Books

New Challenges and Opportunities in European-Asian Relations

This co-edited volume examines the international relations between Europe (the EU) and different countries and international institutions in Asia (ASEAN) including bidirectional interactions in the fields of political economy, development, environmental policy, security, diplomacy, and inter-institutional relations.

Reframing the Buffer State in Contemporary International Relations: Nepal’s Relations with India and China

This book explores buffer states’ agency beyond being highly interactive spaces for the competing strategic and security interests of larger powers. Analyzing 21 political events, the author offers a new conceptual framework for the buffer state, which emphasizes strategic utility and agency. Applying this to the case study of Nepal as a buffer state between India and China, he offers a systematic analysis of Sino-Indian interests in the wider region, and Nepal’s interactions with and reactions to them, and argues that the buffer state in contemporary international relations is characterized by intense competitive overtures from its contending neighboring states. However, the buffer state is not just a spectator but an active participant that consistently assesses and reassesses its geopolitical position in between much larger competing powers. This reading offers a new understanding of the buffer state as a highly dynamic political space wherein the levels of influence and strategies of bigger powers can be examined.