Lecture
Non-state actors as a formative factor in World Politics
- Date
- Tuesday 9 February 2021
- Time
- Serie
- Diplomacy and Global Affairs Research Seminar Series 2021
- Address
- Online via MS Teams; Code: mfn7eno
Registration
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About the lecture
This seminar situates its argument within the current debate as to how can we frame the Non-State Actors (NSAs) in International Relations (IR). A broader definition as to what NSAs stand for will be attempted. The aim is the NSA’s theorisation via a comprehensive typology that can inform further the analysis of their role.
The Westphalian Nation-State had been the dominant political arrangement over the centuries, particularly in the period between the two World Wars and during the Cold War. Later, in the 1960s and 1970s, States had to recognize that new and different actors were evolving, imposing their requirements in the international arena and demanding to be involved.
Globalization processes contributed to the rise of these actors and required a collective approach to problem resolution. Traditional political and normative powers were less effective, borders could be more easily crossed, and more citizens wanted to be involved than in the past. The State, still important within the global system, continues to remain as the most solid and implemented political management system, yet, it appears to be necessary to go beyond the traditional elements of the State, in order to face modern challenges, firstly the rising of non-State actors.
The implications that NSAs bear upon the IR discipline will be also discussed. Finally, the power of the example will be also brought in through indicative cases to demonstrate how the practice can be theoretically framed and understood.
About the speakers
Marianna Charountaki is a Senior Lecturer in International Politics at the University of Lincoln (School of Social and Political Sciences). She has acted as Director of the Kurdistan International Studies Unit (2016-2019) at the University of Leicester. She is a BRISMES trustee and member of the BISA Foreign Policy Working Group. She is a member of the academic committee of IISKS and Research Fellow at Soran University (Erbil, Iraq). She is also a member of the Greek Council for IR. She has worked as a consultant at the Iraqi Embassy in Athens (Greece, 2011-2012). Marianna has been researching the Middle Eastern region, in light of IR discipline, but also through extensive fieldwork research (2007 to present). Her research lies at the intersection of IR theories, foreign policy analysis, and area studies with an emphasis on the interplay between state and non-state entities.
Daniela Irrera is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Catania, where she serves as Erasmus Coordinator, Deputy Director for Internationalisation and Research, and Vice-coordinator of the PhD program in Political Sciences. She is Secretary-General of the Italian Political Science Association (SISP), President of the European Peace Research Association (EuPRA), member of the ISA Governing Council, Chair of the ECPR Standing Group on International Relations, associate editor of the Journal of Contemporary European Studies, editor in chief of International and Political Studies (INTERPOLIS); Visiting Professor of Political Violence and Terrorism at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. She had been DAAD Fellow, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt; EU grant recipient, EU Center of Excellence, University of Alberta, Canada; Associate Faculty, IBEI, Barcelona; Marie Curie Fellow, Universidade Federal de Santa Caterina, Florianopolis, Brazil. She has the author and co-editor of 10 books and more than 50 publications in the field of International Relations and European Studies.
About the seminars
The Diplomacy and Global Affairs (DGA) Research Seminar is a series launched by the Research Group on Diplomacy and Global Affairs at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs. The seminars of internationally acknowledged guest researchers and faculty members deal with current research topics in diplomacy, international relations, global affairs, and political economy broadly conceived and target a broad audience through their interdisciplinary focus.