Bhaso Ndzendze

Why have interstate wars broken out in Africa, what are their economic impacts, and what are viable solutions? Bhaso Ndzendze examines competing explanations for these conflicts over borders and develops a new theory—Varieties of Inverted Legitimacy—that puts regime type difference at the fore of why states escalate over territories that sometimes have neither exceptional agricultural value nor any known mineral reserves. Crucially, the book reinstates continental agency by placing emphasis on African states' own rivalries as the primary variable behind these dyadic conflicts — finding external powers to have little to no influential role in the outbreaks despite Cold War and geopolitically competitive contexts. Using the Ogaden War (1977-78), the Uganda-Tanzania War (1978-79), and Eritrea-Ethiopia War (1998-2000) as case studies, Ndzendze traverses precolonial and post-independence histories, trade data, and state symbolism to distill the causes, costs and viable solutions to these disputes which threaten economic integration on the continent under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

This book comparatively examines the China–South Africa trade relationship over three decades through the prism of four other relationships South Africa has with states that have been China’s most contentious neighbours in the Indo-Pacific (India, Japan, Taiwan and the USA). Asia is widely expected to be the new economic centre of gravity in international relations, particularly for trade. Yet despite the story of growth for both it and its neighbours, China ranks above all these countries in terms of trade partnership with South Africa and a majority of states across the globe. This poses a puzzle answerable only through in-depth analysis. In this way, this pathbreaking new book uses quantitative data to test commonly held assumptions about the ‘new scramble for Africa’ and shines a light on the driving forces, interests and sources of agency in South Africa’s trade and foreign policies over the past three decades. The findings allow for the deduction of general patterns applicableto South Africa and peer economies, some of whom are benchmarked throughout the book for comparative insights.

This book discusses the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on international relations theories. As a phenomenon, AI is everywhere in the real world and growing. Through its transformative nature, it is simultaneously simplifying and complicating processes. Importantly, it also overlooks and “misunderstands”. Globally, leaders, diplomats and policymakers have had to familiarise themselves and grapple with concepts such as algorithms, automation, machine learning, and neural networks. These and other features of modern AI are redefining our world, and with it, the long-held assumptions scholars of IR have relied on for their theoretical accounts of our universe. The book takes a historic, contemporary and long-term approach to explain and anticipate AI’s impact on IR – and vice versa – through a systematic treatment of 9 theoretical paradigms and schools of thought including realism, liberalism, feminism, postcolonial theory and green theory. This book draws on original datasets, innovative empirical case studies and in-depth engagement with the core claims of the traditional and critical theoretical lenses to reignite debates on the nature and patterns of power, ethics, conflict, and systems among states and non-state actors.

This book comparatively examines the China–South Africa trade relationship over three decades through the prism of four other relationships South Africa has with states that have been China’s most contentious neighbours in the Indo-Pacific (India, Japan, Taiwan and the USA). Asia is widely expected to be the new economic centre of gravity in international relations, particularly for trade. Yet despite the story of growth for both it and its neighbours, China ranks above all these countries in terms of trade partnership with South Africa and a majority of states across the globe. This poses a puzzle answerable only through in-depth analysis. In this way, this pathbreaking new book uses quantitative data to test commonly held assumptions about the ‘new scramble for Africa’ and shines a light on the driving forces, interests and sources of agency in South Africa’s trade and foreign policies over the past three decades. The findings allow for the deduction of general patterns applicableto South Africa and peer economies, some of whom are benchmarked throughout the book for comparative insights.

Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies in International Relations explores the geopolitics between technology and international relations. Through a focus on war, trade, investment flows, diplomacy, regional integration and development cooperation, this book takes a holistic perspective to examine the origins of technology, analysing its current manifestations in the contemporary world. The authors present the possible future roles of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies (including blockchain, 3D printing, 5G connectivity and the Internet of Things) in the context of global arena. This book is essential reading to all who seek to understand the reality of the inequitable distribution of these game-changing technologies that are shaping the world. Research questions as well as some policy options for the developing world are explored and the authors make the case for cooperation by the international community as we enter the fourth industrial revolution.

As if by some natural law, international politics is an ever-changing process of states and non-state actors going about pursuing their diverse and sometimes conflicting and sometimes converging interests; but some factors, patterns and insights remain unmoved, or in the very least remain relevant both for assessing the present and prognosticating the future. Objectively and accessibly written, the Beginner's Dictionary of Contemporary International Relations unpacks the origins and occurrences of the following in a manner that allows the reader to be able to formulate or improve on their understanding of modern international relations: * Past and contemporary events and policies which have shaped and continue to shape present-day international politics and international political economy. * International organisations and movements whose activities have had an influence in international relations in both the political and economic spheres. * Transnational issues currently facing today's statesmen and the global community at large, including conflict, nuclear proliferation, human rights matters and economic development. * Personalities involved in international relations scholarship and in policymaking who have shaped and are perhaps presently shaping international politics. * Theories, concepts and models of representing, understanding, and perhaps conducting international relations.