https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/15904 Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:49:15 GMT 2026-08-05T16:49:15Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148317 Title: China's strategic narratives of the war in Ukraine : variations and nuances Authors: Pennisi di Floristella, Angela Maria; Chen, Xuechen Abstract: This book is among the first to map out China’s strategic narratives in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Recognizing that the Chinese actors involved with and influencing Chinese foreign policy has continued to grow under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the authors shed light on the nuances and variations of distinctive sources of China’s foreign policy with regard to the current war in Ukraine. They empirically analyse the nuances and variations of Chinese sources of foreign policy and illuminate China’s possible course of action and role in response to current and future international security crises. In particular, the book seeks to answer the following questions: What strategic narratives have China’s official sources of foreign policy disseminated concerning the war in Ukraine? What do Chinese MFA, media and think tank strategic narratives reveal about China’s view of, identity in relation to and potential solutions for the conflict in Ukraine? To what extent are these narratives consistent and or competitive? The research argues that China’s strategic narratives project different views, values and solutions to the current war, thereby reflecting the lack of a top-down masterplan on security issues and conflicts. In turn, China’s contradictory strategic narratives provide evidence that China’s foreign and security policy is a work in progress, raising the necessity to acknowledge some degree of uncertainty with respect to China’s future intentions. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148317 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145041 Title: China’s strategic narratives on international security issues : Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Authors: Pennisi di Floristella, Angela Maria Abstract: This paper utilizes a strategic narrative approach to grasp China’s views of contemporary international security politics. It explores Chinese international system narratives and policy-issue narratives presented in official policy documents, with reference to the cases of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict. In particular, this paper asks two questions: How and to what extent are Chinese strategic narratives pertaining to the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza comparable, and what do these narratives reveal about the potential for China to play a stabilizing role amid these conflicts? The comparison of both cases reveals that there is some consistency in China’s narratives, as demonstrated by China’s aspiration to play a greater role in security. However, by attracting the discontent of unsatisfied countries and presenting China as the leader of the wider international community, Chinese official discourse is also hampered by several ambiguities and contradictions that complicate its ability to play a meaningful role as a global security provider amid contemporary crises. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145041 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144583 Title: Reframing the politics of civil society support Authors: Khakee, Anna Abstract: In recent decades, many donors have argued that there is an international legal right to foreign funding, but this has not been effective in halting the assault on civil society organisations (CSOs). This approach now faces stronger headwinds because of the shift away from a liberal world order as norm competition deepens between democratic and illiberal or nondemocratic regimes. At the same time, many western democratic states have tightened funding rules for their civil society to defend themselves against destabilisation efforts by Russia and other powers. As Javier Sajuria notes in this report, other countries accuse western governments of double standards and the foreign funding of civil society has become further politicised. [excerpt] Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144583 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144541 Title: Poverty, disability and education : debating inclusivity in the majority world Authors: Grech, Shaun Abstract: Around 600 million people are disabled globally, and some 80% of these are said to live in the so-called majority world, often in disproportionate levels of a multidimensional poverty, impacting socio-economic spheres including education. While the subject of disability in the majority world has gained some momentum, notably through the international development sector, the debate remains embryonic. Furthermore, concerns related to broader poverty, neoliberalism and its historical antecedents, and the social, economic, cultural and political contexts of a post/neocolonial global South, remain subsumed under or reframed through Western discourses (e.g. disability and development studies). In light of this, this chapter seeks to discuss issues around disability and poverty in the so-called majority world, in an effort to outline and discuss critical concerns around education in neoliberal times, and the implications for inclusive education in the global South. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144541 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z