The IR thinker – Details, episodes & analysis

This episode of The IR thinker examines Romania’s energy security and its strategic role in the Black Sea region with Roxana Caliminte, focusing on how offshore resources, regional tensions and EU climate goals intersect. The discussion explores Romania’s Black Sea energy strategy, relations with neighbours such as Bulgaria and Turkey, investment and infrastructure challenges, and the trade-offs between economic gains, environmental protection and long-term sustainability.

Roxana Caliminte served as Deputy Secretary General of Gas Infrastructure Europe from 2017 to 2024, having previously worked for Romania’s gas transmission operator Transgaz on relations with EU institutions and government bodies. She has also been an adviser on international relations and economic affairs in the Romanian Parliament, is a visiting lecturer at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, and has been recognised by Consultancy Intelligence Publishing as one of the Top 30 Female Energy Market Analysts globally.

Content

00:00 - Introduction

01:52 - Romania’s Black Sea Energy Strategy: Current Vision and Goals

04:25 - Strengthening Romania’s Energy Security

06:50 - Impact of the Ukraine Conflict on Romania’s Energy Security

08:14 - Balancing Energy Opportunities and Russian Interests in the Black Sea

10:09 - Diplomatic Relations with Bulgaria and Turkey in the Context of Energy

11:19 - Joint Energy Initiatives with Bulgaria and Turkey

12:08 - Romania’s Role in the EU’s Energy Security and Diversification

15:09 - Attracting Foreign Investment: Regulatory and Policy Challenges

16:43 - Economic Gains vs Sustainability in Exploiting Black Sea Energy

18:40 - Public Opinion on Black Sea Energy Projects and the Energy Transition

20:57 - Consequences of Failing to Capitalise on Black Sea Energy Resources

22:21 - Key Theoretical Factors for Potential Failure in Romania’s Energy Projects

23:44 - Technological Innovations Required for Deepwater Extraction in the Black Sea

25:23 - Infrastructure Upgrades Needed for Monetising Black Sea Energy Resources

27:42 - International Interest in Developing Black Sea Energy Projects

28:41 - Skilled Labour Requirements for Romania’s Energy Sector

30:06 - Balancing Environmental Protection and Energy Exploitation

33:13 - Impact of Energy Projects on Romania’s Fisheries and Tourism Sectors

35:06 - Meeting EU Energy and Climate Goals Through Black Sea Resources

38:13 - Government and Opposition Perspectives on Romania’s Energy Transition

40:37 - Potential Research Areas in Romania’s Energy Strategy and Policy

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This episode of The IR thinker traces the evolution of arms control from its Cold War origins to today’s challenges of governing rapidly advancing weapons technologies, in conversation with Dr Andrew Reddie. The discussion examines what makes arms control treaties work in practice, how non state actors and rising powers shape regimes, the implications of cases such as New START and the INF Treaty, and emerging ideas for regulating new nuclear and high tech weapons.

Dr Andrew Reddie is Associate Research Professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder of the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab. His research sits at the intersection of technology, politics and security, focusing on how innovations in nuclear weapons, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence are reshaping international order and the governance of strategic weapons.

Publications:

Economic Statecraft in the 21st Century: Implications for the Future of the Global Trade Regime

Evidence of the unthinkable: Experimental wargaming at the nuclear threshold

Arms Control Workshop: Summary

19 Sanctions in an Era of Strategic Competition Get access Arrow

Content

00:00 - Introduction

02:16 - Evolution of Arms Control: From the Cold War to Technological Governance

05:32 - Weapons Under Current Arms Control Regimes

07:30 - Key Factors in Successful Treaty Implementation and Contemporary Challenges

11:09 - The Impact of Non-State Actors and Non-Superpowers on Arms Control

14:46 - Global Oversight and Supervision of Arms Control Regimes

17:23 - Verification Processes in Arms Control

19:52 - Identifying Loopholes in the Verification Processes

24:01 - The Implications of New START and INF Treaties on Modern Arms Control

27:44 - Contemporary Fears of a Renewed Arms Race

32:14 - The Unique Case of the USA as the Only User of Nuclear Weapons

33:05 - Enriched Uranium Weapons: A Closer Look

34:50 - China’s Approach to Arms Control

37:21 - Sino-Russian Consultations on Arms Control

38:38 - India and Pakistan: Approaches to Arms Control

39:13 - Iran and Israel: Divergent Approaches to Arms Control

41:07 - The United Kingdom and France’s Role in Arms Control

42:51 - Potential New Nuclear Weapon States: Candidates and Risks

47:39 - Innovative Approaches and Ideas for Strengthening Arms Control

50:03 - Incentives for States to Abandon Nuclear Weapons

51:15 - Governance of Nuclear Weapons: Current Frameworks and Future Directions

53:54 - Emerging Weapon Technologies and the Need for New Arms Control Regimes

56:31 - Prospective Areas for Future Research in Arms Control

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This episode of The IR thinker examines the United States’ dependence on fossil fuels and its contested path towards a green energy transition with Paul Saunders, focusing on the role of subsidies, regulatory frameworks and partisan politics in shaping policy choices. The discussion explores trends in renewable energy investment, the modernisation of the electricity grid, energy storage, and the continuing significance of nuclear power in balancing fossil fuels and renewables at home and abroad.

Paul Saunders is President of the Center for the National Interest and a member of its board of directors, as well as Senior Advisor at the Energy Innovation Reform Project, where he previously served as President. His expertise spans United States foreign and security policy, energy security and climate change, and relations with Russia, Japan and South Korea; he served as Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs in the George W. Bush administration, with responsibility for transnational issues including energy and climate, and has long experience in congressional and think tank policy advising.

Publications:

Russia’s Global Energy Role: War, Sanctions, and the Energy Transition

Meet the CRANKs: How China, Russia, Iran and North Korea Align Against America

Restoring America’s Nuclear Energy Leadership and Exports

Content

00:00 - Introduction

02:15 - Dependence on Fossil Fuels in the USA and Green Energy Transition Plans

07:52 - Energy Transition as a Topic in the US Presidential Election Campaign

10:38 - The Role of Subsidies for Fossil Fuel Industries in Energy Transition

13:26 - Trends in Subsidies for Fossil Fuel Industries

18:00 - Implications of Fossil Fuel Energy for Other Parts of the World

21:42 - Investments in Renewable Energy in the USA

26:50 - The Influence of State and Federal Governments on Energy Policies

30:39 - US Energy Regulations and Market Reliance

37:07 - US Energy Storage Facilities

43:40 - Modernisation of the US Electricity Grid for Integrating Fossil Fuels and Renewables

48:29 - The Role of Nuclear Energy in Balancing Fossil Fuels and Renewables

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This episode of The IR thinker examines the shifting dynamics of India–China relations with Dr Jagannath Panda, focusing on historical border tensions such as the Galwan Valley clashes, China’s naval expansion in the Indian Ocean and India’s military and diplomatic responses. The conversation also considers India’s alternatives to the Belt and Road Initiative, energy security, diaspora politics, the impact of China–Pakistan ties and the limits of existing scholarship on this pivotal relationship.

Dr Jagannath Panda is a Senior Fellow at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies and Head of the Stockholm Centre for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs at the Institute for Security and Development Policy in Sweden, as well as a professor at the University of Warsaw. A leading specialist on Indo-Pacific affairs, his research focuses on India’s relations with major Indo-Pacific powers, EU–India relations and European connectivity and maritime initiatives in the region. He also holds research affiliations in Japan and Australia and serves as Series Editor for Routledge Studies on Think Asia and as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Asian Public Policy.

Publications:

Quad Plus and Indo-Pacific

India-Japan-ASEAN Triangularity

India-China Relations

Content

00:00 - Introduction

02:08 - Historical Border Disputes of Galwan Valley

06:04 - Galwan Valley Negotiations

08:52 - Challenges in Concluding Galwan Valley Negotiations

11:43 - The Quad Alliance, China and India

15:16 - China’s Naval Expansion in the Indian Ocean: Strategic Implications for India

18:16 - India’s Naval Modernisation

21:46 - India’s Alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative

23:45 - Energy Security Challenges between India and China

25:49 - Diaspora Politics in India-China Relations

27:55 - Impact of Pakistan-China Relations on India

30:30 - Limitations of Western Scholars’ Understanding of India-China Relations

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This episode of The IR thinker explores United States–China energy relations through the lens of the solar industry, examining how Chinese energy exports, tariffs and technological advances intersect with United States energy security and the global energy transition. The discussion with Quill Robinson considers environmental concerns around imported technologies, the role of international institutions and energy diplomacy, and emerging research agendas in this evolving field.

Quill Robinson is a senior programme manager and associate fellow with the Energy Security and Climate Change Programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, and a senior adviser with ConservAmerica. He previously served as vice president of government affairs at the American Conservation Coalition. Quill holds a BA in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Washington and an MA in Global Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University.

Publications:

The True Cost of Chinese Solar Panels

Content

00:00 - Introduction

02:47 - Chinese Energy Exports and Shifting Energy Geography

06:41 - US Energy Security and Its Link to China

09:32 - US Tariffs on Solar vs Investment in Solar Industry

11:24 - Competitiveness of the US Solar Industry

14:36 - US Support for Domestic Solar Panel Production

16:59 - Environmental Concerns about Imported Solar Panels

19:35 - Positive Implications of Sino-US Solar Panel Tariff Clash

24:15 - Lifespan Data of Solar Panels

25:59 - Chinese Battery Exports and Domestic Market

26:51 - US Progress in Energy Storage Installation

28:25 - China’s Position in US Energy Transition

30:17 - Impact of a 50% Tariff Increase on US Solar Panels

34:35 - Differences in Energy Transition Markets: US vs Europe

40:56 - Chinese Technological Advancements

45:21 - Role of International Institutions in Great Power Competition

47:42 - Potential for a Global Authority Regulating Energy Transition

49:10 - US Energy Diplomacy

53:48 - EU Energy Dependence on US LNG

59:10 - Recommended Research Areas

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This episode of The IR thinker examines the main contemporary schools of Chinese international relations theory with Dr Ferran Pérez Mena, focusing in particular on the Shanghai and Tsinghua schools, their theoretical foundations, key concepts such as moral realism and Chinese exceptionalism, and the ways in which they draw on traditional Chinese philosophy. The discussion explores how these ideas shape Chinese debates on economic statecraft, soft power, security and civilisational identity, and considers what this means for the future direction of China’s foreign policy and IR scholarship.

Dr Ferran Pérez Mena is Assistant Professor in International Relations of East Asia in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University in the United Kingdom. His research focuses on transnational connections between Chinese and Western non state actors, the formation of non Western transnational elite networks, and the relationship between Chinese IR scholars, the Chinese state and the development of Chinese ideas about world politics and international order.

Publications:

Contender States and Modern Chinese International Thought: From the Republican era until the ‘Chinese School of International Relations’

Farewell to revolution: the ‘Chinese School of IR’ and the depoliticisation of IR theory in post-Mao China

Content

00:00 - Introduction

02:41 - Major Contemporary Schools of Thought in Chinese International Relations

04:47 - Importance of Shanghai and Tsinghua Universities

05:45 - Acceptance of the Shanghai School of IR in China

07:43 - Theoretical Foundation of the Shanghai School of IR

11:10 - Key Actors in the Shanghai School of IR

12:14 - Key Figures and Contributions of the Shanghai School

14:49 - Overview of the Tsinghua School of IR

16:22 - Influence of Yan Xuetong

16:50 - Other IR Schools in China

18:03 - Integration of Traditional Chinese Philosophy in IR Theories

20:04 - Concept of Moral Realism

21:53 - Application of Chinese Moral Realism Internationally

23:38 - China’s Definition of Morality

25:22 - Chinese Exceptionalism

28:42 - Critique and Overlaps between Chinese and Western IR Theories

34:10 - Role of Economic Statecraft in IR

35:36 - Background of Economic Statecraft in China

37:39 - Tsinghua School of IR and Soft Power

39:21 - China’s Most Interesting Soft Power Instruments

41:41 - Security in Chinese IR Schools

44:14 - Publishing Security Issues in China

45:38 - Civilizational Identity

49:34 - Influence of Concepts and Theories on Chinese Foreign Policy

53:30 - Ferran’s Book on Chinese IR Schools

58:57 - Accessing Chinese Sources for the Book

01:00:23 - Future of Chinese IR Schools

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This episode of The IR thinker examines the geopolitics of the Pacific Islands with Dr Lorenz Gonschor, focusing on Australia’s security role, the strategic interests of major powers such as the United States, China and the European Union (especially France), and the growing presence of emerging actors including India and Indonesia. The conversation explores the history and challenges of the Pacific Islands Forum, Russia’s limited involvement, economic diplomacy and aid dependence, the politics of climate change and energy security, and Fiji’s leadership and constraints in regional and global affairs.

Dr Lorenz Gonschor is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Affairs in the School of Law and Social Sciences at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. His research covers historical and contemporary governance and politics in Oceania, with a particular interest in the evolution of Pacific regionalism since the nineteenth century. He is also actively engaged in debates on decolonisation in territories such as French Polynesia, Rapa Nui and Norfolk Island.

Content

00:00 - Introduction

01:57 - Australia’s Role in Security Dynamics

04:37 - Geography of the Pacific Islands

07:49 - Perception of Australia as a Western Power

08:54 - Strategic Interests of Major Powers (Australia, USA, China)

12:34 - The Complex Position of the European Union (France)

16:53 - Influence of Emerging Powers (India, Middle East, Azerbaijan, Indonesia)

21:56 - The Pacific Islands Forum: Overview and Functions

25:20 - Historical Challenges Faced by the Pacific Islands Forum

29:21 - Russian Involvement in the Pacific Region

36:05 - Challenges in Economic Diplomacy

39:52 - Dependency on Foreign Aid in the Pacific Islands

42:28 - Climate Change Debate: Rising Sea Levels and Extreme Weather

46:06 - Climate Change Activism in the Pacific Islands

47:40 - Energy Security Concerns

49:51 - Fiji’s Leadership Role in the Pacific

54:03 - Fiji’s Challenges in International Relations

59:23 - Local Interest in Studying Political Science

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This episode of The IR thinker explores the circular economy as a subject of international politics, examining how it is defined, what goals it pursues and how it fits within global economic and trade frameworks. In conversation with Dr Patrick Schröder, we discuss international standards, bilateral agreements, corporate incentives, implementation failures, links to the energy transition and the geopolitical and ethical implications of circular economy initiatives, including in the Global South.

Dr Patrick Schröder is a Senior Research Fellow in the Environment and Society Centre at Chatham House in London. His work focuses on the global transition to an inclusive circular economy, with particular emphasis on international policy coordination, investment needs, the role of trade and the contribution of circular practices to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Publications:

The Relevance of Circular Economy Practices to the Sustainable Development Goals

Promoting a just transition to an inclusive circular economy

No, Recycling Won’t Solve Our Plastic Problem

Content

00:00 - Introduction

02:03 - Defining Circular Economy

07:38 - Main Goals of Circular Economy

10:48 - Circular Economy in International Economic Frameworks

16:33 - Global Authority and International Standards for Circular Economy

23:20 - Incorporating Circular Economy into Bilateral Agreements

29:11 - International Consensus on Circular Economy

35:50 - Multinational Corporations and Circular Economy Incentives

41:36 - Case Studies: Failures in Circular Economy Implementation

43:58 - Impact of Circular Economy on Economic Growth

48:50 - Geopolitical Implications of Circular Economy

52:46 - Western Circular Economy Initiatives in Developing Countries

56:04 - Ethical Issues in Circular Economy

59:14 - Circular Economy and Energy Transition

01:04:39 - Recommended Research Areas in Circular Economy

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This episode of The IR thinker examines the emergence and evolution of Islamic State – Khurasan Province (IS-Khurasan), exploring its origins, territorial framing, strategic goals and relations with the Taliban and local communities. The discussion with Dr Giuliano Bifolchi looks at recruitment patterns, financing, cyber activities and the role of wider geopolitical tensions and great-power competition in shaping the group’s trajectory.

Giuliano Bifolchi is an intelligence and geopolitics specialist with more than a decade of experience in strategic consulting, due diligence and open-source intelligence. He is Professor of Web Intelligence and Open Source Intelligence at the European Forensic Institute and serves as Senior Intelligence Analyst at SpecialEurasia.

Publications:

Analysis of The Voice of Khurasan First Issue in the Tajik Language

Storia del Caucaso del Nord tra presenza russa, Islam e terrorismo

Conflitto in Ucraina: rischio geopolitico, propaganda jihadista e minaccia per l’Europa

Giuliano Bifolchi, GEOPOLITICA DEL CAUCASO RUSSO

Content

00:00 - Introduction

01:38 - Differentiating Khurasan from the Islamic State Wilayat Khurasan (IS-Khurasan)

04:49 - Origins and Establishment of IS-Khurasan

06:45 - Significance of Incorporating Territory Names in Islamic State Titles

09:41 - Identifying Strategic Goals of IS-Khurasan

12:21 - Relationship Dynamics between the Taliban and IS-Khurasan

17:35 - Perceptions of IS-Khurasan within the Pashtun Community

20:34 - Potential Allies of IS-Khurasan

23:36 - Recruitment Strategies and Appeal to Followers

28:17 - Objectives of IS-Khurasan in Tajikistan

34:58 - Moscow’s Influence: Migration Patterns and Islamic Finance

40:03 - Primary Sources of Finance for IS-Khurasan

42:26 - IS-Khurasan’s Activities in the Cyber Domain

44:40 - Contrasting Innovative and Traditional Counterterrorism Approaches

48:16 - Roles of the EU, USA, Russia, and China in the Region

52:21 - Impact of Global Events on IS-Khurasan’s Strength

57:03 - Recommendations for Further Research Areas

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This episode of The IR thinker explores the history, present landscape and future risks of chemical and biological weapons with Dr Brett Edwards, tracing their evolution from early use to contemporary arsenals and dual-use technologies. The discussion examines verification and disarmament, how these weapons feature in national defence planning, the ethical and legal debates surrounding them, international control regimes and the specific concerns raised in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine.

Dr Brett Edwards is a Senior Lecturer in Security and Public Policy at the University of Bath. His research sits at the intersection of security, non-proliferation and responsible innovation, with a particular focus on chemical and biological weapons disarmament and non-proliferation.

Brett’s YouTube channel

Content

00:00 - Introduction

01:43 - Inventory of Global Chemical and Biological Weapons Capabilities

06:41 - Evolution of Chemical and Biological Weapons Through History

11:59 - Verification of Chemical and Biological Weapons Disarmament

13:51 - Integration of Chemical and Biological Weapons into National Military Strategies

16:31 - Preparedness Against Chemical and Biological Weapons Attacks

19:31 - Ethical Considerations in the Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons

24:25 - International Collaboration in Controlling Chemical and Biological Weapons

30:11 - Challenges in Prohibiting Chemical versus Biological Weapons

35:57 - Techniques for Detection of Chemical and Biological Weapons

42:04 - Post-Deployment Detection and Impact Assessment of Chemical and Biological Weapons

44:34 - International Sanctions as a Response to Chemical and Biological Weapons Violations

48:58 - The Role of Chemical and Biological Weapons in the Ukrainian Conflict

56:23 - Anticipating Future Challenges in Chemical and Biological Weapons Proliferation

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