Discover the intricate tapestry of international politics and governance with this book. The book delves into the diverse nature of globally significant actors and systems across multiple regions. From Africa to Asia, Europe to the Middle East, this collection of thought-provoking case studies explores the role of regional actors in the international system. Combining theoretical innovation with empirical analysis, this volume expands the boundaries of International Relations (IR) and Area Studies (AS), showcasing their interconnections throughout history and in contemporary contexts. Through illuminating case studies drawn from the fields of "Comparative Regionalism" and "Non-Western IR Theory," the book sheds light on pressing international events. Unpacking complex questions, the contributors examine the application of IR scholarship to global events and provide fresh insights into political dynamics, conflicts, and state instability across various regions. By offering a comparative perspective on threats, political contestation, and security policies, this book challenges existing perspectives and enriches the debate. With its methodological and epistemological explorations, this book is an indispensable resource for scholars and students of international relations and security studies, as well as researchers focusing on specific world areas. Embark on a captivating journey through the multifaceted landscape of global affairs.

This book focuses on transnationalism as a key concept to evaluate how Europe experiences, perceives and responds to current cross-border security challenges from a legal and political perspective. The chapters in this volume specifically provide state-of-the-art accounts on several legal and political developments that have recently taken place in relation to transnational issues, such as terrorism, irregular migration and human rights violations. It specifically discusses how Europe experiences, perceives and responds to security challenges with the expectation to identify those facets of transnationalism that would ‘equally’ concern political scientists and legal scholars, especially those working on subjects pertaining to the EU governance. Through a timely analysis of the specificities of these cases, the book contributes to a much wider debate on whether and to what extent the changes and practices identified are still in accordance with cornerstones of the EU governance project, such as fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law. Overall, the book provides a fresh reading on the current status of security across Europe and the way it is understood and practiced from a multidisciplinary perspective With a revised introduction and a new conclusion, this edited volume this is the ideal companion for students, researchers and practitioners interested in law, public policy and administration, and security. This book was originally published in the Journal of Contemporary European Studies.

This book investigates counterterrorism responses from a strategic-culturalist perspective, focusing on France and Italy in the post-9/11 era. Terrorism occupies a predominant space within contemporary political debate across all European countries. Recent attacks in Europe have raised many questions about the status of counterterrorism structures within European countries, revealing a wide range of practical as well as discursive security implications. This work provides an original contribution to the understanding of counterterrorism by asking how values, norms, and a shared sense of identity matter in policy dynamics. It explores and assesses which cultural elements are relevant for the fight against terrorism and investigates the impact which these elements can have on practical approaches to terrorism. Despite the current attention to terrorist attacks in Europe, the cases of France and Italy in counterterrorism affairs are particularly overlooked by the existing literature; this book analyses, questions, and examines the strategy of these two countries through the instruments offered by the culturalist approaches to strategy. This book will be of much interest to students of terrorism studies, discourse analysis, European politics, security studies, and international relations in general.