University of California Press Publishes New Research on Armenia’s Strategic Position in the Emerging Multipolar World Order 2.0

YEREVAN– Dr. Mher Sahakyan, Founder and Director of the China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research, has published a new article in Global Perspectives, a peer-reviewed journal of the University of California Press, entitled “Armenia in a Multipolar World Order 2.0: Balancing, Bandwagoning, or Hedging?”. The study examines Armenia’s foreign policy options and strategic choices amid the ongoing transformation of the international system toward a multipolar world order.

The publication highlights the growing contribution of Armenian scholarship to international discussions on geopolitics, small-state foreign policy, and Eurasian affairs in a Multipolar Wordl Order 2.0 stage. Published by the University of California Press, Global Perspectives is an international academic journal dedicated to addressing contemporary global challenges through innovative and interdisciplinary research.

The research was initiated during Dr. Sahakyan’s Fulbright Visiting Scholarship at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University. The study also benefited from interviews with distinguished diplomats, policymakers, and experts, including James B. Steinberg, Dean of SAIS and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State; John Evans, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia; Ian Kelly, former spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State and former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia; John Heffern, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia; Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America; John Ordway, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia and Kazakhstan; and Vakhtang Charaia, Vice-Rector of Grigol Robakidze University and Director of the Center for Analysis and Forecasting at Tbilisi State University.

Commenting on the publication, Dr. Sahakyan noted that the study explores how Armenia can navigate the opportunities and challenges of an increasingly multipolar international environment and assesses the strategic options available to small states amid intensifying great-power competition.

Mher Sahakyan is a recognized expert on international relations, Chinese foreign policy, and Eurasian geopolitics. He is the author of numerous scholarly publications and an active advocate of international academic cooperation. His latest book, the Routledge Handbook of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Eurasia, was published by the British publisher Taylor & Francis. He also serves as a Founding general editor of the Routledge Research in Eurasian Geopolitics book series, visiting lecturer at Chinese and French universities. He was a 2024-2025 Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and a 2020-2022 AsiaGlobal Fellow at the University of Hong Kong. Recently he has been nominated to run for the position of At-Large Representative on the Governing Council of the International Studies Association.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, or the China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research, Armenia.

The article,“Armenia in a Multipolar World Order 2.0: Balancing, Bandwagoning, or Hedging?”, is available in Global Perspectives, published by the University of California Press.