Matthew Kolasa - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Conference Presentations by Matthew Kolasa

ISA Virtual, 2024

Constitutional courts are guardrails of democracy, entrusted with protecting and defending the co... more Constitutional courts are guardrails of democracy, entrusted with protecting and defending the country’s constitution, but are fallible because courts may themselves suffer subversion from the political branches of government. While some countries have courts dedicated to the protection and interpretation of the constitution, others, such as the United States, have assigned this responsibility to the top appellate court. Recent events in countries where the courts responsible for interpretation of the constitution have protected against threats to democracy in the past, such as in Poland, illustrate the need to understand the interplay between political forces and these courts. When courts in general, and courts responsible for the constitution in particular, come under political control, they lose the ability to check efforts by the executive and legislative branches to usurp power and violate rights. This paper asks under what circumstances political forces within democratic polities subvert courts responsible for the interpretation of constitutions. Why are some of these courts being coopted through reduced judicial independence and/or jurisdiction while others are able to withstand the challenges? Are courts with appellate jurisdiction, not solely constitutional jurisdiction, better able to withstand political pressure?

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA International Conference, Ifrane, 2020

China is the largest economy to join the WTO in the 21st century. Scholars have disagreed on Chin... more China is the largest economy to join the WTO in the 21st century. Scholars have disagreed on China’s role in the organization and how China would affect it, as a passive player, an agenda setter, or a strategic asserter of rights. This paper argues China adapted slowly to using the Dispute Settlement Body to assert its rights against violations of trade rules in the early years of its membership but has since evolved into a strategic player that has grown increasingly assertive through its use of litigation at the organization. China needed time to develop domestic legal expertise in WTO litigation practice and has since shed its early reticence toward litigation, becoming the organization’s most active developing nation and third most active member in recent years. The paper will further claim while politics have played a role in China’s WTO strategy, a gradual trend toward a rules-based approach has developed, as shown by China’s record of activity in the organization’s Dispute Settlement Body. However, recent changes in the trade environment from regional trade agreements, a new US administration, the Belt and Road initiative, and China’s movement up the value chain have created new uncertainties about China’s relationship with the WTO.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA Annual Convention Honolulu, 2020

The paper compares trends in educational backgrounds in elected national legislative bodies in Af... more The paper compares trends in educational backgrounds in elected national legislative bodies in Africa. The study collects and codes education/ and training of legislators across democracies, flawed democracies, and hybrid systems. It identifies how field of training and level of education correlate with the strength of legislatures and democracies. Patterns in the backgrounds of legislators are identified, several possible mechanisms and implications are considered, and suggestions for future research are proposed.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA Midwest Conference St. Louis, 2019

This paper puts Russian foreign policy in historical context. It posits Russia, rather than being... more This paper puts Russian foreign policy in historical context. It posits Russia, rather than being a disruptor intent on overturning the established European order, is instead intent on slowing or reversing the change in world order brought about by the fall of the Warsaw Pact and USSR. Shifting Moscow’s direct influence a thousand miles east has transformed vassal states and territorial conquests into westward-facing pivots and members of the North Atlantic military and economic apparatus. One can interpret Russia’s response to this turn of events as one of nineteenth-century European conservatism rather than an attempt to reimagine the global balance of power. This interpretation also helps to explain the lackluster reaction to Russia’s actions and an acquiescence to Russian incursions in Georgia and Ukraine and actions elsewhere in Europe. What makes Kremlin foreign policy difficult for some in the west to predict and react to is not its goals, but its methods. Rejection of international law, institutions, and sovereignty while resorting to tactics that expose vulnerabilities in more open countries have allowed Moscow to enjoy remarkable foreign policy victories despite a weakening position in the international order. The paper concludes with thoughts on Russia’s long-term foreign policy objectives and likely future actions.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA Midwest Conference St. Louis, 2019

Analysts have long studied the role of pivot states, countries between spheres of influence. What... more Analysts have long studied the role of pivot states, countries between spheres of influence. What options exist for pivot states to switch alignments varies across pivots. Flexibility in its position in military and trading blocs varies greatly across pivots. Ukraine and Georgia have encountered war with a great power as they sought to change their orientations westward. Korea, by contrast, has enjoyed greater room for maneuver in its region. This paper identifies pivots that have sought to change their alignments from one great power to another and considers how much autonomy these states have in determining their futures.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA Northeast Conference Providence, 2019

International trade regulation has generally favored open trade policies but GATT/WTO exceptions ... more International trade regulation has generally favored open trade policies but GATT/WTO exceptions are designed to promote environmentally friendly industries and policies that would otherwise violate trade rules. This study examines how the World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Body has approached environmental exceptions in practice by analyzing key appellate body decisions over the history of the GATT/WTO system. Despite stated goals to promote sustainability, the way the Dispute Settlement Body has interpreted complaints has in some cases limited members' options for promotion of environmental policies. The paper in particular compares early environmental cases with the 'India Solar Cells' case, in which India argued a nascent solar industry in a developing country merited a protectionist exception. Empirical results of DSB decisions have shown an attempt to balance free trade with provisions meant to provide dispensations, with mixed results. The paper then puts WTO rulings in context with other multilateral treaties affecting the environment.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA/APSA Annual Security Conference, Korbel School, Denver, 2019, 2019

A resurgent Russia has renewed discussion of NATO strategy toward the Baltic States and Poland. A... more A resurgent Russia has renewed discussion of NATO strategy toward the Baltic States and Poland. Analysts have in particular identified strategic weakness in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This paper analyzes Article 5 treaty obligations, official statements on alliance collective defense policy, and what deterrence and response strategies have been prepared and implemented in practice for the possibility of a conventional or hybrid attack from the east. A rekindled debate over limited war between superpowers and the graduated employment of force is applied to the present study. Implicit in the discussion is a concept of 'layered' protection by the alliance, a state that belies NATO deterrence capacity as the organization expands and the regional security environment grows increasingly uncertain.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA/APSA Annual Security Conference, Korbel School, Denver, 2019

Strong relations between the current Polish and Hungarian governments rest on similar ideologies ... more Strong relations between the current Polish and Hungarian governments rest on similar ideologies and skepticism toward the European Union. The countries' foreign policies toward Russia, however, are diametrically opposed. This paper proffers three factors influencing the divergent policies. These factors are personal, historical, and geo-strategic. The paper also describes why aligned goals in Europe overwhelm any friction the divergent approaches to Russia might otherwise cause.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA West Conference Pasadena, 2019

Ukraine has made a clear decision to seek greater integration with the EU despite war and loss of... more Ukraine has made a clear decision to seek greater integration with the EU despite war and loss of territorial integrity. The EU reaction, given these complications, has been ambivalent. Some argue Ukraine's current challenges render EU accession ill-advised or even impossible. This paper assesses the current situation and identifies several possible paths Kiev may take in relation to the EU and Russia. While Ukraine's place in Europe is partly out of its control and dependent on action or inaction in Brussels and Moscow, its government nonetheless has several possible approaches regarding trade, defense, and foreign policy. It is at this inflection point Ukraine will determine its future.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA South Conference Memphis, 2019

“Tell me your central Europe and I will tell you who you are,” wrote historian Timothy Garton Ash... more “Tell me your central Europe and I will tell you who you are,” wrote historian Timothy Garton Ash in 1999. Central Europe has evolved over time as a social, cultural, and political concept in the imaginations of citizens of the region and outside observers. The term’s evolution has seen distinct phases, from German concepts of Mitteleuropa, to the struggle to escape the Kremlin’s sphere of influence, to an aspiration toward joining the EU and the league of advanced western economies. Even the region’s borders have evolved. In recent years, Central Europe has developed a new definition based on yet another political idea. Parties on the right in countries like Poland and Hungary have sought to distinguish their nations from Western Europe by asserting a politically, culturally, and socially distinct identity. Observers have variously called this change a defense of European values and assertion of sovereign rights or called it an excuse to turn away from EU membership obligations or even from liberal democracy. This paper traces the history of Central Europe as a concept and unravels the paradoxes of the region’s evolving self-perception as a bloc and complex relationship with the European project as a region between east and west.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

International Studies Association West Conference Pasadena, 2019

This paper analyzes the effect of the departure of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partn... more This paper analyzes the effect of the departure of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-11) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Some have called US departure from the TPP a geopolitical victory for China as a dominant trading power in the region. However, the effect of the US on TPP negotiations remained despite the removal of some provisions favored by the US. The rapid renegotiation of the TPP without the Americans has surprised some analysts and will have a major effect on the region. This paper identifies the continued effects of the US and the original TPP on the TPP-11 and the RCEP as well as trends in international trade regulation as a whole. It shows while American disengagement from the Asia-Pacific region has changed the trade dynamic, China nonetheless faces challenges and has a complicated place in the rapidly changing regional trading system.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Sofia University, Bulgaria, 2019

Territorial defense forces (TDF) are a growing phenomenon in Europe as territorial security retur... more Territorial defense forces (TDF) are a growing phenomenon in Europe as territorial security returns to the fore of defense policy in parts of Europe. Perceptions of increasingly uncertain alliances and a resurgent Russia have become dominant in security circles and thus have altered strategic plans. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, and Ukraine have all adopted territorial defense as part of their security strategies for use against conventional attacks and hybrid warfare, though different countries employ them in different contexts and different modes of embedding them into national defense plans. This comparative study identifies the origins and roles of TDF organizations and how they have evolved since the twentieth century. It also considers their political context and risks regarding their use.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Book Reviews by Matthew Kolasa

Law and Politics Book Review, 2024

It is difficult to contribute something new to a topic as exhaustively explored as the relationsh... more It is difficult to contribute something new to a topic as exhaustively explored as the relationship between the United States and international law, but that is exactly what Lucrecia García Iommi and Richard W. Maass achieve in this coherent and carefully researched edited volume. An update to reflect new developments and careful treatment of debates from an impressive group of authors renders a book greater than the sum of its 15 contributors’ chapters. The central puzzle is the paradoxical role of the US as a leader in international law for more than a century while jealously guarding its sovereignty, claiming an exceptional role as a guardian of law that sometimes appears to sit above the law as a Hobbesian leviathan.
The editors organize the chapters by focusing on five dimensions of support for international law: leadership, consent, internalization, compliance, and enforcement.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

E-International Relations, 2024

Leaders do not ignore reality but challenge it. The book is a history, a guide for leaders, and ... more Leaders do not ignore reality but challenge it. The book is a history, a guide for leaders, and a comparative foreign policy analysis opening the black box of foreign policy decision-making. Kissinger looks at some of the same events focusing on the perspectives of different leaders. Leadership can interest a wide audience beyond those interested in international relations as a lesson in how to lead and prod the possible with a sense of civic duty and learned thoughtfulness. The leaders analyzed are notable in the diversity of strategies they deployed, styles they brought with them, and political realities that confronted them. The lesson is to dare greatly, but not too much. This may sound unsatisfying, but that is the point. Leadership is difficult. The world’s wicked problems are complex. While there are no easy answers, a deeper, considered approach to what was and can be will bring us to the edge of the possible and realize a nation’s potential.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Journal of the Early Republic, 2024

James K. Polk receives far less attention than his peers shortly before or after his presidency. ... more James K. Polk receives far less attention than his peers shortly before or after his presidency. This alone is reason to welcome this sweeping volume on one of the most consequential early US presidents, one whose legacy continues to influence, particularly in foreign policy. This collection moves beyond biography to put the complexities of Polk and his presidency in context, identifying its origins and influence on American government and policy. It highlights the experiences not only of leaders but those Polk affected, including victims of slavery.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

LSE Review of Books, 2022

In Russian Grand Strategy in the Era of Global Power Competition, editor Andrew Monaghan brings t... more In Russian Grand Strategy in the Era of Global Power Competition, editor Andrew Monaghan brings together contributors to explore the military, political and economic features of Russian foreign policy. This book will be a useful starting point for researchers, policymakers, students of history and politics and all those looking to understand Russia’s long-term goals and sense of its place in the evolving world order.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Journal of Global South Studies, 2019

Review of Africapitalism: Rethinking the Role of Business in Africa, edited by Kenneth Amaeshi, A... more Review of Africapitalism: Rethinking the Role of Business in Africa, edited by Kenneth Amaeshi, Adun Okupe, and Uwafiokun Idemudia, Cambridge University Press 2018.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Reviews in History, 2019

This review critiques Nathan Marcus' Austrian Reconstruction and the Collapse of Global Finance, ... more This review critiques Nathan Marcus' Austrian Reconstruction and the Collapse of Global Finance, 1921-1931. The review evaluates the author's analysis of financial archives to identify the causes and effects of Austrian hyperinflation and its bailouts. The review critiques the author's comparison of the Austrian bailouts to the Greek bailout of the 2010s.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Fair Observer, 2018

This review of Madeleine Albright's Fascism: A Warning evaluate's the author's putting current po... more This review of Madeleine Albright's Fascism: A Warning evaluate's the author's putting current political trends in historical context.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Fair Observer, 2018

This review evaluates Timothy Snyder's contemporary history book The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, E... more This review evaluates Timothy Snyder's contemporary history book The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe America. The review considers the book's theoretical and historical arguments and its explanation of recent politics and international relations since 2014.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA Virtual, 2024

Constitutional courts are guardrails of democracy, entrusted with protecting and defending the co... more Constitutional courts are guardrails of democracy, entrusted with protecting and defending the country’s constitution, but are fallible because courts may themselves suffer subversion from the political branches of government. While some countries have courts dedicated to the protection and interpretation of the constitution, others, such as the United States, have assigned this responsibility to the top appellate court. Recent events in countries where the courts responsible for interpretation of the constitution have protected against threats to democracy in the past, such as in Poland, illustrate the need to understand the interplay between political forces and these courts. When courts in general, and courts responsible for the constitution in particular, come under political control, they lose the ability to check efforts by the executive and legislative branches to usurp power and violate rights. This paper asks under what circumstances political forces within democratic polities subvert courts responsible for the interpretation of constitutions. Why are some of these courts being coopted through reduced judicial independence and/or jurisdiction while others are able to withstand the challenges? Are courts with appellate jurisdiction, not solely constitutional jurisdiction, better able to withstand political pressure?

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA International Conference, Ifrane, 2020

China is the largest economy to join the WTO in the 21st century. Scholars have disagreed on Chin... more China is the largest economy to join the WTO in the 21st century. Scholars have disagreed on China’s role in the organization and how China would affect it, as a passive player, an agenda setter, or a strategic asserter of rights. This paper argues China adapted slowly to using the Dispute Settlement Body to assert its rights against violations of trade rules in the early years of its membership but has since evolved into a strategic player that has grown increasingly assertive through its use of litigation at the organization. China needed time to develop domestic legal expertise in WTO litigation practice and has since shed its early reticence toward litigation, becoming the organization’s most active developing nation and third most active member in recent years. The paper will further claim while politics have played a role in China’s WTO strategy, a gradual trend toward a rules-based approach has developed, as shown by China’s record of activity in the organization’s Dispute Settlement Body. However, recent changes in the trade environment from regional trade agreements, a new US administration, the Belt and Road initiative, and China’s movement up the value chain have created new uncertainties about China’s relationship with the WTO.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA Annual Convention Honolulu, 2020

The paper compares trends in educational backgrounds in elected national legislative bodies in Af... more The paper compares trends in educational backgrounds in elected national legislative bodies in Africa. The study collects and codes education/ and training of legislators across democracies, flawed democracies, and hybrid systems. It identifies how field of training and level of education correlate with the strength of legislatures and democracies. Patterns in the backgrounds of legislators are identified, several possible mechanisms and implications are considered, and suggestions for future research are proposed.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA Midwest Conference St. Louis, 2019

This paper puts Russian foreign policy in historical context. It posits Russia, rather than being... more This paper puts Russian foreign policy in historical context. It posits Russia, rather than being a disruptor intent on overturning the established European order, is instead intent on slowing or reversing the change in world order brought about by the fall of the Warsaw Pact and USSR. Shifting Moscow’s direct influence a thousand miles east has transformed vassal states and territorial conquests into westward-facing pivots and members of the North Atlantic military and economic apparatus. One can interpret Russia’s response to this turn of events as one of nineteenth-century European conservatism rather than an attempt to reimagine the global balance of power. This interpretation also helps to explain the lackluster reaction to Russia’s actions and an acquiescence to Russian incursions in Georgia and Ukraine and actions elsewhere in Europe. What makes Kremlin foreign policy difficult for some in the west to predict and react to is not its goals, but its methods. Rejection of international law, institutions, and sovereignty while resorting to tactics that expose vulnerabilities in more open countries have allowed Moscow to enjoy remarkable foreign policy victories despite a weakening position in the international order. The paper concludes with thoughts on Russia’s long-term foreign policy objectives and likely future actions.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA Midwest Conference St. Louis, 2019

Analysts have long studied the role of pivot states, countries between spheres of influence. What... more Analysts have long studied the role of pivot states, countries between spheres of influence. What options exist for pivot states to switch alignments varies across pivots. Flexibility in its position in military and trading blocs varies greatly across pivots. Ukraine and Georgia have encountered war with a great power as they sought to change their orientations westward. Korea, by contrast, has enjoyed greater room for maneuver in its region. This paper identifies pivots that have sought to change their alignments from one great power to another and considers how much autonomy these states have in determining their futures.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA Northeast Conference Providence, 2019

International trade regulation has generally favored open trade policies but GATT/WTO exceptions ... more International trade regulation has generally favored open trade policies but GATT/WTO exceptions are designed to promote environmentally friendly industries and policies that would otherwise violate trade rules. This study examines how the World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Body has approached environmental exceptions in practice by analyzing key appellate body decisions over the history of the GATT/WTO system. Despite stated goals to promote sustainability, the way the Dispute Settlement Body has interpreted complaints has in some cases limited members' options for promotion of environmental policies. The paper in particular compares early environmental cases with the 'India Solar Cells' case, in which India argued a nascent solar industry in a developing country merited a protectionist exception. Empirical results of DSB decisions have shown an attempt to balance free trade with provisions meant to provide dispensations, with mixed results. The paper then puts WTO rulings in context with other multilateral treaties affecting the environment.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA/APSA Annual Security Conference, Korbel School, Denver, 2019, 2019

A resurgent Russia has renewed discussion of NATO strategy toward the Baltic States and Poland. A... more A resurgent Russia has renewed discussion of NATO strategy toward the Baltic States and Poland. Analysts have in particular identified strategic weakness in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This paper analyzes Article 5 treaty obligations, official statements on alliance collective defense policy, and what deterrence and response strategies have been prepared and implemented in practice for the possibility of a conventional or hybrid attack from the east. A rekindled debate over limited war between superpowers and the graduated employment of force is applied to the present study. Implicit in the discussion is a concept of 'layered' protection by the alliance, a state that belies NATO deterrence capacity as the organization expands and the regional security environment grows increasingly uncertain.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA/APSA Annual Security Conference, Korbel School, Denver, 2019

Strong relations between the current Polish and Hungarian governments rest on similar ideologies ... more Strong relations between the current Polish and Hungarian governments rest on similar ideologies and skepticism toward the European Union. The countries' foreign policies toward Russia, however, are diametrically opposed. This paper proffers three factors influencing the divergent policies. These factors are personal, historical, and geo-strategic. The paper also describes why aligned goals in Europe overwhelm any friction the divergent approaches to Russia might otherwise cause.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA West Conference Pasadena, 2019

Ukraine has made a clear decision to seek greater integration with the EU despite war and loss of... more Ukraine has made a clear decision to seek greater integration with the EU despite war and loss of territorial integrity. The EU reaction, given these complications, has been ambivalent. Some argue Ukraine's current challenges render EU accession ill-advised or even impossible. This paper assesses the current situation and identifies several possible paths Kiev may take in relation to the EU and Russia. While Ukraine's place in Europe is partly out of its control and dependent on action or inaction in Brussels and Moscow, its government nonetheless has several possible approaches regarding trade, defense, and foreign policy. It is at this inflection point Ukraine will determine its future.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

ISA South Conference Memphis, 2019

“Tell me your central Europe and I will tell you who you are,” wrote historian Timothy Garton Ash... more “Tell me your central Europe and I will tell you who you are,” wrote historian Timothy Garton Ash in 1999. Central Europe has evolved over time as a social, cultural, and political concept in the imaginations of citizens of the region and outside observers. The term’s evolution has seen distinct phases, from German concepts of Mitteleuropa, to the struggle to escape the Kremlin’s sphere of influence, to an aspiration toward joining the EU and the league of advanced western economies. Even the region’s borders have evolved. In recent years, Central Europe has developed a new definition based on yet another political idea. Parties on the right in countries like Poland and Hungary have sought to distinguish their nations from Western Europe by asserting a politically, culturally, and socially distinct identity. Observers have variously called this change a defense of European values and assertion of sovereign rights or called it an excuse to turn away from EU membership obligations or even from liberal democracy. This paper traces the history of Central Europe as a concept and unravels the paradoxes of the region’s evolving self-perception as a bloc and complex relationship with the European project as a region between east and west.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

International Studies Association West Conference Pasadena, 2019

This paper analyzes the effect of the departure of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partn... more This paper analyzes the effect of the departure of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-11) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Some have called US departure from the TPP a geopolitical victory for China as a dominant trading power in the region. However, the effect of the US on TPP negotiations remained despite the removal of some provisions favored by the US. The rapid renegotiation of the TPP without the Americans has surprised some analysts and will have a major effect on the region. This paper identifies the continued effects of the US and the original TPP on the TPP-11 and the RCEP as well as trends in international trade regulation as a whole. It shows while American disengagement from the Asia-Pacific region has changed the trade dynamic, China nonetheless faces challenges and has a complicated place in the rapidly changing regional trading system.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Sofia University, Bulgaria, 2019

Territorial defense forces (TDF) are a growing phenomenon in Europe as territorial security retur... more Territorial defense forces (TDF) are a growing phenomenon in Europe as territorial security returns to the fore of defense policy in parts of Europe. Perceptions of increasingly uncertain alliances and a resurgent Russia have become dominant in security circles and thus have altered strategic plans. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, and Ukraine have all adopted territorial defense as part of their security strategies for use against conventional attacks and hybrid warfare, though different countries employ them in different contexts and different modes of embedding them into national defense plans. This comparative study identifies the origins and roles of TDF organizations and how they have evolved since the twentieth century. It also considers their political context and risks regarding their use.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Law and Politics Book Review, 2024

It is difficult to contribute something new to a topic as exhaustively explored as the relationsh... more It is difficult to contribute something new to a topic as exhaustively explored as the relationship between the United States and international law, but that is exactly what Lucrecia García Iommi and Richard W. Maass achieve in this coherent and carefully researched edited volume. An update to reflect new developments and careful treatment of debates from an impressive group of authors renders a book greater than the sum of its 15 contributors’ chapters. The central puzzle is the paradoxical role of the US as a leader in international law for more than a century while jealously guarding its sovereignty, claiming an exceptional role as a guardian of law that sometimes appears to sit above the law as a Hobbesian leviathan.
The editors organize the chapters by focusing on five dimensions of support for international law: leadership, consent, internalization, compliance, and enforcement.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

E-International Relations, 2024

Leaders do not ignore reality but challenge it. The book is a history, a guide for leaders, and ... more Leaders do not ignore reality but challenge it. The book is a history, a guide for leaders, and a comparative foreign policy analysis opening the black box of foreign policy decision-making. Kissinger looks at some of the same events focusing on the perspectives of different leaders. Leadership can interest a wide audience beyond those interested in international relations as a lesson in how to lead and prod the possible with a sense of civic duty and learned thoughtfulness. The leaders analyzed are notable in the diversity of strategies they deployed, styles they brought with them, and political realities that confronted them. The lesson is to dare greatly, but not too much. This may sound unsatisfying, but that is the point. Leadership is difficult. The world’s wicked problems are complex. While there are no easy answers, a deeper, considered approach to what was and can be will bring us to the edge of the possible and realize a nation’s potential.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Journal of the Early Republic, 2024

James K. Polk receives far less attention than his peers shortly before or after his presidency. ... more James K. Polk receives far less attention than his peers shortly before or after his presidency. This alone is reason to welcome this sweeping volume on one of the most consequential early US presidents, one whose legacy continues to influence, particularly in foreign policy. This collection moves beyond biography to put the complexities of Polk and his presidency in context, identifying its origins and influence on American government and policy. It highlights the experiences not only of leaders but those Polk affected, including victims of slavery.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

LSE Review of Books, 2022

In Russian Grand Strategy in the Era of Global Power Competition, editor Andrew Monaghan brings t... more In Russian Grand Strategy in the Era of Global Power Competition, editor Andrew Monaghan brings together contributors to explore the military, political and economic features of Russian foreign policy. This book will be a useful starting point for researchers, policymakers, students of history and politics and all those looking to understand Russia’s long-term goals and sense of its place in the evolving world order.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Journal of Global South Studies, 2019

Review of Africapitalism: Rethinking the Role of Business in Africa, edited by Kenneth Amaeshi, A... more Review of Africapitalism: Rethinking the Role of Business in Africa, edited by Kenneth Amaeshi, Adun Okupe, and Uwafiokun Idemudia, Cambridge University Press 2018.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Reviews in History, 2019

This review critiques Nathan Marcus' Austrian Reconstruction and the Collapse of Global Finance, ... more This review critiques Nathan Marcus' Austrian Reconstruction and the Collapse of Global Finance, 1921-1931. The review evaluates the author's analysis of financial archives to identify the causes and effects of Austrian hyperinflation and its bailouts. The review critiques the author's comparison of the Austrian bailouts to the Greek bailout of the 2010s.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Fair Observer, 2018

This review of Madeleine Albright's Fascism: A Warning evaluate's the author's putting current po... more This review of Madeleine Albright's Fascism: A Warning evaluate's the author's putting current political trends in historical context.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Fair Observer, 2018

This review evaluates Timothy Snyder's contemporary history book The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, E... more This review evaluates Timothy Snyder's contemporary history book The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe America. The review considers the book's theoretical and historical arguments and its explanation of recent politics and international relations since 2014.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Fair Observer, 2018

This review evaluates Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt's How Democracies Die. It considers the... more This review evaluates Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt's How Democracies Die. It considers the comparative methods the authors use and its application to current controversies in democratic systems.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2017

This review of Robert K. Wittman's The Devil's Diary: Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of ... more This review of Robert K. Wittman's The Devil's Diary: Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third Reich evaluates the first analysis of the newly found diary of Hitler's advisor.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Boston University JD/MA Graduate Thesis, 2014

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

University of Oxford History of Art and Visual Culture Graduate Dissertation, 2010

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

University of Pennsylvania History Thesis, 2009

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

University of Pennsylvania Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Thesis, 2009

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

The Conversation, 2022

In response to Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, announce... more In response to Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, announced that Germany has suspended certification of the new Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between his country and that of Vladimir Putin. The fast-moving crisis in Ukraine throws into sharp relief the fissures that threaten European and transatlantic unity. Nowhere are these tensions more visible than in how countries are approaching their energy needs.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

The Conversation, 2022

En respuesta a la invasión rusa en Ucrania, el canciller alemán, Olaf Scholz, anunció que Alemani... more En respuesta a la invasión rusa en Ucrania, el canciller alemán, Olaf Scholz, anunció que Alemania ha suspendido la certificación del nuevo gasoducto Nord Stream 2 entre su país y el de Vladimir Putin. La crisis de Ucrania, que avanza a gran velocidad, pone de manifiesto las fisuras que amenazan la unidad europea y transatlántica. En ningún lugar son más visibles estas tensiones que en la forma en que los países abordan sus necesidades energéticas.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Fair Observer, 2018

This piece argues in the face of cultural opposition and lack of funding at the federation level,... more This piece argues in the face of cultural opposition and lack of funding at the federation level, world football's governing body can use its influence to enforce from the top a regime of improved funding and support.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Fair Observer, 2018

The article considers media tycoon Oprah Winfrey's likelihood of success were she to enter the 20... more The article considers media tycoon Oprah Winfrey's likelihood of success were she to enter the 2020 presidential race.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2017

FBI Art Crime Unit founding director Robert Wittman, his career, and his views on the state of in... more FBI Art Crime Unit founding director Robert Wittman, his career, and his views on the state of international cooperation in cultural heritage protection and the illicit antiquities trade.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Fair Observer, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Fair Observer, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2016

Prof. Avery Goldstein discusses Sino-DPRK relations.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2016

Analyzes 2016 presidential primary candidate views on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Ident... more Analyzes 2016 presidential primary candidate views on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Identifies a shift in the Republican trade orthodoxy among candidates as well as increasing visibility and decreasing popularity of regional trade agreements in American politics.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2015

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Yahoo News Japan, 2015

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Journal of Global South Studies, 2021

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact