School of International Studies
Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament
Cordially invites you to
A Talk on
The Global South and Informal Practices: Ambivalent Responses to Hub and Parallel Summits
Andrew F. Cooper
(Professor, Balsillie School of International Affairs and Department of Political Science, University of Waterloo, Canada)
Friday, 25 January 2019
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Room No. 349, School of International Studies (SIS – II)
Abstract
This presentation argues that the Global South has an enhanced – albeit selective – agency in terms of informal practices. Most notably, the 21st century has opened up for key big “rising” states – India, as well as China, Brazil, and South Africa – to belong to both hub (the G20) and parallel (the BRICS) summits. Yet, despite these forms of informality offering unprecedented (and unanticipated, until the financial crisis of 2008) the Global South countries have been ambivalent about the embrace of these summits in general, and cautious or even resistant about making a choice between the types of summit. By looking back at the Bandung conference and other historical experiences, the presentation contextualizes these sources of ambivalence. But it also looks at the forward–looking impact of this approach.
Andrew F. Cooper is Professor at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the Department of Political Science, University of Waterloo, Canada. From 2003 to 2010 he was the Associate Director and Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI). Holding a D.Phil. from Oxford University, he is the author./co-author of 11 books, including most recently BRICS VSI (OUP, 2016); Diplomatic Afterlives (Polity, 2014);The Group of Twenty (G20) (Routledge, 2012, with Ramesh Thakur); and Celebrity Diplomacy (Paradigm, 2007); He is also the editor/co-editor of 22 collections most recently the Oxford Handbook of Diplomacy (Oxford University Press, 2013), and Rising States, Rising Institutions: Challenges for Global Governance (Brookings, 2010). His scholarly publications have appeared in a number of prestigious journals such as International Organization, International Affairs, World Development, and Review of International Studies. His work has been profiled via ABC Good Morning America, The Independent, The Guardian, Times of India, China Daily, and the Washington Diplomat.
