The IR thinker

Artificial intelligence is redrawing the boundaries of cybersecurity — accelerating attacks, complicating attribution, and compressing the time humans have to make decisions that matter. In this episode, Myriam Dunn Cavelty of ETH Zurich examines AI-driven conflict, the politics behind critical infrastructure protection, the limits of European governance, and what it means when cyber war has no clear start and no clear finish.Myriam Dunn CaveltyMyriam Dunn Cavelty is a Senior Scientist at the Centre for Security Studies at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. Her research examines the political and societal implications of digital technologies, with a particular focus on cyber security, cyber warfare, critical infrastructure protection, and technology governance. She also serves as co-editor-in-chief of Contemporary Security Policy.PublicationsThe evolution of cyberconflict studiesThe politics of cyber securityCyber security politics: Socio-technological transformations and political fragmentationCybersecurity in SwitzerlandCyber-security and threat politics: US efforts to secure the information ageRecommended article:Cyber War Will Not Take PlaceContent00:00 - Introduction01:55 - What Actually Counts as Critical Infrastructure in the Age of AI?07:58 - ENISA: Europe's Cybersecurity Watchdog — Triumphs, Failures, and Missed Opportunities13:00 - Does the World Need a Global Cybersecurity Regulator?14:43 - Hacked Nations: Geopolitical Coercion, Hybrid Warfare, and Strategic Signalling25:48 - Is Cybersecurity a Political Problem Dressed Up as a Technical One?32:31 - War Without End: Why AI-Driven Conflict Has No Clear Start, No Clear Finish38:27 - Who Did It? The Dangerous Art of Attribution in Cyber Warfare43:58 - The Speed Problem: When AI Makes Decisions Faster Than Humans Can Think48:33 - Arming the Enemy: What Happens When Open-Source AI Falls Into the Wrong Hands?52:00 - Measuring the Unmeasurable: How Do You Rank a Country's Cyber Power?58:27 - The Blind Spots of AI Cybersecurity Research TopicsFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb

Today, it is a real pleasure to speak with Professor Jonathan Fisher, co-editor of African Affairs — one of the leading journals in the field of African Studies. African Affairs is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the London-based Royal African Society.It was established as the Journal of the African Society in 1901, then it was published as the Journal of the Royal African Society from 1936 until it obtained its current name in 1944.The journal is broadly interdisciplinary, with a primary focus on the politics and international relations of sub-Saharan Africa, though it also draws on sociology, anthropology, economics, history, literature, and the arts where these illuminate debates on contemporary Africa.Co-EditorsGeorge M. Bob-MilliarJonathan FisherAmanda Lea RobinsonGabrielle LynchImpact Factor: 2.2 / 5-Year Impact Factor: 2.7Indexed: Scopus / Web of ScienceJonathan FisherJonathan Fisher is Professor of Global Security at the University of Birmingham where he also serves as Deputy Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer for the College of Social Sciences.His research centres on the role of ideas and legitimacy within authoritarian systems, with extensive fieldwork across eastern Africa, where his work has examined how guerrilla heritage shapes contemporary governance, conflict, and cooperation, as well as the growing phenomenon of digital authoritarianism.Content00:00 – Introduction01:41 – The Journal’s Evolving Mission and Research Identity08:00 – Balancing Intellectual Coherence with Disciplinary Diversity11:19 – The Place of Empirical and Theoretical Research in Submissions13:03 – Emerging Trends in Manuscripts and Desired Research Directions16:27 – Underexplored Regions and Research Gaps across Africa18:40 – Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed-Methods Approaches in Publication24:04 – The Most Frequent Mistakes in Article Submissions25:49 – Common Pitfalls for Early-Career Researchers27:26 – Structural and Technical Weaknesses in Academic Articles29:00 – The Impact of AI on Editorial and Peer-Review Processes31:30 – Editorial Reforms and the Journal’s Growing Academic Standing33:46 – The Role and Significance of the Editorial Board37:14 – Supporting Marginalised and Underrepresented Scholars40:37 – Contributions from Latin America, Asia, and China41:57 – Does the Journal Encourage Authors to Suggest Reviewers?42:43 – Future Vision, Priorities, and Strategic Goals of the JournalFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb

As American power recedes and European unity fractures, Poland finds itself at the centre of one of the most consequential geopolitical transformations of our time. Dr Piotr Pietrzak joins us to trace Poland's journey from historical insecurity to strategic confidence. Can Poland sustain great-power aspirations without overreaching? Piotr PietrzakPiotr Pietrzak is co-founder of In Statu Nascendi Think Tank, a non-partisan and independent institution bringing together scholars from a wide range of disciplines. It is devoted to rigorous inquiry into contemporary conflict and political philosophy, and to generating actionable ideas on geoeconomic, political, and socio-economic matters.A scholar, ontologist, and author, Dr Pietrzak is particularly known for bringing a rigorous pragmatic perspective to international relations theory, conflict management, and geopolitics. His work consistently bridges theoretical inquiry and real-world application, making it relevant to both academic and policy audiences.Publications:On the Idea of Humanitarian Intervention: A New Compartmentalization of IR TheoriesExploring the implications of local and regional conflictsThe Changing Conceptual Landscape of the Russian War in Ukraine (2014-Present) and Syria (2011-Present)The Russia ‒ Ukraine War and the Renaissance of IR RealismGeopolitical rivalries and strategic competition across EurasiaStrengthening international relations through transformative theory and practiceThe Sikorski–Tusk doctrine underpinning Poland's new strategic culture and its response to the Russia–Ukraine WarContent00:00 - Introduction01:20 - Reimagining International Relations: An Ontology “In Statu Nascendi”04:09 - The Giedroyc-Mieroszewski Doctrine07:17 - The Brzezinski Doctrine11:02 - The Sikorski–Tusk Doctrine18:13 - Regional Power or Strategic Frontline State? Poland’s Post-2022 Autonomy24:43 - Between Brussels and Washington: Balancing Pro-European and Pro-American Orientations29:35 - Ukraine as a Strategic Beneficiary of the War32:18 - Beyond Solidarity: The Future of Polish-Ukrainian Relations36:32 - China and the New Geometry of Polish Geopolitics40:28 - What Would G7 Membership Mean for Poland?46:04 - Democratic Values, Diaspora Networks, and Poland’s Emerging Leadership Role50:24 - From Historical Insecurity to Strategic Confidence: The Evolution of Polish Strategic Culture54:01 - Ambition versus Overstretch: Can Poland Sustain Great-Power Aspirations (American power declines, European unity weakens, and Ukraine remains unstable)01:00:10 - Poland and Russia: Is Stable Coexistence Possible?01:02:57 - The Most Underresearched Questions in Polish GeopoliticsFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb

This episode explores African agency in global climate governance, moving beyond narratives that portray African states solely as vulnerable recipients of climate policy. Drawing on debates in International Relations, environmental politics, and African climate futures, Dr Carl Death examines how African actors negotiate, contest, and reimagine climate governance across local, continental, and global arenas. Carl DeathCarl Death is a Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy at the University of Manchester. His research focuses on environmental politics in Africa, with a particular interest in critical and postcolonial approaches. Publications:The Green Economy in South Africa: Global Discourses and Local PoliticsFour Discourses of the Green Economy in the Global SouthGreen States in Africa: Beyond the Usual SuspectsAfricanfuturist Socio‐Climatic Imaginaries and Nnedi Okorafor’s Wild NecropoliticsClimate Fiction, Climate Theory: Decolonising Imaginations of Global FuturesUnfamiliar Families and Disturbing Climate FuturesNarrating Transitions to Low Carbon Futures: The Role of Long-Term Strategies in Fossil Fuel Producing Emerging EconomiesAfrican Climate FuturesContent00:00 – Introduction02:30 – African agency in global climate governance: realities versus stereotypes10:21 – Writing climate transition differently: fiction as method13:32 – Universal models and African political economies18:04 – Pan-Africanism and coordination in climate governance23:25 – Key actors in Africa’s climate and energy transition27:19 – Climate fiction and African agency: insights from fifteen authors32:49 – Selection and context of African climate fiction38:37 – Postcolonial, feminist, and queer perspectives on African climate futures43:47 – Ecopolitical imaginaries explained48:01 – Beyond limited case studies in African climate scholarship54:51 – Challenges in writing the book58:51 – Local politics and environmental governance01:02:25 – Civil society and grassroots climate action01:08:59 – Under-researched areas in African climate politicsFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb

Today, it is a real pleasure to speak with the editorial team of Contemporary Security Policy, one of the most influential journals in the field of international security studies. Previously, known as Arms Control (1980 - 1993).Since its founding in 1980, the journal has played a central role in shaping discussions on armed conflict, intervention, strategic change, and global security governance.Impact Factor: 5.0 / 5-Year Impact Factor: 4.6Indexed: Scopus / Web of ScienceFirst Decision: 5 daysAcceptance Rate: 11%Major fields of concern include:- War and armed conflict- Peacekeeping- Conflict resolution- Arms control and disarmament- Defense policy- Strategic culture- International institutionsThe journal is currently led by three co-editors:- Myriam Dunn Cavelty- Nicole Jenne- Yf RejkersTwo of them are with us today:Professor Myriam Dunn Cavelty is a leading scholar of cyber security, risk politics, and the governance of emerging technologies, based at ETH Zürich.Associate Professor Nicole Jenne is an expert on Latin American security, civil–military relations, and regional responses to transnational threats at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, also a visiting scholar at David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University.Content00:00 — Introduction01:52 — The Journal’s Mission: Change and Continuity04:24 — The Intellectual DNA of CSP06:22 — Managing Breadth: Coherence Across Security Studies09:49 — Evaluating Innovative and Experimental Submissions11:56 — What Counts as ‘Policy’ in Contemporary Security Policy?14:23 — Borderline Cases: When Policy Relevance Is Unclear19:54 — Methodological Pluralism and Editorial Tensions22:46 — Qualitative or Quantitative? CSP’s Methodological Orientation25:02 — Major Intellectual Trends in Recent Submissions26:41 — Desired Growth Areas: Topics the Journal Wants More Of28:20 — Attracting Strong Manuscripts: Editorial Strategies and Outreach33:03 — The Role of AI in Academic Submissions42:49 — The Most Common Mistakes in Manuscript Submission44:10 — Fairness, Bias, and Delay: The Realities of Peer Review47:49 — Should Authors Recommend Potential Reviewers?49:41 — Supporting Junior Scholars and Academics Facing Structural Disadvantage53:24 — The Bernard Brodie Prize56:54 — Publication Strategy: Controlling Volume and Maintaining Quality58:47 — What an Editorial Board Actually Does01:02:11 — Editorial Priorities and a Final Message to ScholarsFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb

Problems of Post-Communism is a long-standing peer-reviewed academic journal that examines political, economic, security, and international developments in post-communist societies. First established in 1952 under the title Problems of Communism, the journal was originally published by the United States Information Agency and adopted its current name in 1992 to reflect the profound transformations following the end of the Cold War.Journal's homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/mppc20Editorial Board: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/mppc20/about-this-journal#editorial-boardImpact Factor: 2.0 / 5-Year Impact Factor: 2.2Indexed: Scopus / Web of ScienceFirst Decision: 112 daysAcceptance Rate: 28%The current editor-in-chief is Dmitry P. Gorenburg, a political scientist and senior researcher at CNA, who oversees the journal’s editorial direction and its engagement with contemporary debates on the politics and international relations of post-communist countries.Dr. Gorenburg is also a Harvard Davis Center associate and previously served as executive director of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies (now the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, or ASEEES).His scholarship focuses on Russian military reform, Russian foreign policy, and security dynamics in the former Soviet Union, as well as questions of ethnic politics and identity in Russia. BLOG: Russian Military ReformContent00:00 – Introduction01:53 – Evolution of the Journal’s Mission After the Collapse of Communism05:20 – The Intellectual “DNA” of Problems of Post-Communism06:43 – Maintaining Intellectual Coherence Across a Broad Research Scope09:19 – The Role of International Relations in the Journal’s Scope: Thematic vs Territorial Focus10:26 – Disciplinary Balance: Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Area Studies11:07 – Major Intellectual Trends in Post-Communist Studies Over the Past Decade14:22 – Democratic Backsliding, Illiberalism, and the Impact of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine on Research Agendas18:21 – Russian Scholars in Exile and Scholars Working Inside Russia21:05 – Underexplored Topics in Post-Communist Studies22:22 – Annual Publication Volume and the Pressure to Publish More26:31 – Preferred Research Methods and Methodological Approaches29:30 – The Most Common Mistakes in Manuscript Submissions40:51 – Ensuring Fairness and Efficiency in the Peer Review Process43:32 – Editorial Innovations that Improved Journal Quality and Consistency44:45 – The Role and Selection of the Editorial Board46:19 – Publishing Challenges for Scholars from Central Asia and the Post-Soviet Region52:30 – Growing Global Interest in Post-Communist Studies53:13 – Should Authors Suggest Potential Reviewers?55:14 – What Makes a Successful Article in Problems of Post-Communism59:25 – The Future Vision for the JournalFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb

Myanmar occupies a unique position in contemporary international affairs, where the legacies of post-independence neutralism, decades of military rule, and a fractured post-coup order converge to produce one of the most complex foreign policy environments in the Indo-Pacific.Dr Naing is a visiting scholar at the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica, under the Taiwan Fellowship Program. At the moment, he is focusing on modern Myanmar’s domestic politics, democratisation, and international relations, with particular attention to Myanmar–Russia and Myanmar–China relations and their implications for regional security, political development, and social change.In this role, he conducts independent and collaborative research drawing on archival materials, historical documents, and qualitative sources. His current project, “Insights from Taiwan’s Democratisation: Implications for Upcoming Reform Processes in Myanmar,” examines how Taiwan’s experience of democratisation can inform prospective political reforms in Myanmar.Publications:Northern Myanmar Poses a Challenge to China’s Critical Minerals StrategyThe Dilemma of Sino-Myanmar Relations: The Case of Myitsone Hydropower Dam ProjectContent00:00 – Introduction02:19 – Neutralism, Military Isolation, and the Origins of Myanmar’s Strategic Hedging09:16 – Structural Drivers of the Contemporary Myanmar Political Crisis16:53 – The Influence of China and India on Myanmar’s Foreign Policy Orientation26:00 – The National Unity Government and the Fragmentation of Political Authority33:12 – Border Governance, Insurgency, and Security Dynamics in Myanmar’s Frontier Regions48:43 – Russia’s Role in Myanmar’s Strategic and Military Relations01:00:35 – ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus and the Limits of the Non-Interference PrincipleFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb

In this episode, I speak with Professor Sergei Prozorov about biopolitics, one of the most provocative frameworks in contemporary political theory, and how it reshapes our understanding of power, life, and death across IR, philosophy, and Soviet studies. From Foucault to Mbembe to Stalin, this is a conversation that cuts to the heart of how modern states govern human existence.Sergei Prozorov is Professor of Political Science, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. His research interests include contemporary political theory, continental philosophy, biopolitics, democracy and totalitarianism. Sergei’s work is positioned at the intersection of political philosophy, IR theory, and Soviet and post-Soviet studies, with sustained engagement with the thought of Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, and Roberto Esposito.During 2010–2015, Prozorov held the Academy of Finland Research Fellowship with the project Biopolitics of Stalinism. During 2015–2019, he served as Principal Investigator of the Academy of Finland project Biopolitics and Democracy in Global Governance. Prozorov's work has accumulated over 2,800 citations on Google Scholar Google Scholar, reflecting his standing as one of the leading theorists of biopolitics in the international field. Peer assessments situate him among the most philosophically sophisticated scholars working at the intersection of IR and continental theory. His work represents one of the most ambitious re-articulations of the ontological and ethical foundations of universalism in contemporary political theory.Prozorov's latest book is Poses of the World, the third volume in his Void Universalism trilogy.Foucault, Freedom and SovereigntyAgamben and Politics: A Critical IntroductionThe Biopolitics of Stalinism: Ideology and Life in Soviet SocialismFoucault and Agamben on Augustine, Paradise and the Politics of Human NatureWhen did biopolitics begin? Actuality and potentiality in historical eventsBiopolitics After Truth: Knowledge, Power and Democratic LifeChapters00:00 — Introduction02:55 — Conceptualising Biopolitics09:05 — Actors and Agents in Biopolitics12:39 — Biopolitics and Mainstream Approaches in Political Science and IR18:20 — Biopolitics and Sovereignty: Engaging with Agamben26:16 — Biopolitics and Necropolitics: Mbembe’s Intervention31:05 — Studying Biopolitics Empirically: Approaches and Challenges33:06 — Researching Biopolitics: Professor Prozorov’s Preferred Methods38:58 — Common Pitfalls in Biopolitics Research: Advice for Early-Career Scholars41:53 — Biopolitics Beyond the West45:21 — The Motivation and Goals Behind Biopolitics of Stalinism (book)50:30 — Soviet Ideology Through the Lens of Biopolitics01:00:59 — Biopolitical Investment or Propaganda in the Soviet Project?01:03:39 — Professor Prozorov’s Upcoming Research and Future DirectionsFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb