Publications
Eastward Bound? Options and Limitations in the EU's Eastern Dimension
Natural Gas and CO2 Price Variation: Impact on the Relative Cost-Efficiency of LNG and Pipelines
Dynamics of de facto statehood: the South Caucasian de facto states between secession and sovereignty
Scattered across the globe there exist a handful of unrecognized statelets. Although some such entities have proven short-lived, others have demonstrated remarkable tenacity. The South Caucasian de facto states – Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh – have existed for almost 20 years now. This article offers a comparative analysis of how these statelets have attempted to consolidate statehood though processes of state- and nation-building. Despite many outward similarities, both ambitions and outcomes have varied greatly. Interestingly, whether the ultimate goal has been independent statehood or status is seen only as a springboard for unification with ethnic kin does not seem to be a decisive point.
Which Afghanistan? Military, Humanitarian, and State-Building Identities in the Afghan Theater
Civilian Capacities and Non-Governmental Rosters: Report of the Study on Civilian Capacities within Non-Governmental Rosters
Performing Good Governance: The Aesthetics of Bureaucratic Practice in Malawi
Based on ethnographic research carried out in Malawi, this article discusses some bureaucratic procedures that are implemented with enthusiasm, even though they do not produce the effects they are designed for. These procedures seem to be more meaningful as aesthetic expressions rather than being the result of instrumental considerations. They create an image, albeit temporary, of a ‘legible’, well-organised society and a knowledgeable, caring state. That image may not reflect current realities in Malawi, but it points towards a future form of statehood towards which the country is progressing. The case study from Malawi is used as a basis for a discussion of the role of aesthetics in bureaucratic practice and some of its implications, including mediating between seemingly incompatible norms, and between local and abstract social realities.