Abstract | What would it mean to study great power politics in a world where the existence, agency, strategy, and the priorities of small states were acknowledged and taken seriously? To understand the workings of great power, and to be able to anticipate socio-political dynamics and their influence upon the classical tropes of territory, conflict, alliances, and so on, it is essential to pay much greater attention to the disaggregations that comprise of sub-regional shifts, including in public discourse, material flows, and human movement. Referring to the small and sovereign Himalayan state of Bhutan, I invite you to think about what I have previously called "subalternizing geopolitics." This theoretical position advocates critically examining the Asian major power narratives for their historical blind spots, ingrained paternalist tropes, and reflexive insecurities, in order to pay attention to the sub regional dynamics. Such critical examinations allow us to better assess and mitigate the potentially complex political impacts of various transborder challenges that include not only territorial conflicts and border disputes, but also increasingly, their intertwining with public discourse, human movement, and economic and climate vulnerabilities. |
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