• “Tri-Alignment: Bahrain’s Survival Strategy Amid an Era of Global Power Shifts”

Abstract
How does Bahrain navigate great power competition in an era of global power shifts? While existing scholarship on small-state behavior often emphasizes balancing, bandwagoning, or hedging, Bahrain presents a distinct case. Despite being a long-standing U.S. ally, hosting the U.S. Fifth Fleet and participating in joint security operations such as Operation Prosperity Guardian, Bahrain declined American pressure to ban Huawei’s 5G technology and instead signed a strategic partnership agreement with China. This chapter argues that Bahrain’s behavior is best understood through a tri-alignment strategy, in which the country simultaneously aligns with a regional power (Saudi Arabia), a global hegemon (the United States), and a rising power (China). Rather than choosing sides, Bahrain prioritizes regime stability, security, and economic survival. Tri-alignment emerges under three structural conditions: small-state status with limited capabilities; strategic geographic positioning that draws major power attention; and persistent domestic unrest. Drawing on primary documents, bilateral agreements, and secondary sources, the chapter demonstrates how Bahrain leverages the distinct but overlapping benefits of each alignment. It receives military security from the U.S., economic diversification from China, and regime legitimacy, financial support, and security coordination from Saudi Arabia. The chapter contributes a new framework for understanding small-state behavior amid intensifying great power rivalry.

• “Does Health Aid Reduce Interstate Hostility? The Cases of the U.S. and China” (With Wonjae Hwang, Jeeseon Hwang, and Tianjing Liao)

Abstract
Does health aid generate the pacifying effect on the relationship between a donor and a recipient? By examining the impact of health aid from the U.S. and China on the level of interstate hostility with their recipients from 1990 to 2010, this paper evaluates the peace-through-aid argument. The findings indicate that health aid from the U.S. reduces interstate hostility with its recipients, while no such effects are found in the case of China. The pacifying effect is prominently observed when health aid from the U.S. is given to recipients that hold divergent foreign policy preferences. This implies that health aid could be an effective policy tool for the U.S. to ameliorate its relationships with states particularly those that are unfriendly or hostile.