridge this gap, proposing a phenomenological framework for analyzing this particular kind of performative contest over legitimation and delegitimation in contemporary conflicts. It expands upon the idea that current anarchical global politics increasingly lead contending actors to engage in “pure” legitimation struggles—“battles for legitimacy”—seeking to persuade international audiences that they deserve political support. After providing guidelines for the identification of these phenomena, this article presents a mode...
International Studies Quarterly, 2020
What are the implications of hard economic times for regional economic cooperation? Existing rese... more What are the implications of hard economic times for regional economic cooperation? Existing research is sharply divided on the answer to this question. Some studies suggest that economic crises encourage governments to strengthen their regional institutions, but others indicate that they lead to decreasing investment in such initiatives. Both sides overlook the possibility that the passage of time conditions these relationships, however. We aim to bridge these opposing perspectives by distinguishing between short-term and long-term effects of economic hard times on institutionalized regional cooperation. We argue that in the short-term economic crises impede regional institutionalization due to protectionist pressures, nationalistic public sentiments, and political instability. This effect is reversed in the longer-term, as interest groups and the public adopt more favorable attitudes towards regional economic organizations (REOs) and governments employ these institutions to demonstrate their competence and to improve economic conditions. We evaluate this argument in relations to regional institutionalization, which refers to the functional scope and structure of REOs. Using a data set that contains information on this dimension for thirty REOs over four decades, we find strong support for the theoretical framework: regional institutionalization remains stagnant in the immediate aftermath of economic crises, but increases in subsequent years.
External Powers in Latin America (ed. Gian Luca Gardini, Routledge, "Europa Regional Perspectives" series, forthcoming), 2021
This chapter examines the evolution of the relationship between Israel and Latin America in gener... more This chapter examines the evolution of the relationship between Israel and Latin America in general and with specific countries in the region in particular. The 21st century has witnessed the adoption of very antagonistic and very emphatic positions towards Israel by several important Latin American countries. Following a succinct review of the gradual development of diplomatic stances since the adoption of the United Nation Partition Plan for Palestine of 29 November 1947 until the beginning of the new millennium, the analysis focuses upon the shifts that have taken place in the past decade. The chapter attempts to explain why there was a surge in Israel-Latin America relations, in which countries and sectors this surge is mostly felt, what is the Latin American perspective on the deepening of relations with Israel, and what are the actual results on the ground. The chapter focuses on what has changed in the relations between Israel and Latin America and why. Among the varying explanations, the decline of relevance of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the systemic change in the structure of the post-Cold War era, Israel's economic and technological clout, religious changes in Latin America, and domestic political cleavages in the region are particularly relevant.