Dr. Johannes Plagemann

States in the global South want to choose themselves where and with whom they cooperate. This is how they safeguard their autonomy in an increasingly multipolar world characterized by great power rivalries. In the Global South Russia is not a pariah-state.

To what extent and how do populist leaders politicise foreign policy? Sandra Destradi, Johannes Plagemann, and Hakkı Taş find interesting differences between the public discourses of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Populist parties have been on the rise worldwide in recent years and formed governments. Much discussed in the media but little systematically researched so far are the effects of populism on foreign policy. The authors of this introduction present a research agenda.

This article explores the consequences major power rivalries over connectivity investments have for small states in Asia and thereby contributes to a better understanding of small states’ strength and capabilities in an increasingly multipolar world.