Peter van Ham’s research while affiliated with Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael and other places

An idea is roaming the world, the idea of an American Empire. Like Marx’s spectre of revolution, the possibility of a Pax Americana is either welcomed, or looked at with great concern. Some states support the United States because they consider it a particularly benign, liberal power, whose values and policies they share. Others resent the US’s power predominance, often violently. These states accuse the US of playing ‘Globocop’, engaged in a dangerous and risky game of global social engineering. The argument about the role of the United States in the world has seldom been more controversial than today, both within the US and outside. Since the US is the primus inter pares within the international community, and also considers itself more equal than others, the idea of ‘empire’ has again emerged as a metaphor and model. ‘Empire’ has quickly turned into the infamous ‘e-word’ of US foreign policy: hotly debated, but also often misread.

This article argues that the United States is not only fighting a war against international terrorism by classical, military means, but is also engaged in a battle over the 'hearts and minds' of the Muslim world. It examines the USA's public diplomacy efforts to manage the after- shocks of 9/11, and identifies the key concepts that underlie public diplomacy. The article presents a brief overview of the main points of criticism that these policies have provoked. It concludes that although the USA's public diplomacy is an essential (and still underdeveloped and undervalued) component of its overall policy towards the Middle East, it will take more than better communications to address the USA's credibility and image problems in that region.

The practice of 'branding' has invaded all aspects of public and private life. Increasingly, cities, regions and states are using the services of PR and branding consultants to strengthen their ties with so-called stakeholders, aiming to achieve economic and political benefits. This essay studies the intersection between the two worlds of PR and IR theory; two epistemic communities that have little real contact with each other, despite the fact that they share an interest in concepts such as globalisation, identity and the changing nature of power in international politics. This essay offers numerous concrete examples of the phenomenon of location branding to describe how and why territorial entities have decided to jump on the `brandwagon'. It relates the trend of location branding with some strands of constructivist thinking and explores the possible consequences for the study of nationalism and democracy. In this, it sketches the outlines of a potential new research agenda.

This article takes the pulse of the Franco‐German security relationship and analyses its implications for the future development of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). It starts with a brief historical overview of this relationship before discussing Europe's contemporary and future security challenges from the perspectives of Paris and Berlin. It evaluates Europe's ‘lessons‐learned’ from the war against Yugoslavia over Kosovo and concludes that in a more complex and wider Europe, the Franco‐German axis may be one important partnership among many, but certainly not the quintessential and fundamental driving force for further European integration as during past decades. Especially in the security and defence fields, an Anglo‐French‐German entente is likely to emerge which will be beneficial for the development of a European CFSP and European security in general.