Due to a unique colonial history, Hong Kong today operates under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework. In the years immediately following the handover, it was generally thought that this was working quite well. In recent years, however, tensions have arisen within the “One Country, Two Systems” model, most notably including the 2014 Umbrella Movement, the imprisonment of student protesters and various notable incidents like the disappearance of five book publishers. This article aims to uncover how consistent the EU is in promoting democratic norms in its relations with the HKSAR. Using discourse analysis of relevant EU documents, the article explores two things. Firstly, to investigate whether these tensions lead to potential (in)consistencies between what the EU says and how it in fact acts regarding disputes between Hong Kong and China. Secondly, since a large part of EU discourse stresses the promotion of values and norms such as democracy, this article analyses the consistency of this discourse.

This article analyzes military policy making made by Australian Government to tackle the issue of illegal immigrants in Australia after the Australian Federal Election in 2013. Some of existing studies on the topic illustrate from the point of view of securitization, that illegal immigrant issues has been securitized and requires the intervention of the Australian army through Operations Sovereign Borders. However, in the context of the 2013 Australian Federal Elections, these earlier studies have not explained the objectives of securitization resulting in an assertive policy in the handling of illegal immigrants. By employing the strands of securitization concept, this paper explains what objectives the securitizing actor wants to achieve from the securitization of illegal immigrant issues in Australia. The findings of this paper indicate that the securitization was aimed at raising the issue of illegal immigrants on the national security agenda due to the emergence of this issue and to gain legitimacy of extraordinary measures to eliminate the threat possesed by illegal immigrants.

Despite their status as two-great powers in East Asia, the bilateral relationship between Japan and South Korea often faces challenges with the existence of tension caused since the World War II era. Both countries stand out for their popular culture products, including the entertainment industry. With the increase of non-state actor participation in International Relations, the actors in Japan and South Korea’s entertainment industries gained a role as the actor for public diplomacy which is aimed to change the public perspective of the people from the targeted countries. This research concluded that the popularity of both Japan and South Korea’s entertainment industries caused the emergence of some group of fans, ones that have positive views towards each country, a result from consuming the globalised product of each country’s entertainment industries. Even so, the globalised entertainment industry done by both countries doesn’t always manage to gain positive reaction from the other. On the contrary, the globalisation of entertainment industry, as well as the non-state actors involved in it are sometimes used to intensify the politic tension along with the competition between two countries, to the point that it increases the existing negative sentiments within the public.

The Senkaku dispute refers to a territorial claim between China and Japan over a group of eight pinnacle islands in East China Sea. Japan has taken a valid control over the Senkaku Islands since 1895. Yet, in the light of historical records, China claims the islands as a part of its ancient territory. This article aims to analyze Japan’s motives in taking repetitive peaceful measure in handling the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands dispute. Most of existing academic writing about China-Japan discord put emphasize on the findings related to mutual aid and regime, strategy and policy, power projection and threat perception, and interaction of complex relationship. Few, if any, scrutinize Japan’s concern to take non-violent way to face China in the Senkaku/Dioayu dispute. By applying harmony-concept-invoked-approach of conflict management, this article goes for cultural philosophy and national interests as motives behind Japan’s repetitive peaceful measure in the Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute. This article shows that the Japan’s non-violent measure is induced by her value of traditional culture along with economy factor and national security.

The concept of territory, a politicized space, is not really explored in International Relations, even though territory is where International Relations happen physically. This article explores the development of the concept of territory in International Relations. By seeing the development of the concept of territory in International Relations, I could see the main arguments regarding territory. For example, I could understand the argument behind the jargon of “borderless world” or “return of geography”. In order to fully explain the development of the concept of territory in International Relations, I divide my research into five parts. First, I would describe the beginning of territory itself; how a neutral geographical space turned into political geographical space. Second, I would talk about the implication of politicization of the geographical space itself, geopolitics. Third, I would describe the critics of the concept of territory and also geopolitics. This will be joined by the fourth part about the respond the critics of the concept of territory and geopolitics. Lastly, I would talk about the non-territorial political community as alternative to traditional territorial-based state. This article then concludes that the definition of territory itself needs to be broadened, as non-spatial space is now a territory, such as the Great Firewall of China. Ultimately, I hope to show the current discussion of territory in international relations study and what could be discussed more in this rarely talked concept in international relations.