Why would any country risk so much without any measurable gain?
The Dutch Narrative of Water Management
By Maria Giannakopoulou Sun Tzu famously said that if you want to defeat your enemy, you have to be like water – able to adjust and take every possible shape. But what happens when you have to confront water itself? Climate change and water crisis are much more than just a threatening narrative; It is … Continue reading The Dutch Narrative of Water Management
ChatGPT can be great or horrible for Private International Law
Can a LawGPT flip the law market upside down?
Upgrade Unlocked: e-Embassy
Is diplomacy going through digital transformation as well?
Papyrus Review of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
📜 If I had to rewrite the whole book on a singe papyrus scroll, which parts would I keep? By Alexandros Sainidis Why is this book beneficial for those interested in International Relations? Because by nature we are generalists. We study the biggest social actors, states and international organisations, which cover enormous parts of Earth’s … Continue reading Papyrus Review of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
How a UN mission increased the local prices of Offices
Gold is valuable because it is scarce. Same goes for offices.
How to cope with decease in science
What happens when a scientific topic dies?
Prediction and International Relations
Predictions are cringe.
The Economics Aversion in Humanitarian Science
Even if we discard the tools offered by the discipline of economics, the larger problem lays in the inability to use quantitative methods that are native to politics.
The Chronicle of the Catalan Question
By Maria Giannakopoulou, The right of a people to self-determination is a striking and of highest importance right in the domain of modern international law. Going back to history, we spot the first time of its reference during the Westphalian Era, when the first European states as known today begun taking shape and appeared determined … Continue reading The Chronicle of the Catalan Question
Black Swans and Black Sheep
What do the Black Swans of Bosnia have in common with the Azov Battallion of Ukraine?
De Macron
How Macron took lessons from de Gaulle’s Playbook
The Turkish-Russian Nuclear Cooperation
Can Turkey become a nuclear power with the help of Russia?
Jigsaw: The Power of Pictures
Presented by Alexandros Sainidis This post is part of the Jigsaw series where we share enlightening excerpts we find in books. Some words and ideas are more impactful when expressed by their writers, as they are. When I was a child, my mother would often say that mathematics is the global language – not English. … Continue reading Jigsaw: The Power of Pictures
The Internet Products
The end of the Cold War coincides with the Internet’s true development.
The conflict between Law and Power in Ukraine
By Stefanos Michelakakis, George Monopatis and Alexandros Sainidis Think of International Law as a set of rules that bind the states which have signed them. In many cases there are conventions that almost all the countries of the International Community are member-states of. These include the United Nations charter, the provisions of which are the … Continue reading The conflict between Law and Power in Ukraine
How Crypto could bridge Intelligence with Academia
Being unable to share despite knowing can be a subtle form of torture. You do not have to be a CIA spy to gain access to classified intel. Being an International Relations Analyst can often be enough to gain access to less critical but still classified information. Even at Chatham House Rule conferences public figures … Continue reading How Crypto could bridge Intelligence with Academia
Pomaks: the Misunderstood within the Greek Muslim Minority
By Nickolaos Angelis Dealing with minority issues around the world definitely sparks the interest of various readers. Many are curious to learn about the indigenous peoples. The natives. The people who used to live in their ancestral homes before they were “discovered”. Ranging from the Sámi (Lapps) of Scandinavia to the Aborigines of Oceania, the … Continue reading Pomaks: the Misunderstood within the Greek Muslim Minority
A rare text to see in a Russian book
This is something George Kennan would be pleased to read.
Your profession is not your personality; or your ideology.
At times I wonder how come I haven’t come across a similar thought or opinion to mine on the internet regarding a certain topic. There’s a special feeling of satisfaction when I find out pieces of people voicing the same concern. Introducing the “Jigsaw.” “So what do you study?”“International Studies” (In a dismissive manner) “Very … Continue reading Your profession is not your personality; or your ideology.
Can Video Games Make Wars Less Atrocious?
Final Fantasy Tactics games are a good influence regarding International Humanitarian Law
The Coronavirus might make the Contiguous Zone relevant
Dibs on Contiguous Zone becoming more relevant.
The Lemonade Stand of International Economics
A For Dummies Style humorous guide for International Economics
The Sustainable Development Game
We have talked about videogames. But videogames are not to be confused with Game Theory in social and political sciences.
To feel like a State
Lv 2: This post is a part of my Video Games series. Humans have the capacity to be empathetic. Personally I am even more empathetic when it comes to a videogame character I am invested in. Regardless if you can read between the lines of world politics or not, we all have the ability to … Continue reading To feel like a State
Lv 1: Games and International Relations
When it comes to world politics it is typically said that there is no room for fun and games. Peace, public health, the economy and the climate are at stake, requiring delicate handling. Games, on the other hand, are usually associated with children. One could characterize childhood as a free trial to a premium membership … Continue reading Lv 1: Games and International Relations
The Tigrayan Conflict
In the present, Ethiopia is experiencing a bloody civil war between the Federal Government and the state of Tigray.
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Navigating through a Jungle of Books and Journals
Too many books, too little time. What should we do?
Territorial Waters and Greco-Turkish disputes
The 12 nautical mile long Territorial Sea is far from being an exception.
Understanding the Digital Euro
How does an International Relations analyst perceive the Digital Euro?
Announcement: Behavioural Economics Greece
If you are interested in economics and psychology, there is a growing Hellenic community of Behavioural Economics enthusiasts that you can join. Among researchers and students, some members of the Pecunia et Bellum team are actively participating in this project. We believe that it is crucial to promote this form of dialogue in Greece, especially … Continue reading Announcement: Behavioural Economics Greece
The Evolution of Terrorism
Did you know that terrorism is a phenomenon that started towards the end of the 19th century?
Pecunia et Bellum is now on Youtube!
“Youtube is a mere continuation of Blogs by other means”– Clausewitz, probably A note by Alexandros Sainidis For the past ten days or so I’ve been working on this video for our blog Pecunia et Bellum. This video is an introduction both for me and the viewer. On the one side of the coin, it … Continue reading Pecunia et Bellum is now on Youtube!
The Academic Currency
One of the trends we see in modern learning is condensed science. Be it in school, university or YouTube, we tend to explain, or be provided knowledge “in a nutshell”. It sounds convenient. My own Grandfather, an architect wishes it was possible to transfer knowledge with ease. “So much knowledge. It is a pity that … Continue reading The Academic Currency
Summer changes
A note by Alexandros Sainidis This has been quite a challenging summer. One of the countries hit by the economic virus is Greece. The coronavirus has butchered tourism in Athens, something which has forced many of us, including me, to seek multiple jobs, more responsibilities, overtime work and alternative ways to make money, in order … Continue reading Summer changes
The World after a While, June 14, 2020
Europe is generally seen to be easing the lockdown measures. NASA proposes the Artemis Accords, a framework under which lunar mining will be explored with the cooperation other foreign space agencies. Along with Netflix trying to keep up with this trend in its new series, SpaceX became the first private company to have sent actual … Continue reading The World after a While, June 14, 2020
Mass immigration as a political tool
By Stefanos Michelakakis and George Monopatis Since ancient times the phenomenon of immigration offered to some people the chance for a better life and to some others a rather sudden turbulence. Either it was to escape from a harsh environment or an invader, immigration provided a ray of hope for those who have lived a … Continue reading Mass immigration as a political tool
In need of reliable neighbours
By Nickolaos Angelis The “holy” relationship between the two Nations dates back to ancient times, when, during the epoch of the Maccabean wars against the Syrian yoke, the relations between Sparta and Judaea were renewed. This time the initiative was taken by the successful brother of Judas, Jonathan, in the last years of his reign … Continue reading In need of reliable neighbours
The World after a Week: May 3, 2020
Although a government was, at last, formed in Israel, Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to face the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the charges against him. If the prime minister, suspected of corruption, is unlucky, the Court’s decision will trigger another round of elections. It appears that in order to reduce OPEC’s oil … Continue reading The World after a Week: May 3, 2020
The World after a Week – April 26, 2020
Excuse me for the delay, bad timing with work/days off 😉 President Donald Trump suspended Green Card applications for the next, at least, 60 days. This tactic is used to protect American workers from foreign competition, stemming from legal migration. Iranian authorities reported lauching a military grade satellite into orbit. It is worth noting that … Continue reading The World after a Week – April 26, 2020
The World after a Week: April 19, 2020
In Eastern Ukraine, Russian and Ukraine-backed separatists exchanged prisoners (38 in total) for the first time in 2020, keeping the Minsk Protocol in one piece for the time being, Saudi Arabia offered to raise $7 billion in Bond sale in order to deal with the current spending gap. Partial relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions in Iran, … Continue reading The World after a Week: April 19, 2020
The Sociopolitical Pathogen
By Angeliki Martinou In 1918, the world faced a pandemic, the ‘Spanish flu’, of origin geographically still unidentifiable. A century later, SARS-CoV-2, originating from China, became a worldwide health emergency. In March 2020, the WHO officially declared Covid-19 a pandemic, urging countries all over the world to take a “whole of government, whole of society … Continue reading The Sociopolitical Pathogen
The World after a While – April 12, 2020
OPEC+ alliance of oil producing states and the Group of 20 nations reached a deal to cut global crude output and put an end to a price war. The total amount that will be cut will reach as much as 9.7 million barrels a day. The Eurogroup set up the current guidelines on fighting the … Continue reading The World after a While – April 12, 2020
Eurogroup’s economic plan for the Covid-19 crisis
The Eurogroup set up the current guidelines on fighting the economic plight of COVID-19a. The release of €540 billion corona packageb. A €25 billion European Investment Bank guarantee.c. The deployment of the SURE (Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency) programme. This will provide €100 billion in total among member statesd. Precautionary financial assistance … Continue reading Eurogroup’s economic plan for the Covid-19 crisis
The World After a Week – March 8th 2020
The coronavirus is a disease for the economy as well. The International Monetary Fund, in its effort to become an global “economic doctor” gathered $50 billion to fight the Covid-19. In terms of Government Spending, Brexit preparations have cost the United Kingdom at least 5 billion euros. Days after the “historic” truce between the United … Continue reading The World After a Week – March 8th 2020
Mapping Brexit: A Tale of Sovereignty
During my freshman year at the Panteion University, where I studied International Relations, Brexit surfaced as a theme of contemporary political dialogue. Ironically, the Brexit referendum was held during the day of the European Integration course examination. How could a student expect good results given the circumstances? Since then, British Politics became a real time … Continue reading Mapping Brexit: A Tale of Sovereignty
The World After a Week – February 16, 2020
Merkel’s successor, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, suddenly resigned as leader of Germany’s Christian Democrats. Sinn Fein, the party historically associated with the Irish Republican Army, won the elections. This unexpected victory will probably become a factor for the status of the post-Brexit Irish border. The United States decided to downgrade their military effort against extremism in the … Continue reading The World After a Week – February 16, 2020
The World After a While
January and 1/3 of a February.
Trump’s Impeachment: a Domestic and Foreign Affair
By Angeliki Martinou Under Trump’s presidency, the U.S has admittedly been at media’s frontline, and the impeachment of a U.S President is no fun and games. With Trump’s recent foreign policy success – the killing of Quassem Suleimani and the deterrence of an Iranian escalation – combined with a prosperous economy, an important question arises: … Continue reading Trump’s Impeachment: a Domestic and Foreign Affair
A Post of Gratitude – Feedspot
With this humble post, the Pecunia et Bellum team would like to express its graditute towards Feedspot for featuring our blog in its “Top International Relations Blogs” section. The internet is like the international system: anarchic. It’s hard to know, beforehand, which website is worth reading. Not to mention that opening eight different websites to … Continue reading A Post of Gratitude – Feedspot
Escalation in the Middle-East: The Assassination of Qassim Suleimani
By Mubbashir Hussain An unprecedented and expectedly very consequential event took place outside the Baghdad Airport on the third morning of the year 2020. Major General Qassim Suleimani, Commander of Quds Force of Iranian Revolutionay Guard Corps, was killed in a missile attack. According to a Pentagon statement, the attack was carried out at the … Continue reading Escalation in the Middle-East: The Assassination of Qassim Suleimani
The World After a Week – December 22, 2019
Today’s Weekly Brief
The World After a Week – December 15, 2019
The Russian Federation got banned from the next Olympics and the football World Cup (more). Russia’s only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, caught fire and is undergoing repairs (more). Russia and Ukraine hold their first summit on the Crimean – East Ukrainian conflict in Paris, agreeing on a cease-fire (more). In Great Britain the Conservative Party … Continue reading The World After a Week – December 15, 2019
The Oil Weapon
Prior to the dawn of the previous century, the world had already witnessed embargos, ranging from the Megarian decree to the Embargo act of 1807. What defined the trade disputes and embargos of the 20th century, however, was the use of oil; linked to electricity, fuel and more. Oil is a source of revenue, … Continue reading The Oil Weapon
The World After a Week December 8, 2019
Diplomacy and Russia: – Bulgarian diplomat expelled from Russia in tit-for-tat move after Sofia asked the Kremlin to recall a diplomat under suspicion of espionage. Bulgaria also declined granting visa to a Russian defense attache (basically an ambassador). Given the strong cultural ties and energy relations between the two countries, this response of Bulgaria causes … Continue reading The World After a Week December 8, 2019
The World After a Week December 1, 2019
North Korea launched dummy missiles towards Japan again. Now North Korea threatens Japan with real missiles. Again (more). According to Lowy Institute, China has the most embassies and consulates with 276 diplomatic posts worldwide. In case you wonder how well your country is doing, you can check this Global Diplomacy Index. Despite most of the … Continue reading The World After a Week December 1, 2019
The World After a Week – November 24, 2019
Pope visited Thailand, the most heavily Bhuddist country (more). Russia returned naval vessels which were captured during the Kerch Strait incident. The Ukrainian navy reported that three of the vessels were vandalized by Russians (more). Google will prevent advertisers from targetiing election ads using data containing public voter records and general political affiliations (more). Microsoft … Continue reading The World After a Week – November 24, 2019
The World After a Week November 17, 2019
Evo Morales, the Bolivian leader, lost power and sought asylum in Mexico. An interim government is currently in charge. The Brazilian embassy in Venezuela is occupied by Guaido supporters. Chilean protests are paving the way for a referendum in 2020 on whether the citizens of Chile want a new constitution. Spanish elections: Left still governs, … Continue reading The World After a Week November 17, 2019
India: A Distant Country with a Nearby Market
Most of the products we use in our daily lives have either been manufactured have passed through an intermediate stage in China. It is no longer surprising that, for example, Greek souvenir statues have the inscription ‘Made in China’ underneath their feet. It is simply cost effective to manufacture in China. It would on the … Continue reading India: A Distant Country with a Nearby Market
The World After a Week November 10, 2019
Fifteen Asia-Pacific countries including China sign a trade pact without India. It is called Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). It is promised to be a big one. India is now more likely to agree on a trade agreement with Europe in order to avoid the outcome of being isolated. Speaking of India, its police has … Continue reading The World After a Week November 10, 2019
Remembering the Fall of the Berlin Wall: 30th Anniversary
By George Monopatis and Alexandros Sainidis Following the defeat of the Third Reich, Germany was virtually cut in half. The Red army had occupied East Germany in the same fashion the Russian empire did during its war with Frederick the Great. What is remarkable, however, what happened to Berlin itself, the capital city of Germany. … Continue reading Remembering the Fall of the Berlin Wall: 30th Anniversary
The Kurdish Strategic Impasse and Deir ez-Zor
By Nickolaos Angelis Since the beginning of the war in Syria, the Kurds have opposed Assad by fighting in eastern Syria against the Syrian army in both Hasakah and Qamishly. An example of Kurdish participation in the war was the “Northern Sun Battalion on the side of the anti-regime Free Syrian Army, which played a … Continue reading The Kurdish Strategic Impasse and Deir ez-Zor
China: The Challenger
By George Monopatis It is common knowledge in international fora that China is the number 2 power in the international system. However, the tricky part consists of identifying the means of achieving the status of a world order challenger. Perhaps the straightforward answer to this question derives from the country’s geography. In a geopolitical sense … Continue reading China: The Challenger
The world after a week 3/11/2019
In case you were too busy these days to follow the news. United States impose new sanctions on Iran but waivers other existing ones Oil price rose by 4% Mass anti-government demonstrations in Iraq. Protests in Lebanon and Chile The Islamic State claims responsibility for the killing of 53 millitants in Mali Turkey and Russia … Continue reading The world after a week 3/11/2019
Do it for Sturgeon
A Brief of an older article What could possibly be the link between caviar and natural gas going to Europe? Simple – Russians love both. In fact one of Russia’s provinces, Dagestan is dependent on the production of caviar from Caspian surgeon. However hypocritical may it sound, a pipeline from Turkmenistan leading to the European … Continue reading Do it for Sturgeon
Understanding Trade Wars through our Smartphones
The recent measures constraining Huawei’s activity in the Transatlantic provokes old questions of economic interdependence and new puzzles concerning cybersecurity