Péter Kállai
Hungary's 2026 parliamentary election revealed how a politically captured system of minority representation and non-resident voting continue to shape electoral outcomes. Péter Kállai, Balázs Majtényi and Alíz Nagy argue that meaningful reform must address both Read more
Amir Alecperov
Amir Alecperov argues that militant democracy – the principle that a democracy may lawfully limit certain democratic rights to protect democratic constitutional order – is not only compatible with EU law but urgently necessary. Romania’s post-1989 legal framework offers a tested model. Moldova is applying it in real time Read more
Amir Alecperov
Amir Alecperov argues that Russian emigration after 2022 has not produced a break with imperial thinking – it has exported it. From Central Asia to the Baltic states and Germany, a troubling pattern emerges: Russians abroad carry the same mentality that enabled the war. Host states have the right, and the tools, to respond Read more
Oana-Cosmina Mihalache
On 13 May 2026, Bucharest hosted the Summit of the Bucharest Nine (B9) and the Nordic countries. Oana-Cosmina Mihalache argues that the reunion’s outcome was indicative of the format’s role in the architecture of European defence cooperation Read more
Andrew Richard Ryder
Andrew Richard Ryder argues that Trump is intent on political vandalism that will undermine the postwar rules-based international order. That order may not have been perfect, but Trump's administration desires a return to interwar dog-eat-dog expansionism and virulent nationalism. Forthcoming elections in Hungary in April, and the USA in November, represent an important opportunity to thwart these regressive ambitions Read more
Visnja Vukov
Comparing Central and Eastern Europe with the Western Balkans, Visnja Vukov argues that the EU’s governance of economic integration is a decisive lever of transformation. When the EU prioritises and credibly enforces these requirements, it constrains rent-seeking and weakens state capture. When the EU defers them, however, governments can entrench clientelist political–economic coalitions Read more
Madalina Botan
Romania’s recent elections didn’t just happen at the ballot box. They unfolded across TikTok, Facebook, X, and other similar platforms on which nationalism, conspiracy, and algorithmic propaganda turned fringe voices into front-page politics. Madalina Botan argues that this digital battleground expanded beyond borders, as Romanians abroad became powerful co-authors of a polarised political story Read more
Gabriela-Elena Plăpămaru
Amid rising illiberalism, Romanian democratic institutions face growing pressure. Gabriela Plăpămaru reveals how the traditional right tried to undermine Romania’s education sector — and how progressives responded with institutional resilience Read more
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