Brazil's Brand of Regionalization: The Rise and the Demise of the South American Alliance

Techno-functionalism and the varieties of regional resilience in Latin America: comparing the Pacific Alliance and SICA

From Traditional Partnership to Strategic Realignment: Determinants of Burkinabe–Russian Rapprochement and Transformations of French Influence during the Transitional Governance Period 2020-2026

This study examines the geopolitical realignment of Burkina Faso within the broader context of the Sahel region’s evolving security and international order. It explores the transition from traditional Western security partnerships—particularly with France—to emerging alignments with non-Western actors, notably Russia, following the 2022 military takeover led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré. The research situates this shift within the structural legacy of colonialism, persistent state fragility, and the intensification of armed insurgencies in the Sahel. Drawing on critical approaches in International Relations and geopolitical analysis, the study argues that Burkina Faso’s foreign policy transformation cannot be understood solely as a reaction to counterterrorism failures, but rather as part of a broader reconfiguration of global power relations in Africa. It highlights how declining trust in Western intervention models, combined with rising anti-French sentiment, has facilitated the reorientation of alliances and the emergence of alternative security providers, particularly Russia, as well as private security actors. The study further examines the interplay between security and resource geopolitics, demonstrating how competition over strategic minerals such as gold and uranium has become central to external involvement in the region. It also assesses the implications of military governance, institutional fragility, and ongoing insurgent violence for state sovereignty and regional stability. Ultimately, the paper concludes that Burkina Faso represents a paradigmatic case of multipolar competition in the Sahel, where shifting alliances, resource interests, and security imperatives intersect to reshape both domestic governance structures and international power configurations.

Strategic Transformations in the Middle East: From Alliance Disintegration to the Redrawing of Power Equations

Objectives: This study provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of the strategic transformations reshaping the Middle East over the past decade. It examines the disintegration of traditional alliances, the emergence of new regional and international dynamics, and the evolving balance of power—focusing on internal transformations, foreign interventions, non-state actors, and socio-economic shifts. Methods: A multidisciplinary analytical framework integrating comparative geopolitics with regional political economy was adopted. The study draws on qualitative data, academic literature, and policy reports to analyze ten thematic areas, including regime collapse, foreign military presence, sectarian resurgence, and the rise of subnational actors. Results: The findings reveal a region in flux, marked by state fragmentation, the decline of traditional power centers, and the rise of agile middle powers such as Turkey and Qatar. Iran’s diminishing influence in Syria and Lebanon has created a strategic vacuum, while Israel contends with internal political instability. Non-state actors have gained prominence, and economic collapse in countries like Lebanon and Syria has deepened regional disorder. Concurrently, emerging alliances involving Iran, Russia, and China are challenging Western dominance, contributing to complex and shifting alignments. Conclusions: The study concludes that regional stability increasingly depends on redefining state legitimacy, repairing fractured social contracts, and promoting inclusive governance. Navigating this fluid multipolar environment requires adaptive strategies, cross-border collaboration, and equitable political frameworks.

From Hegemony to Coalition: The ANC’s Decline and the Era of Power-Sharing in South Africa

. The 2024 South African general election marks a seismic inflection point in post-apartheid trajectory, signalling the definitive conclusion of three decades of African National Congress (ANC) hegemony. For the first time since1994 democratic transition, the ANC’s failed to secure an ab solute majority needing the formation of a multifaceted Government of National Unity (GNU). This paper explores the socio-economic catalysts of this contraction — specifically systemic corruption, energy crisis and persistent wealth inequality through a dual theoretical framework: secular decline of dominant party systems and structural mechanics of consociational democracy. Analysing the tension between historical power concentration and the nascent imperative for cross-cleavage cooperation, it evaluates the GNU through the lens of elite accommodation and 'compensatory consociationalism'. It interrogates the emergence of the radical 'Progressive Caucus' as a potent counter-hegemonic force, representing a significant portion of the electorate disillusioned by the perceived stagnation of material transformation. Ultimately, it assesses if this inaugural coalition era facilitates a 'second renewal' of the democratic project or signifies the terminal fragmentation of the ANC. The findings suggest that South Africa’s political stability hinges on the volatile dynamic s of multi-party governance and state's capacity to navigate profound structural inequality within a framework of precarious power-sharing.

Rethinking Democratic Governance from the Margins: Insights from India’s Tribal Belt

The experience of the contemporary nation-state, formal institutions of vertical accountability, and majoritarian representation serve as the main foundations for mainstream viewpoints on democratic administration. However, a significant section of India's population especially the tribal communities living in the Fifth and Sixth Schedule regions experiences government from a position of structural marginality, and constitutional guaranties rarely result in meaningful involvement. This study examines what democratic administration looks like from the periphery rather than the centre, using the Pathalgadi movement in Odisha and Jharkhand and the uneven implementation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. In contrast to the majoritarian, procedural logic of the Indian state, the study contends that tribal self-governance organizations like as the Gram Sabha constitute an alternative language of democracy based on consensus, custom, and territorial belonging. It accomplishes this by employing a qualitative-interpretive method based on government documents, secondary literature, and comparative case studies from the districts of Sundargarh (Odisha) and Khunti (Jharkhand). The study suggests that governance structures for Scheduled Areas be refocused on real devolution rather than symbolic decentralization, placing this conflict within the framework of decolonial and deliberative democratic thought. The results have consequences for tribal governance, public administration, and the broader concept of subaltern democracy in the Global South.

EU policy towards the sahel in the “post-West” era

President Trump’s 2026 comments on Greenland, Afghanistan, and the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) highlight growing tensions between the United States and its European allies. In the context of the U.S.-led withdrawal from Afghanistan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—a development Timothy Garton Ash has described as signaling the emergence of a “post-West” era—this article contends that the Sahel represents a further critical strategically revealing case for examining pressures on the Western-dominated Liberal International Order (LIO). Drawing on a qualitative analysis and process tracing, the article examines how declining Western legitimacy, contested sovereignty, and the diversification of external power relationships have weakened the EU’s normative and strategic influence in the region. It argues that military regimes and local actors selectively leverage multipolar competition to resist external conditionality and expand their autonomy. In doing so, the article contributes to broader debates on international order, EU normative power, and strategic realignment in an increasingly fragmented global system.