Dr. Gabriele Abbondanza is Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Madrid (UCM – Spain), Associate Researcher at the University of Sydney (USYD – Australia), and Associate Fellow at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI – Italy). His fields of expertise comprise Italian foreign policy, Australian foreign policy, the Indo-Pacific, middle and great powers, and irregular migration governance. His teaching activity focuses on international relations, international security, and irregular migration; and his research has been published by some of the most influential publishers and journals worldwide, including International Affairs, International Political Science Review, European Political Science, and others. He often engages with public institutions and the media to disseminate the most significant aspects of his research, and can be found on Twitter as @Dr_G_Abbondanza.

*Originally published in 2024 and preserved as part of our archive project. E-International Relations is free to read. We rely on reader support to make this possible.

Where do you see the most exciting research/debates happening in your field?

That’s an interesting question with a complicated answer, as “exciting” debates in international relations and security studies often arise from regional or global crises of different kinds. Great research continues to develop in a variety of niche fields – pertaining to both traditional and non-traditional IR – though from a personal perspective I find three developments particularly interesting. To begin with, the growing recognition that the Indo-Pacific is the world’s geopolitical and geoeconomic epicentre. What started as a strategic counter-narrative by a handful of states (the US, Japan, and Australia) now effectively portrays both the economic opportunities and the strategic challenges of this macro-region, a condition that is finally being acknowledged by Europe as well. Secondly, and this is partially related to my former point, the tangible shifts in the international system and its global hierarchy are being explored in new and innovative ways, both theoretically and analytically. My colleagues and I have provided our small contribution to these debates, but there are dozens of great scholars who are also engaged in this effort to more accurately depict what I like to define as a “chaotically multipolar order”. Lastly, irregular migration now fully permeates not only (and understandably) humanitarian discussions, but also political and strategic debates, which I think is a positive development. I believe that we cannot think to address a transnational phenomenon – one that has become a permanent feature of the 21st century – without an effort including all relevant actors, from migrants themselves to destination countries and their regional organisations. Of course, it goes without saying that there are plenty more interesting developments in the IR and security studies disciplines!

How has the way you understand the world changed over time, and what (or who) prompted the most significant shifts in your thinking?

In a Socratic sort of way, the more I think I know about something, the more I understand how complex the variables are behind any answer I feel inclined to give. Like most, the way I see and interpret the world depends on how much I read, conduct research, discuss with peers (including mentors and younger colleagues), learn from others, and react to the broader environment that surrounds me. I am lucky enough to be........

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