ISSN: 2039-8573 (Online) 1.2 2024CiteScore 48th percentile Powered by Aim and Scope Interdisciplinary Political Studies (IdPS) aims to pursue two goals: affirming the importance of rigorous, high-quality Open Access publishing in the field of Political Studies, without imposing article processing charges on authors, and opening the fields of comparative politics and international relations to the contribution of other related disciplines. It is open to scholars studying political issues through the lens of several social science disciplines such as political science, international relations, political theory, political economy, sociology, legal studies and contemporary history. Interdisciplinary analyses are particularly welcome. It publishes two issues per year focusing on domestic and international politics. IdPS considers the following types of submissions: Research Articles, Research Notes, Review Essays and Book Reviews. Prospective guest editors are invited to submit special issues proposals. All papers are subject to a rigorous process of double-blind peer-review. Indexing and abstracting The list of indexing and abstracting services including IdPS is rapidly expanding. To date, our journal is covered by: SCOPUS, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ); JournalTOCs; Quality Open Access Market (QOAM); Georgetown University Library; Google Scholar; Academic Journal Database; Open Access Journals Search Engine (OAJSE); Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources (ROAD)
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Bordering Practices in the EU’s Eastern Borderland/s: Conceptualizing Space (and Community) within and without Europe
Borders—and, more specifically, bordering practices—are among the most powerful signifiers shaping global, regional, national, and local dynamics. Their effects extend across political, geographical, and cognitive dimensions. To understand these dynamics, we adopt the concept of ‘borderlands’ to denote spaces of flux, where multiple bordering practices coexist, and borders are simultaneously produced and effaced. The European Union (EU)’s Eastern Neighbourhood serves as an exemplary case of such borderlands, with particular attention to developments in the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership, and the Russian Federation. This introductory article provides the conceptual framework for a set of multidisciplinary contributions that investigate the complex interplay between bordering practices and the transformation of borderlands in the EU’s East.
The Italian Cooperation with Albania on Migration: Between Externalization and Internalization of Borders
Tied by a shared colonial legacy, significant past immigration, and strong social and economic relations, Italy and Albania, through the protocol they established at the end of 2023, present a compelling example of a new logic and dynamic of migration externalization. Long considered taboo, the transfer of (some) rescued migrants to a non-EU state and, at least initially, the externalization of the assessment of their asylum claims, contribute to the image of the border between Albania and Italy as a fluid, intangible, and unreachable entity. Praised by many EU Member States, this new model exists within an opaque political and legal space that challenges traditional concepts of jurisdiction, territoriality, and the boundaries of human rights. The political and legal implications of these extended – yet artificial – borders, as well as the remapping of migration and asylum policies, are explored in this article, with an eye toward their potential impact on both migrants and the European Union as a whole.
Re-Bordering the State Through Asylum Governance: Securitarian Neoliberalism Along the Balkan Route
The article investigates the impact of border regimes and bordering processes in asylum governance on the institutional and political boundaries of nation-states. The research was conducted between 2020 and 2024 along the so-called Balkan route of migration. It highlights how neoliberal and securitarian approaches converge in the management of two reception centres situated in critical border areas, namely the Lipa camp in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Casa Malala in Italy. I define this blend of governance as securitarian neoliberalism and discuss how this mode of governance subjects people on the move to increasingly restrictive and discriminatory policies, simultaneously diminishing states' responsibilities for the violations that arise from these policies. This approach to managing human mobility relies on diminished legal and procedural safeguards, which ultimately results in the widespread violation of migrants' rights and freedoms, a reduction in democratic scrutiny, and the erosion of the rule of law. Abstract The article investigates the impact of border regimes and bordering processes in asylum governance on the institutional and political boundaries of nation-states. The research was conducted between 2020 and 2024 along the so-called Balkan route of migration. It highlights how neoliberal and securitarian approaches converge in the management of two reception centres situated in critical border areas, namely the Lipa camp in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Casa Malala in Italy. I define this blend of governance as securitarian neoliberalism and discuss how this mode of governance subjects people on the move to increasingly restrictive and discriminatory policies, simultaneously diminishing states' responsibilities for the violations that arise from these policies. This approach to managing human mobility relies on diminished legal and procedural safeguards, which ultimately results in the widespread violation of migrants' rights and freedoms, a reduction in democratic scrutiny, and the erosion of the rule of law.
Rebordering the ‘Russian Space’ in the Post-Soviet Era: From Reactive Discourses and Informal Practices to State-Led Strategy
This article examines the roots of the ‘reterritorialisation’ of Russian national interests, examining the debates about territory and borders that emerged in Russia during the 1990s and early 2000s and their long-term integration into state policy. We argue that the current ethno-nationalist trend in Russian politics reflects the perceptions and strategies of a generation of post-Soviet elites, whose ideas about Russia's territorial and humanitarian boundaries were formulated three decades ago. These ideas have since been integrated into official policies, facilitated by the political success of these institutional entrepreneurs. Employing an original methodology that includes extensive use of Russian-language sources and a prosopographic study of key post-Soviet elites, the essay sheds light on the polyphonic nature of Russian border revisionism. The Congress of Russian Communities (KRO) and its role in the context of the Ukraine war(s) will be used as an illustrative case study.
Discordant Privilege: Russian Migrants in Kyrgyzstan
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered an unprecedented wave of emigration, reshaping mobility patterns across Eurasia. The relocation of hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens has generated an important body of empirical work on post-2022 emigration. This article examines the case of Russian migration to Kyrgyzstan through the analysis of 17 in-depth interviews conducted remotely with Russian citizens residing in Bishkek. Bringing together Bourdieusian approaches to migrant capital and the aspirations–capabilities framework with postcolonial and lifestyle migration scholarship, we develop the concept of discordant privilege to capture the coexistence of structural advantage and lived precarity in migrants’ experiences. We show how simplified entry and legalization pathways, the widespread use of the Russian language in Bishkek, and Kyrgyzstan’s comparatively low cost of living facilitated settlement, while limited financial resources, uneven capital convertibility, and employment disruptions generated economic strain, shaping migrants’ capabilities and aspirations for further mobility. Finally, migrants’ “gaze” on Kyrgyzstan as peripheral illuminates the persistence of postcolonial hierarchies and the asymmetric stratification of mobility within the post-Soviet space.
How War Transforms Migration: The Case of Recent Russian Migration in Belgrade
The article examines the implications of new international migration patterns in Belgrade, a topic of utmost importance that significantly affects EU asylum and migration policies. We argue that a paradigmatic shift occurred in migratory processes over the past ten years, which the conventional human movement tracking model fails to capture. The article presents research that seeks to place and represent Russian immigrants in Belgrade in the context of the specific social interactions intensified by military aggression in Ukraine. We will try to compare the demographic composition and social backgrounds of migrants, their implications on contemporary international relations, and the potential impacts of the recent wave of migration. Our reflections on these migratory movements will offer novel perspectives on their consequences for social relations and public policies. This article aims to make new and critical contributions to the ongoing debates about contemporary migration by employing a qualitative argumentative analysis research method.
China’s Soft and Sharp Power in Europe: Telling the ‘Right Chinese Story’ Through Confucius Institutes
This article examines the interaction between soft power and sharp power in China’s global strategy, focusing on Confucius Institutes as instruments of both cultural diplomacy and political influence. While China’s soft power has been extensively studied and sharp power has recently gained academic attention, the complementarity between these two forms of power remains underexplored. Through this article, we argue that China employs a strategic combination of attraction and manipulation to shape favourable narratives, suppress sensitive discussions, and advance its international agenda. This research adopts a qualitative approach, investigating the role of Confucius Institutes in Europe as a case study of this China’s dual strategy. Our findings suggest that Confucius Institutes function as channels for both soft and sharp power, subtly influencing academic and public discourse while simultaneously projecting China’s geopolitical interests.
The Opposition’s Populism Against Populist Power. A Comparative Study on the 2023 Presidential Elections in Turkey
This study examines the populist rhetoric of Turkish leaders Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu during the 2023 electoral campaign, using a mixed-method approach, in which the quantitative analysis gauges the intensity of populist language across various texts, while qualitative analysis addresses context-specific terms and nuances missed by automated methods. By integrating both methods, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how populism is constructed and deployed in Turkish political discourse, and how recurring rhetorical patterns emerge in the leaders’ speeches which are characterized by different shades of populism.
The Evolution of Cyberauthoritarianism in Lebanon. The Case of the Lebanese National Cyber Security Strategy
This paper examines how the evolution of surveillance in Lebanon contributed to the formulation of the Lebanese National Cyber Security Strategy (LNCSS), legitimising cyberauthoritarianism. Even though the LNCSS was presented as a tool for technological advancement, it resulted in the use of cybersecurity and intelligence to repress dissent and target activism. By employing the law in context approach, this study traces the evolution of the power relations between the political élites and the oppositions in the online space and their repercussions on the physical one, focusing on how the persecution of activism and anti-governmental online content led to a redefinition of the boundaries of state’s authority, both online and offline. Being activism and dissent perceived by the élites as threats to their primacy position in Lebanese politics and society and considering consociationalism as a crucial tool for the preservation of disparities among the population, the Lebanese government progressively legitimated the cyberauthoritarian discourse through ad hoc strategies, which eventually resulted in the LNCSS.
The Securitization of Frontiers: The European Union's Migration, Refugee, and Asylum Policies in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
There is criticism among Member States and the European Union of the intentions and procedures of the EU's immigration policy, in particular the political management of external borders and support for immigrants. Against the backdrop of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to understand how the EU institutions and Member States have responded politically to immigration flows, refugees and asylum seekers. Was this period an opportunity to strengthen European integration and take measures that materialise the symbolism of European values, or were the accusations and fears of critical voices amplified? Based on a documentary analysis of the EU institutions on immigration, refugee and asylum policies in 2020 and 2021, we analyse the main issues, their agenda and decisions. The results of this research allow us to identify how the securitization of immigration, narratives and policies are used to reinforce the integration process.