Transboundary Politics as Opportunity Structure: International Orders, Identities and Human Rights

Since the last IPSA World Congress in 2018 in Brisbane, the study of politics has shifted more explicitly away from what was ‘bounded’ in nationalism and internationalism to what has become more trans-bound in view of international orders, gender, identities, conflicts as well as structures and challenges. While the current turn of events regarding international conflicts and wars, climate change, incursions into rights and freedoms as well as clash of global and local supply chains signal trouble, this panel originates from the duty of political scientists to deliberate, reflect, debate and come up with a type of transboundary politics that offers opportunities. In this effort, this congress theme panel seeks to explore and present the opportunities that the break-up of binary thinking habits, structure of identities and belonging, international politics, policy and trade in zero-sum formulations should provide to political communities. The panel will state that the ‘grey zone’ largely apparent between black and white interpretations of political events, regionalisation, identities should offer comfort zones for many of us. Going beyond, it will state that liminalities are better than deeply embedded identities and political positions, and political positions and belonging does not have to pick sides but can be ever embracing and changing in view of how transboundary politics unfold. Based on these themes, this panel will offer a study of politics, policy, and legal aspects of studying transboundary as an opportunity structure amidst the confluence of politics in Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia and North America. It will reinstate the opportunity that ‘trans’ rather than ‘boundedness’ should offer in exploring transboundary politics.