DRIIE-International relations

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Anatolian security and Neo‐Ottomanism : Turkey’s intervention in Syria
(Middle East Policy Council, 2020-09-02) Murariu, Mihai; Anglițoiu, George
Armed groups : theory and classification
(Nauka Publishing House, 2019-06) Miroiu, Andrei
This paper argues in favor of a theory and classification of armed groups that sets them at the center of political and social sciences. By starting with the problem of order, it posits that without armed groups one cannot understand how stable societies form, function and reproduce themselves. It challenges the preeminence of concepts such as class and gender, which are seen as depicting later-formed social structures. It proposes a classification of armed groups based on their permanent or impermanent character, and the reasons for using violence, which are considered to be mostly extractive and ideological. Extraction could be internal and external, permanent or nonpermanent. Ideological armed groups are taken here to include religiously-motivated groups as well. The article also discusses armed groups operating within the state. The central argument is that the armed group is a fundamental unit of politics, order and functioning of a society. This essentially establishes that other forms of power are either derived from, rest on or at least suppose the support of armed groups. They transcend "normal" politics understood as peaceful periods in life of constituted communities. They can be outsiders, existing before and between the states. Armed groups precede classes and governments and do not need them to exist in order to continue their functioning. In this, they are to be understood as an elementary social structure. If so, consequences for social theory are substantial, as armed groups should in this case achieve the prominence that concepts such as state, class, social division of work or even kinship had until now.
Book review : Dorin Dolghi and Octavian Țâcu (editors). 2014. The Security Dimension of European Frontier vs the Legitimacy of Political Priorities of EU and EU Member States. Eurolimes. Journal of the Institute for Euroregional Studies ”Jean Monnet” European Centre for Excellence, University of Oradea, University of Debrecen, volume 18, autumn, Oradea University Press, 235p, ISSN 2247/8450.
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Department of International Relations and European Integration, 2015-06) Butnaru Troncotă, Miruna
Book review : Theorizing medieval geopolitics: war and world order in the age of the Crusades
(Routledge, 2012) Miroiu, Andrei
International Relations (IR) scholars' interest in medieval politics varies between enthusiasm and neglect. After a serious debate between neorealists, Marxists and constructivists in the 1990s, a relative silence fell on the subject. The victory of constructivists, who argued that the medieval state—if such entity even existed—was an altogether different polity from its modern incarnation and therefore not really interesting for understanding contemporary processes, seemed definitive. In this climate, Andrew Latham's thesis in Theorizing medieval geopolitics comes as a necessary and interesting reinterpretation aimed at restarting the debate and at introducing new questions and avenues for research.
Book review: Andrew Roberts, 2014, Napolon: A Life, Viking, USA, 926 pages, ISBN13: 9780670025329
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Department of International Relations and European Integration, 2018) Cucută, Radu Alexandru
Book review: Flogging the geopolitical horse. Alexander Dugin. 2015. Last War of the World-Island: The Geopolitics of Contemporary Russia, Arktos Media Ltd., 166p, ISBN: 978-1-910524-40-4.
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Department of International Relations and European Integration, 2015) Cucută, Radu Alexandru
BOOK REVIEW: Miruna Troncotă. 2014. Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Critical Case Study of Europeanization, Bucharest, Tritonic Publishing House, 327 pages, ISBN: 978-606-8571-36-2
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Department of International Relations and European Integration, 2015-09) Ungureanu, Radu-Sebastian
book review: Regional and International Relations of Central Europe
(Cambridge University Press, 2013-09) Miroiu, Andrei
As many scholars interested in European affairs have noticed, academic as well as general interest in Central (and, one may add, Eastern) Europe has dropped markedly after the turn of the century. There is little doubt that this is due to the perceived stability of the area in the aftermath of the accession of its states to the European Union and NATO and the cooling down of violent conflicts in the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. A new major project on the topic was justifiable merely for this reason, but the current massive crisis in Europe, with its questioning of the basic assumptions of further economic and political integration inside the EU, provides a pressing necessity for such a book.
BUILDING UP A PROSPECTIVE STUDY FOR THE WORLD OF TOMORROW.
(2025) CHIFU, Iulian
Prospecfive studies, avoiding strategic surprise and anficipafing the evolufions, are the aspirafion of a number of methodologies. Our arficle aims to make a reason and find the main factors that would influence the reassessment of the World Order of tomorrow based on a Romanian methodology of prospecfive studies. The level of ambifion is to separate the confinuity versus the dramafic change and to find the crifical indicators that are drawing the scenarios of the future, be they those of confinuity, of disconfinuity and black swan cases. Relafive certainfies are helping us draft the black swan scenarios of highly improbable but also enormous impact. The results and conclusions are bringing to the forefront both technology and malaises of democracy, together with a militarisfic epoch where the chance is to avoid kinefic wars through mifigafions and coping with the rivalries and power shifts in geopolifical capacity.
Can a Cyberattack Become an Act of War? European and Trans-Atlantic Perspectives
(European Institute Romania, 2024-06) Ducaru, Sorin; Caradaică, Mihail; Costea, Ana Maria
In the last two decades, along with the process of digitalisation of businesses and state apparatuses, the world has faced a new major issue that can produce physical / non-physical damage, and equally threaten individual security and the state’s sovereignty: cyberattacks. Confronted with the strategic competition – within a multipolar world – coupled with this new challenge that can redefine the nature of war, NATO member states have tried to find a common answer by linking cyberattacks to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, NATO’s collective defence principle. Understandably, Article 5 was drafted while having in mind the aspects of deterrence and defence related to conventional wars. However, it has been invoked by the Allies only once, i.e., after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the USA, which represented quite an unconventional scenario, certainly unanticipated by the Alliance’s Founding Fathers. Given the current trend, and reflecting on the increase in the complexity, intensity and persistence of the known cyberattacks, it is important to study the potential game-changing circumstances of such unconventional attacks, which might trigger Article 5 and its collective defence principle. The present paper seeks to depict the complexities and consequences of cyberattacks within the framework of the collective defence principle.
Can democracies tackle illiberal and "Inward-Looking" drives?
(European Institute of Romania, 2019) Dăianu, Daniel
There is evidence of mounting illiberal inclinations in the industrialized world, in democratic societies; an “inward-looking” syndrome (rising nationalism) is also taking place. Are they to be linked with temporary drivers in the ‘extraordinary times’ we are living through, or do they have deeper roots? An answer to this question begs an examination of trends in society and economy, of the emergence of new (unconventional) threats, of disruptions and, not least, of failed public policies. The argument that ‘liberal democracy’ is on the wane is misleading to the extent that policies can be corrected, that citizens and elites alike do not lose trust in democratic values. It may also be true that, although democracy has a ‘liberal core’, it can also be driven by ‘illiberal’ components, and that the magnitude of the latter can vary. But for democracy to survive, its liberal core must be preserved.
Change or continuity in Russia’s strategy towards secessionist regions in the ‘Near Abroad’?
(Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2022-12) Rotaru, Vasile
The 2008 invasion of Georgia, followed by the recognition of the independence of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the annexation of Crimea and the involvement in the war in Donbas, and the 2022 invasion of Ukraine have all marked the return to active Russian participation in separatist regions in the ‘near abroad’. They took the international community by surprise. To be sure, the Russian Federation had played a role in all previous secessionist conflicts in the former Soviet space. Nonetheless, Moscow’s post-2008 bold actions – open invasion, recognition of separatist regions and annexation of a neighbour’s territory – have marked an innovation in Russia’s foreign policy. This points to questions about how Moscow is legitimising these actions and whether the official narrative suggests a change in Russia’s strategy towards secessionist conflicts in the ‘near abroad’.
Changing the path of climate change. Voluntary certification for carbon removals in European Union : the case of forestry projects
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Faculty of Political Sciences, 2023-06-22) Caradaică, Mihail
Climate change and environmental degradation are the crisis generators today and, in the years to come as they threaten our social, economic and political order in Europe and worldwide. In this context, European Union committed to reaching climate neutrality by 2050 as the member states have agreed on a European Green Deal, and the European Commission has adopted several proposals for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. Nevertheless, achieving no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 requires high investments in the decarbonisation of the economy and in developing ways to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere for the residual emissions that cannot be eliminated.
Continuity and change in instrumentalizing "The Precedent'. How Russia uses Kosovo to legitimize the annexation of Crimea
(Routledge, 2017) Rotaru, Vasile; Butnaru Troncotă, Miruna
The article contributes to the efforts of understanding Russia's legitimization endeavours by looking at the policy narratives centered around the so-called Kosovo precedent and the way they were perceived by different actors from Ukraine, Russia, and international experts. The aim of the paper is to scrutinize the process of politicization of contested international norms (in particular, territorial sovereignty and the right to self-determination) in the case of Russia's legitimacy claims in Ukraine. In assessing the instrumentalization of the Kosovo precedent' in the Crimea crisis, we focused on three main elements identified in the selected policy narratives: the reinterpretation of history, the humanitarian and ethnic factor and the reinterpretation of Western actions in the Balkans.
Contours of EU Peripheries in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape The Perspectives of Political Elites
(Helsinki University Press, 2024) Özçelik, Ali Onur; Butnaru Troncotă, Miruna; Cucută, Radu Alexandru; Ion, Oana-Andreea
This chapter presents the rationale behind employing the term ‘EU peripheries’ in the book and clarifies the theoretical framework adopted to define this term within the context of the EU integration process. The first section scrutinizes the concept of ‘EU peripheries’ as it will be theorized in the book. Its main aim is to critically examine the evolving connotations of the term, particularly in light of several crises of the last decade. Subsequently the chapter delves into the diverse manifestations of emerging forms of EU contestation at the peripheries, followed by the methodology section and an outline of the book’s structure. In the last section we examine the selected country cases and their contribution to the proposed conceptualization of EU peripheries, drawing connections with existing literature on the subject from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Finally, the chapter outlines the unique aspects of our approach and its potential contributions to existing scholarship in this field.
Democracy Promotion by Functional Cooperation. The European Union and its Neighbourhood. Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century
(Routledge, 2016) Butnaru Troncotă, Miruna
Early Cold War Counterinsurgency: The Romanian Campaign in Comparative Perspective (1944-1962)
(Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2024-07) Miroiu, Andrei
This paper offers a comparison between Romanian communist counterinsurgency (1944-1962) and similar campaigns fought by Western and Eastern governments in the early Cold War, in particular those waged by the British and French governments in their African, Asian and European colonies and those of the Soviet Union in its borderlands. The comparison focuses on three main components, population control, intelligence and military operations. Highlighting both similarities and differences across different cultural, economic, geographical, ethnic and political landscapes, the perspective laid out in this paper is an argument in favour of systematic and sustained comparative approaches to asymmetric warfare.
EU’s “laboratory” in the Western Balkans : experimenting europeanization without democratization : the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina
(Asociación Española de Ciencia Política y de la Administración (AECPA), 2013-03) Bărbulescu, Iordan Gheorghe; Butnaru Troncotă, Miruna
The article will explore some potential causes of this limited process of Europeanization and its overall impact on the malfunctioning of Bosnia. After a short conceptual overview inside the Europeanization literature and its connection with democratization, the analytical section of the article will focus on the particular case of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The main question to be tackled is: How democratic is the Europeanization process in Bosnia and who should be held accountable for the outcome after almost two decades-long effort? The subsequent analysis will try to bring a potential answer to this concern, using the intricate case of the Europeanization of BiH as an illustration for the ambivalent role of the EU in the Western Balkans (WB) with the scope of pointing out some lessons which were not fully drawn from this process. The main conclusion is that the mixed strategy of EU that induced both external pressure and local ownership under the EU conditionality created institutional blockage and a democratic deficit.
Focalism. An Introduction
(Europolity, 2025) Anglitoiu, George
Visionaries envision. Teachers teach. Leaders lead. But each has a need for conceptualisation and verbalisation in order to build up their capacity to gather audience, impact present time and forge the future. This essay is about alternative theoretical and practical skills, which could be of use for nurturing minds and wills towards academic endeavours with benefits for betterment of societies through foreign policy and international relations. But if proven of quality and relevance, it should also be about a personal mark on IR studies, enough to qualify its proponent as author. Therefore, I have enlisted a series of past contributions with the goal of showcasing the need for what I call Focalism. Also, I have used one classic and deciding example of focalist making of IR, applied to one of the most impressive feats of diplomacy and belligerence ever achieved: Zhuge Hidden Dragon Liang’ s diplomatic mission at the court of Sun Quan, and the subsequent victory of their joint army of 50,000 over the invading northern forces of Cao Cao of 1,000,000.
Gamification in Diplomacy Studies as an Effective Tool for Knowledge Transfer: Questionnaire Study
(JMIR Publications, 2022-06) Cercel, Mihai Ovidiu
Background: Graduate education in modern diplomacy poses several challenges, as it requires several competencies to be developed before diplomatic service is joined. Incorporation of simulation games can have a positive impact on the design of international relations and diplomacy learning process. We have designed a novel role play game (MAEDRI) to simulate part of the activities of a typical Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of MAEDRI in transferring knowledge in international relations education programs at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania, across a 4-year period. Methods: The game enrolled master's level graduate students. The data were collected through a voluntary and anonymous questionnaire between 2017 and 2020. At the end of each of the 4 editions we organized debriefing sessions that gave students the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience with this exercise, level of collaboration within the team, lessons learned, and to make suggestions for improvements. Using an online questionnaire, we measured the participants' perception regarding the level of effectiveness in increasing knowledge transfer, motivation, and engagement. Questionnaire data were consolidated in percentages for each item. Results: A total of 49 participants completed the study. A total of 24 skills (13 professional and 11 social skills) were assessed. We identified a strong positive correlation between stress management and conflict management (r=.86; P<.001) as well as significantly positive correlations between building relations within the team and the ability to dialog and be persuasive (r=.7; P<.001), between procedure compliance and planning and organizing the work (r=.69; P<.001), and between analysis capacity and decision based on data received (r=.68; P<.001). Among social skills, self-control, confidence, and flexibility were the most substantially improved. Conclusions: We describe several benefits of a novel game, used as an education tool to enhance a series of competencies necessary in international relations studies. Our results demonstrate a significant level of student engagement and motivation while playing MAEDRI, improvement of several essential skills, and enhanced knowledge transfer to real-life situations. While the data are encouraging, further research is needed to evaluate the full impact of role play as an effective experiential learning method.

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