Dr Peter E Marshall

To what extent can climate change adaptation be incorporated into counterterrorism strategies in the Lake Chad Basin (LCB) region? As part of the Lake Chad region counterterrorism strategy, we explore how climate change adaptation can be used to prevent local population recruitment into violent extremism. Over the years, the Lake Chad Basin has been entangled with complex and multivariant challenges, such as climate threats, jihadist extremism, and intercommunal and religious conflicts. These variabilities have adversely affected people's livelihoods and security. This paper provides a complementary approach to counter-terrorism operations in the Lake Chad Basin region. We argue that local vulnerabilities create a favourable climate for jihadist extremist recruitment of vulnerable local populations. In response to climate change, it suggests adaptation measures as a non-kinetic counter-terrorism measure to help mitigate the recruitment of vulnerable populations into violent extremism. Non-kinetic adaptation measures, in a relative sense, employ a non-military approach to minimise the vulnerability and recruitment of the local population that has experienced climate-related shocks into jihadist enclaves. This approach, which has received little attention in the literature, can be integrated into counter-terrorism operations to prevent the recruitment of vulnerable communities whose livelihoods have been destroyed by climate fragility, violent extremism, and forced displacement nexus in the Lake Chad Basin. The paper concludes by advocating adequate mobilisation of resources to promote adaptation strategies and their implementation.

The next. #OpenAccess, article in Global Society 39(4) is "(De)Weaponizing Climate-Induced Recruitment: Prospects of Climate Change Adaptation as a Non-Kinetic Counter-Terrorism Strategy in the Lake Chad Basin Region" by Folahanmi Aina and @jayblux.bsky.social.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The development of artificial intelligence and autonomous functions in the military domain has an immense impact on technologies being developed by the private defence industry. Defence firms contribute to the narratives and visions on autonomous weapon systems and the future of warfare, e.g. in the form of strategic marketing of their products. However, their role has so far been understudied, especially regarding autonomous weapon systems. As the normative debate revolves around aspects of human control, this work examines the narratives of (meaningful) human control in the marketing of autonomous military systems by defence manufacturers. Based on a comprehensive content analysis of twenty defence firms, we identified three main narratives, which envision autonomy as a military advantage, the role of the human in the future of warfare, and human-machine teaming. Based on the results, we argue that defence companies reproduce and adapt narratives which shape expectations and visions of human control of autonomous weapon systems in anticipation of emerging norms for (meaningful) human control. However, without specifications and verification mechanisms, there is no indication that human control will be meaningful.

Our 1st monthly pick is"Envisioning Human-Machine Interaction in Future Warfare: Defence Industry Narratives on Human Control of Autonomous Weapon Systems" by Thea Riebe, Anja-Liisa Gonsior, Lilian Reichert, & Christian Reuter (all @tuda.bsky.social)

#OpenAccess

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Global Society Volume 39, Issue 4 of Global Society

Global Society Volume 39 Issue 4 has now been published, with over half of the articles published being #OpenAccess. We will highlight each of the articles throughout October.

To access to the full issue now, click the link below!

www.tandfonline.com/toc/cgsj20/3...

Deleuze's Postscript will be getting a load more downloads today, eh?

Literature on the relationship between creativity and ideology is comprised of two broad schools of thought: either creativity is the limit to ideology and vice-versa, or creativity is subordinate to ideological systems. These positions demonstrate that, paradoxically, to surpass an ideology one must create an alternative, but creativity can always be reincorporated into the dominant mode of politics. Thus, I draw on the work of Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, and Catherine Malabou to reconceptualise ideology and address this paradox. I argue that ideological forces produce meaning by creatively returning to old systems of thought. Simultaneously, creative forces can only disrupt meaning if they are conditioned by the ideologies they depart from. This reconceptualization allows for a better understanding of ideologies as primarily adaptable systems of thought that avoid being transformed by events and creatively re-enforce particular ways to practice politics.

I'm really excited to announce that the first publication from my PhD has been published in Philosophy & Social Criticism!

The paper is my attempt to resolve the paradox central to my thesis around ideology and creativity (1/6)

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

We have a new #OnlineFirst paper out in Global Society by @gregoriobuzzelli.bsky.social and @francesconicoli.bsky.social, "Future Impacts of Industry 4.0 on Labour Markets and Production Reshoring, Concentration and Sustainability: A Prospective Literature Review". Do give it a read!

This is your reminder that both Global Society special issues 34(1) and 38(1) are free to read until the 31/10/25!

Global Society also has an open call for special issues, so please follow the link on our pinned post if you are interested in proposing any special issues!

This special issue was edited by @profbode.bsky.social and Guangyu Qiao-Franco as part of the AutoNorms project!

Global Society The Algorithmic Turn in Security and Warfare. Volume 38, Issue 1 of Global Society

On the final day of the @thecrs.bsky.social conference, we can also announce that we have made Global Society Special Issue 38(1), "The Algorithmic Turn in Security and Warfare", freely accessible until 31/10/25. Read the whole issue here:

#CRS2025

www.tandfonline.com/toc/cgsj20/3...

This is a weird thing to get riled up about to be honest - there's definitely a gendered dynamic at play. Unless, of course, women have a magical sense for hidden public WCs!

NM has a lot of good people on it's payroll, but this isn't exactly the hard-hitting journalism you'd expect!

The introduction for this special issue was written by @fr33palest1ne.bsky.social, Griffin Leonard, Aidan Gnoth, Joseph Llewellyn, and Tonga Karena!

Global Society The Return of Pacifism to IR. Volume 34, Issue 1 of Global Society

To celebrate the start of the @thecrs.bsky.social conference, we are thrilled to announce that Global Society Special Issue 34(1), "The Return of Pacifism to IR", is freely accessible in its entirety until 31/10/25. Read the whole issue here:

#CRS2025

www.tandfonline.com/toc/cgsj20/3...

There are investments of desire, exercising of power, and creation of meaning in relation to certain ideological problems, struggling against the immanent collapse of the project.

Some kind of ideology-machine or something.

I think the furore that Starmer aids are making about the firing of Ovenden, the eagerness of some journalists to make this known, and the lack of care about Abbott being (effectively) sexually harassed, speaks to the nature of Starmer's ideological project.

The study investigates the macro determinants of global financial inclusion using world data from 1999 to 2023 period. The data were analysed using the fully modified ordinary least squares regression estimator, the two-stage least squares regression estimator and the robust least squares regression estimator. The determinants examined are total domestic investment, macroeconomic management frameworks, international trade openness, total population size, consumer spending, and economic growth rate. The findings reveal that population size and trade openness have a positive effect on global financial inclusion through a higher financial inclusion index and commercial bank branch expansion. Total domestic investment and sound macroeconomic management have a negative effect on global financial inclusion through a decrease in the financial inclusion index and a reduction in the number of bank branches and the negative effect is more pronounced in the post-financial crisis years. However, total population size remain a positive determinant of global financial inclusion in the post-financial crisis years. Trade openness and consumer spending increase global financial inclusion during periods of economic prosperity while total domestic investment and sound macroeconomic management decrease global financial inclusion during periods of economic prosperity. In terms of forward-looking orientation, the study finds that a large population and weak macroeconomic management in the present period leads to financial inclusion gains in the future. It is recommended that policy adjustments in today’s population size and macroeconomic management frameworks can help to achieve future financial inclusion targets. The findings contribute to the financial inclusion literature by using world data to offer new insights into the factors that can accelerate global financial inclusion.

There's a new #OnlineFirst article out with Global Society, "Macro Determinants of Global Financial Inclusion: Evidence from World Data" by Peterson K. Ozili (@cenbank.bsky.social).

Be sure to give it a read!

#Growth #Finance #Investment

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Our social media editor, @poltheorypete.bsky.social
(@yorkstjohn.bsky.social), has recently published an article with Philosophy & Social Criticism titled "On ideological and creative forces". Read it by following the link below!

Where is Keir Starmer? Where is the leadership?

Fascists marched on our streets yesterday and he hasn’t said a single word.

Instead the Prime Minister spends his time defending the “best pals” of paedophiles.

He is a coward. He should resign.

In other words, there can be no ideological production without creative production or vice-versa.

I also talk about what these forces traverse (ideology machines) and being critical of ideology as a force of meaning production, but you'll have to read the paper for those! (6/6).

The ideological produces meaning differently, but this meaning "thinks itself" the same - it produces meaning as though there has been no Event.
A creative force produces an unsettling of established meaning (connecting itself to the Event), but this unsettling is always in situ. (5/6)

So, and this bit really is a tl;dr, I reconceptualise the ideological and the creative as co-constitutive forces of meaning production that relate to the Event that ungrounds meaning (through my reading Deleuze, Foucault, and a slightly warped Malabou). (4/6)

To valorise creativity (like a good poststructuralist) is ideological. At the same time, the only way to surpass ideology is the creation of a new way of thinking.

Hence the paradox: ideology is always creative, creativity is always ideological, but they also limit each other. (3/6)

Ideology is the limit to creativity: we are unable to think beyond what is possible and create new worlds because of ideological structures.
However!
Creativity is also always ideologically conditioned: tech bros and centrist politicians (and more of course) ground their politics in creativity (2/6)

Literature on the relationship between creativity and ideology is comprised of two broad schools of thought: either creativity is the limit to ideology and vice-versa, or creativity is subordinate to ideological systems. These positions demonstrate that, paradoxically, to surpass an ideology one must create an alternative, but creativity can always be reincorporated into the dominant mode of politics. Thus, I draw on the work of Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, and Catherine Malabou to reconceptualise ideology and address this paradox. I argue that ideological forces produce meaning by creatively returning to old systems of thought. Simultaneously, creative forces can only disrupt meaning if they are conditioned by the ideologies they depart from. This reconceptualization allows for a better understanding of ideologies as primarily adaptable systems of thought that avoid being transformed by events and creatively re-enforce particular ways to practice politics.

I'm really excited to announce that the first publication from my PhD has been published in Philosophy & Social Criticism!

The paper is my attempt to resolve the paradox central to my thesis around ideology and creativity (1/6)

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

An emerging field of scholarship in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computing posits that AI has the potential to significantly alter political and economic landscapes within states by reconfiguring labor markets, economies, and political alliances, leading to possible societal disruptions. Thus, this study examines the potential destabilizing economic and political effects AI technology can have on societies and the resulting implications for domestic conflict based on research within the fields of political science, sociology, economics, and artificial intelligence. In addition, we conduct interviews with 10 international AI experts from think tanks, academia, multinational technology companies, the military, and cyber to assess the possible disruptive effects of AI and how they can affect domestic conflict. Lastly, the study offers steps governments can take to mitigate the potentially destabilizing effects of AI technology to reduce the likelihood of civil conflict and domestic terrorism within states.

Our fourth monthly pick is "The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Artificial Intelligence, and Domestic Conflict" by Lance Y. Hunter, Craig Albert, Josh Rutland, and Chris Hennigan (all from Augusta University)! Please do give it a read!

#AI #Conflict

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

This study explores the phenomenon of “civilizational deviation” in collective mediation processes within international conflicts, where perceived civilizational identities significantly impact outcomes. Comparing the late 19th-century Cretan Question and the 1988–1994 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, it reveals how civilizational factors obstruct collective mediation processes. In both cases, conflicting parties held perceptions of civilizational proximity or distance to the collective mediators, diverting mediation process from established international peace frameworks. The mediation process in Crete failed to deter separatism driven by religious self-determination, resulting in a peace design incongruent with prevailing international peace framework (Richmond, Oliver P. 2022. The Grand Design: The Evolution of the International Peace Architecture. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2021. Similarly, the OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts in Nagorno-Karabakh faced challenges aligning with normative mandates from the UN peace framework. This analysis illuminates complexities in mediation influenced by civilizational perceptions and highlighting the need to address civilizational deviation for international peace.

Our third monthly pick is "Civilizational Deviation in Collective Mediation: A Comparative Analysis of the Cretan Question and the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict" by Cavit Emre Aytekin (Kafkas Üniversitesi) & Mehmet Akif Okur (Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi).

#Conflict

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

International Relations (IR) and related social science disciplines focusing on peace and conflict studies have enabled a bureaucratic understanding of peacebuilding and a liberal form of peace. This has extended into a neoliberal type of statebuilding. There is now an impressive international architecture for peace, but its engagement with its subjects in everyday contexts has been less impressive. An earlier group of conflict researchers, grouped around John Burton and later A.J.R. Groom, have long argued that this is partly because IR has concentrated on elite power, problem-solving methodology and positivist epistemologies. It has failed to understand the dynamics, agency and hybridity of human society and institutions when it comes to peace, or that inequality is conflict inducing. Rescuing peacebuilding from neoliberal epistemological frameworks requires an anthropological and ethnographic sensitivity.

Our second monthly pick for September is Oliver P. Richmond's (@manchester.ac.uk) #OpenAccess article, "Rescuing Peacebuilding? Anthropology and Peace Formation". Be sure to click the link below and give it a read!

#Peace #Conflict #Neoliberalism

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Since the 2000s, two parallel phenomena – the “third wave of autocratisation” and the “reaffirmation of authoritarian great powers” – have contributed to the development of the autocracy promotion literature. This scholarship shows conceptual problems and increasingly evident scope issues. These issues arise from neglecting phenomena tied to the more assertive foreign policy of prominent autocracies, including corrosive capital, digital authoritarianism and disinformation, or new surveillance tools. Such factors contribute to autocratisation processes in both democracies and autocracies. Hence, we propose a branching tree typology to map the conceptual space of the international dimension of autocratisation. Our typology tackles both conceptual and scope issues, highlighting the growing relevance of indirect forms of external influence on autocratisation, which we call “indirect democracy prevention/erosion”. Our goal is to stimulate debate among both IR and comparative politics scholars, encouraging innovative approaches to assess the role of the international dimension in contemporary autocratisation processes.

Global Society has a new #OnlineFirst publication out by Antonino Castaldo and Marcelo Camerlo (both ‪@ics-ulisboa.bsky.social‬), "The International Dimension of Autocratisation: New Challenges for Democracy".

Do give it a read!

#Autocracy #Russia #China

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

This article explores alliance behaviour among female insurgents. I argue that interethnic cooperation among women affiliated with different ethnic armed groups is affected by whether women share a commitment to gender egalitarianism and the level of repression they face from their male co-ethnics. Building on previous research, I create a typology of women’s alliance behaviour that explains variation in the level of cooperation and the type of alliance women form. I disaggregate gender egalitarianism along three dimensions – shared victimhood, promotion of gender equality and linkages to civil society – to show how women overcome mistrust to create social bonds. Using the case of the Karen Women’s Organisation (KWO), I demonstrate that even in the face of repression, once these bonds are created, they are unlikely to break down. This study adds to research highlighting the role of repression in driving wartime alliances.

The first monthly pick is an #OpenAccess article by Shelli Israelsen (@radboudpol.bsky.social), "Repression and Alliance Formation: A Gender(ed) Approach to Interethnic Cooperation During Conflict".

Be sure to give it a read!

#Repression #Gender #Conflict

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The @thecrs.bsky.social‬ annual conference for 2025 (Sep 17-19) is being hosted by ‪@kent.ac.uk‬ (which is where we are based), so our September monthly picks highlight recent research on conflict published in Global Society. Our Editor-in-Chief Rubrick Biegon is attending, so come and say hello!

This is your reminder that Global Society has an open call for special issue proposals!

Our most recent special issue was Global Society 39(1) on Authoritarian Governmentality. We'd love to hear from you, so please follow the steps below!