The return of geopolitical competition and the emergence of a more multipolar international order have brought renewed scholarly interest in how states position themselves between competing centres of power. While studies of international politics have traditionally focused on alliance formation and balancing behaviour, an increasing number of states pursue alternative foreign policy strategies that resist straightforward categorisation.
This panel examines alignment as a political and social process rather than a purely strategic calculation. It invites theoretical and empirical contributions exploring how states construct, negotiate, and legitimise their foreign policy identities in an era of intensifying geopolitical rivalry. Concepts such as neutrality, non-alignment, strategic autonomy, hedging, and multi-alignment suggest that foreign policy choices are not determined solely by material constraints but are also shaped by identities, norms, historical experiences, and domestic political narratives. Particular attention will be given to constructivist approaches, foreign policy analysis, and interdisciplinary perspectives that illuminate the relationship between identity, agency, and international order.
The panel welcomes contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes: the evolution of neutrality and non-alignment; strategic autonomy and hedging; the foreign policies of small and middle powers, historical memory and identity in foreign policy; domestic narratives and external positioning, regional perspectives on alignment, and the implications of multipolarity for international order and global governance. Comparative studies, conceptual interventions, and single-case analyses from all world regions are encouraged.
By bringing together diverse theoretical perspectives and empirical cases, the panel seeks to advance a broader understanding of how states navigate competing pressures as they construct foreign policy identities in a changing global system.
