Calling this sophistry is not polemical. Sophistry was never about lying outright. It was about persuasive coherence in the service of authority. IR excels at this. It teaches how to speak about power in ways that preserve its prerogatives, how to critique without consequence and how to manage domination without ever calling it by name
The same European governments that warn Africa about Chinese influence privately acknowledge that disengagement from China is neither realistic nor desirable
When coercion is directed outward from the West toward the Global South it is normalised, bureaucratised and framed as responsible governance
Sovereignty appears vigorously defended in Europe when violated by adversaries but ignored when challenged by allies