Dr. Agnieszka Nitza-Makowska, a lecturer at Collegium Civitas, , recently participated in the ISA – GSCIS 2023 conference, titled “The Global South in International Organizations and Beyond: Transformation, Influence, and Empowerment in an Evolving World Politics,” held in Bangkok, Thailand. Her involvement in the conference is an integral part of the project “Environmental Diplomacy as a Soft Power Instrument: China and the Belt and Road Initiative,” conducted within the framework of the SONATA grant funded by the National Science Centre.

The project delves into the concept of soft power within the realm of international relations. Soft power is distinct from traditional hard power, which entails pressure, coercion, and the use of military force in state-to-state relations. A notable aspect of this project is its examination of China, challenging the prevailing assumption that soft power is exclusive to liberal democratic states, rather than autocratic regimes like China.

During the conference, Dr. Nitza-Makowska presented a paper titled “Does China instrumentalise the 2030 Agenda to green its Belt and Road Initiative? The case of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.” Additionally, she actively participated in the roundtable discussion on “Can the Global South Mitigate Climate Change? The Principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibility in the Practice of China, India, and other nations.”