Professor Habib Al Badawi

Habib Badawi is Professor of International Relations and Japanese History at Lebanese University. He is also the coordinator of American Studies and a sought-after academic consultant. Professor Al-Badawi was awarded "The Academic Figure of 2018" by the "Asian Cultural Center" for his persistent efforts in promoting Japanese studies worldwide. Dr. Habib Al-Badawi has published multiple books and research papers on contemporary topics related to international relations and geopolitics.

Contemporary Geopolitical Competition in the Horn of Africa: Strategic Resources, Maritime Control, and Great Power Rivalry

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Prof. Habib BadawiDepartment of History, Lebanese University, Beirut, LebanonEmail: [email protected] | [email protected]: 0000-0002-6452-8379 | Scopus Author ID: 58675152100 Mr. Daniel AyoubDepartment of History, Lebanese University, Beirut, LebanonEmail: [email protected] The Horn of Africa occupies a unique strategic position at the intersection of Africa, the Middle East, and critical maritime trade routes connecting Europe and Asia. Comprising …

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Kimi Onoda: Authenticity as Authority in Contemporary Japanese Politics

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A Case Study in Values-Based Leadership and Democratic Renewal By Professor Habib Al-Badawi In October 2025, Kimi Onoda walked into Tokyo’s Imperial Palace for her cabinet inauguration wearing a gleaming silver dress that immediately sparked social media speculation (Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, 2025). Was it borrowed? A fashion misstep? Within hours, she responded on …

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When Allies Turn Adversaries: The Political, Economic, and Institutional Implications of Komeito’s Exit from the LDP Coalition

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By Professor Habib Al Badawi The dissolution of the twenty-six-year alliance between the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito on October 10, 2025, marks a defining moment in contemporary Japanese politics. For over two decades, this partnership anchored Japan’s post-Cold War governance, ensuring policy continuity, maintaining legislative stability, and fusing conservative statecraft with Buddhist-backed social moderation …

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From Fox to Wolf: U.S. Hegemonic Transformation, Domestic Democracy, and Strategic Alliances in East Asia

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By: Prof. Habib Badawi & Dr. Nicholas Howard Introduction: The Paradox of Hegemonic Strength The transformation of American global leadership presents a fundamental paradox that challenges conventional wisdom about hegemonic power and its exercise. While the United States retains overwhelming material capabilities, its capacity to build and maintain international coalitions has demonstrably diminished. This study …

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Strategic Competition in an Interdependent World: Reassessing Power Transition Dynamics in US-China Relations

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By: Prof. Habib Badawi and Dr. Ali Darbaj Introduction The contemporary discourse surrounding US-China relations has been dominated by historical analogies, particularly Graham Allison’s application of the “Thucydides Trap” framework, which suggests that rising powers inevitably challenge established hegemons, often leading to conflict (Allison, 2017). However, such binary frameworks struggle to capture the unprecedented complexity …

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From Partnership to Panic: How Misinformation Distorted Japan’s Africa City Initiative (TICAD 9)

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Prof. Habib Al Badawi The Architecture of Misunderstanding The “Partner City” initiative, conceived as a cornerstone of Japan’s soft diplomatic engagement with Africa through the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), represented an ambitious yet fundamentally modest vision of international cooperation. By establishing formal partnerships between four Japanese municipalities—Nagai, Kisarazu, Sanjo, and Imabari—and the …

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The Architecture of Global Power Transformation—US-China Strategic Competition in the 21st Century

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By Habib Al Badawi Introduction: Navigating Unprecedented Power Reconfiguration The contemporary international system exists at a critical inflection point, characterized by a profound reconfiguration of global power dynamics driven by the dual forces of hegemonic persistence and strategic ascent (Gilpin, 1981). This transformation transcends simplistic models of unipolar transition, demanding a nuanced understanding of power …

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When Authority Undermines Literacy: A Case Study of Public Grammar, Political Power, and Institutional Response

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By Professor Habib Al-Badawi Abstract Purpose: This study investigates how grammatical errors in official communications from educational authorities impact their perceived legitimacy and credibility. Specifically, it examines the May 2025 case of U.S. Education Secretary McMahon’s grammatically flawed letter to Harvard University threatening federal funding withdrawal and analyzes the resulting public discourse and institutional responses. …

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From Reciprocity to Retaliation: The Trump Doctrine and the Transformation of U.S. Trade Policy in a Fragmented Global Order

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Habib Badawi, Mohamed Hani, Ouahiba Louahab Introduction The return of Donald Trump to the presidency in 2024 marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of U.S. trade policy and global economic governance. Far from representing a mere continuation of his first term’s approach, Trump’s second administration has catalyzed a profound transformation in America’s engagement with the …

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Weaponizing Trade: Trump’s Tariff Tantrum and the Collapse of International Economic Order

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By Professor Habib Al-Badawi, Mohamed Hani, Ouahiba Louahab As we enter the mid-2020s, the global economic landscape bears little resemblance to the optimistic visions of liberal internationalism that dominated the immediate post-Cold War era. The promise of an integrated global economy—characterized by falling barriers to trade, harmonized regulatory frameworks, and mutual prosperity through comparative advantage—has …

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