Aneta V . Mihaylova | The Institute of Balkan Studies (original) (raw)
Papers by Aneta V . Mihaylova
Arhivele Totalitarismului, 2024
The pivotal role of the Bulgarian Communist Party in the anti-fascist resistance movement and of ... more The pivotal role of the Bulgarian Communist Party in the anti-fascist resistance movement and of the Soviet Union in liberating Bulgaria from fascism were the two central pillars of the narrative of the history and memory of Second World War in communist Bulgaria. The end of communism marked the beginning of a new reading of the past and an increased public interest in topics and personalities, whose historical evaluation had been caught in the grip of the established ideological canon for decades. The reassessment of Bulgarian national history also referred to the period of the Second World War. The new historical narrative necessitated also re-evaluation of the memory of the period and its visual representation. In the new political environment after 1989, when Bulgarian society was desperately seeking to break away from its recent past, the presence in public space of the ideologically grounded monuments built during the previous regime became problematic, because they represented the most visible part of the communist legacy. The question of the fate of World War II-era monuments in Bulgaria is part of the larger issue of the fate of the communist legacy, which is relevant to the whole of Eastern Europe. The aim of this article is to present in a synthesized form the changes that took place in the memory of World War II and its visual representation in post-communist Bulgaria with a major focus on the fate of the monuments devoted to the war that were built during the socialist period.
Външната политика на Румъния в геополитически контекст и България, 2023
The geopolitical dimensions of the neighborhood between Bulgaria and Romania is a very topical is... more The geopolitical dimensions of the neighborhood between Bulgaria and Romania is a very topical issue, especially in view of the recent events that have taken place in close proximity to the borders of the two countries, namely the war in Ukraine and the security threats it poses, as well as its economic consequences in regional, European and global plan. Bulgaria and Romania have a long history of rivalry and alliance in their relations and over time they have often fall en under the influence of similar historical circumstances. Today, the two countries-allies in the EU and NATO, face common challenges, which require a quick and adequate political response. In this sense the analysis of Romania's foreign policy priorities, the identification of similarities and differences with the foreign policy priorities Bulgaria, and the risks facing the two countries in the current geopolitical situation as well as the potential problems in the bilateral relations and the possibilities for the development of the cooperation in the future – all this will help to develop the necessary quick and adequate political reaction from Bulgaria. These are the major aims of this study.
EUROPOLITY. CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN EUROPEAN GOVERNANCE, 2017
The Ukrainian crisis has been a test for the alignment of Romania and Bulgaria with the EU on the... more The Ukrainian crisis has been a test for the alignment of Romania and Bulgaria with the EU on the background of the Union's new foreign policy instruments as redesigned by the Lisbon Treaty. This paper aims to present the positions of Bulgaria and Romania towards the events of 2013-2015 in Ukraine. Our research target is to identify the driving forces that shaped these positions, to analyse and describe the main foreign policy goals and actions of Bucharest and Sofia regarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and to compare the attitude of these two countries toward the Ukrainian crisis. The paper analyses first the Romanian and the Bulgarian perspectives on the dramatic events in Ukraine in the first half of 2014. The positions of the two countries are further placed in the wider international context of the Ukrainian crisis-the UN resolutions, the EU sanctions against Russia, NATO activities, and the security in the Black Sea region. In the third part Romania and Bulgaria are viewed as a "playground" for the competing narratives and propaganda in regards to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. We also examine the economic impact
Topics Europolity is a leading international journal for publication of new ideas, research resul... more Topics Europolity is a leading international journal for publication of new ideas, research results and fundamental advances in all aspects of International Relations, European Studies and Political Science. Europolity publishes well developed innovative articles, in English, and encourages emerging researchers to share their professional and academic knowledge. Contributions regarding international relations, European studies, political science, security studies and other related fields are strongly encouraged. A special Section will be dedicated to researches focused on the Romanian Presidency of EU's Council of 2019. We strongly encourage scholars to send us their contribution in this field.
Revue des Études Sud-Est Européenes, 2016
1968 was a turning point in the history of Europe and it had significant repercussions on the rel... more 1968 was a turning point in the history of Europe and it had significant repercussions on the relations in its eastern part and the Balkans in particular. That was the time when the region was divided more than ever. During the "Prague Spring" there was much speculation of the emergence of a possible tripartite agreement between Romania, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, actually of a revival of the "Little Entente" of the interwar period. The article seeks an answer how viable that possibility was and how close and similar were Romania and Yugoslavia, which were united in their support of Czechoslovakia.
EUROPOLITY, 2017
The Ukrainian crisis has been a test for the alignment of Romania and Bulgaria with the EU on the... more The Ukrainian crisis has been a test for the alignment of Romania and Bulgaria with the EU on the background of the Union's new foreign policy instruments as redesigned by the Lisbon Treaty. This paper aims to present the positions of Bulgaria and Romania towards the events of 2013-2015 in Ukraine. Our research target is to identify the driving forces that shaped these positions, to analyse and describe the main foreign policy goals and actions of Bucharest and Sofia regarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and to compare the attitude of these two countries toward the Ukrainian crisis. The paper analyses first the Romanian and the Bulgarian perspectives on the dramatic events in Ukraine in the first half of 2014. The positions of the two countries are further placed in the wider international context of the Ukrainian crisis-the UN resolutions, the EU sanctions against Russia, NATO activities, and the security in the Black Sea region. In the third part Romania and Bulgaria are viewed as a "playground" for the competing narratives and propaganda in regards to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. We also examine the economic impact
SPRE PĂMÂNTUL FĂGĂDUINȚEI, ÎNTRE BALCANI ȘI BUGEAC Omagiu Doamnei Profesoare Elena Siupiur la împlinirea vârstei de 80 de ani, 2020
THE POLICY ON JEWISH EMIGRATION DURING WWII IN TWO GERMAN SATELLITES: ROMANIA AND BULGARIA IN COM... more THE POLICY ON JEWISH EMIGRATION DURING WWII IN TWO GERMAN
SATELLITES: ROMANIA AND BULGARIA IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
During WWII thousands of Jews were seeking for salvation through emigration.The further the Nazi movement and the persecution of Jews spread, the more the essence of illegal immigration changed from that of ordinary Zionist emigration to salvation for the Jewish refugees. Gradually, the Black Sea ports of Bulgaria and Romania turned into
major points of departure towards the Promised Land. During WWII both countries were allies of Nazi Germany. In that period Jewish emigration through and from Romania and Bulgaria was a complex phenomenon and was dependent on a variety of factors – the international situation, the policy of Great Britain and Germany on Jewish emigration, the policy of third countries they had to pass through, the policy of international Jewish organization, etc. I will focus on the policy of the governments of Romania and Bulgaria on the emigration of the Jewish population during the war from and through their countries, while trying to find an answer to the questions whether they had a specially developed policy on this issue or they followed the course of events, was there a difference in the attitude of the two countries and if so what was the reason for it, and
finally, how should we regard the support for Jewish emigration in that period – salvation or a form of ethnic cleansing. The topic of emigration is an integral part of the life destiny of Elena Siupiur and it occupies an important place in her work. I dedicate this text to her.
Études balkaniques, 2017
The Paris Peace Conference, which lasted from July to October, 1946, was convened to decide on th... more The Paris Peace Conference, which lasted from July to October, 1946,
was convened to decide on the peace terms for Germany‘s five allies in World War II: Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Finland. The article focuses on two of these former German satellites, namely Bulgaria and Romania, which, like many other times in their history shared a common fate. It explores the expectations and ambitions of the two states, the way they justified their causes and asserted their positions and how successful they were in achieving their goals. It comes to the conclusion that regardless of the fact that both countries were very active and had managed to present their positions well, their experience was bitter, for they were just figureheads in the tricky games of the major victorious powers, each of them having its own aims and ambitions that were to decide their fate. The decisions reached at the conference were the result of mutual compromises between the Soviet Union and its Western Allies, while Bulgaria and Romania, although being given the opportunity to have their say, were actually in the position of voiceless spectators.
Études balkaniques, 2018
The collapse of communism in Romania in 1989 has left its imprint also on the minority policies. ... more The collapse of communism in Romania in 1989 has left its imprint also
on the minority policies. The article tries to outline the factors that influenced the minority policies of the Romanian governments and their development over the past quarter of a century, while laying a major focus on education and the use of the mother tongue. The Romanian legislation in these fields in the post-communist period gives good grounds to conclude that there has been a considerable progress
towards the extension of minority rights. A major role for that has played the need to harmonize the Romanian legislation with the European rules and directives. A significant factor for the change was also the active policy of the UDMR, which firmly defended the rights of the Hungarian minority. At the same time, it should be noted that while making numerous concessions, the Romanian government had made it clear that these concessions could only be made within certain limits.
Arhivele Totalitarismului, 2016
The article traces and analyzes the reactions of the Bulgarian leader Todor Zhivkov and the Roman... more The article traces and analyzes the reactions of the Bulgarian leader Todor Zhivkov and the Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu to the processes taking place in the USSR in the
second half of the 1980s and their effect on the relations between Bulgaria and Romania.
After Mikhail Gorbachev launched his policy of glasnost and perestroika, both of them felt
threatened for their power position and made hard efforts to defend it. The Soviet factor got directly involved in Bulgarian-Romanian relations in the late 1980s and proved to be of far greater significance for the fate of both countries, ultimately bringing to the collapse of the socialist system in them.
Revue des Études Sud-Est Européenes, 2020
In the winter of 1933, eighteen-year-old Patrick Leigh Fermor set out on an adventurous walk acro... more In the winter of 1933, eighteen-year-old Patrick Leigh Fermor set out on an adventurous walk across Europe, starting in Holland and ending in Constantinople. Decades later he would tell the story of that journey in his books A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water that would immediately grasp the public attention and ultimately make him the most acclaimed British travel writer of the twentieth century. The final volume of his conceived trilogy The Broken Road: From the Iron Gates to Mount Athos appeared posthumously in 2012, a year after his death. In the course of that journey, Leigh Fermor not only crossed the borders of several countries, but also the borders of two former empires-the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian one, the presence of which could still be felt decades after they had ceased their existence. An intelligent and curious observer, Fermor offers interesting examples of this ineffaceable presence. This is most evident in his description of Transylvania, which he considers a part of central Europe and something quite different from the rest of Romania, and also in his description of Bulgaria, where he finds clear traces of the Ottoman legacy, the crossing of the Danube seen as entering into the Orient. This paper presents and analyzes those examples of imperial legacies in the Balkans in the 1930s.
Revue des Études Sud-Est Européenes, 2020
Among all other things, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe gave rise to significant chan... more Among all other things, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe gave rise to significant changes in the historiography and the memory of the past in general. Topics that have long been carefully covered by ideological silence were brought up to public attention, historical events and whole historical periods became subject of revision and reassessment. The spirit of the "miraculous" 1989 unleashed passionate public interest in the national history of the recent past, as if vocalizing the "silenced" issues and correcting the distorted picture of the past would clear the path for a new future. In this new situation of openness and ideological freedom, the historians were also to face many challenges. Unveiling the dark past implied the difficult task of handling with nationally sensitive issues. The history of the Second World War, which is a turning point in the history of Europe, is full of such delicate and controversial issues. And if in Western Europe the process of talking about the difficult issues related to that period had started in the 1970s and especially in the 1980s, in Eastern Europe that would take place only after the fall of communism. This paper attempts to make a comparative study of the post-communist historiography on the Second World War in Bulgaria and Romania, two countries that shared the common fate of German satellites during the war and then of Soviet satellites in its aftermath, which determined the historical interpretation of the period.
Books by Aneta V . Mihaylova
Войната в Украйна и Балканите (2022-2023)., 2024
The firm and categorical position in condemning Russian aggression and supporting all EU sanction... more The firm and categorical position in condemning Russian aggression and
supporting all EU sanctions packages against Russia, the strengthening
of the strategic partnership with the USA and the activity shown for the
implementation of NATO policy have made Romania, along with Poland,
the strongest NATO ally on the eastern flank and primary partner of the US.
Along with that, the active support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugees,
the comprehensive assistance that Romania provided to the Republic of
Moldova in dealing with the many crises that the country had to face in
the course of the war, the firm support for the European perspective of
the countries of the Eastern Neighbourhood, all that shapes the country’s
profile as a regional leader and as a guarantor of regional security.
Alexandre Kostov and Biser Banchev (eds) Войната в Украйна и Балканите (2022-2023), София: ИБЦТ-БАН, 2024
Mikhael Stanchev The Issue of War and Peace: Global Trends Plamen Dimitrov How Russia’s War on U... more Mikhael Stanchev
The Issue of War and Peace: Global Trends
Plamen Dimitrov
How Russia’s War on Ukraine is Rearranging the Geoenergy Puzzle in the Balkans
Dimitar Dobrev
United States and Black Sea Security
Jordan Baev
Chinese Policy and the War in Ukraine
Bobi Bobev
The War in Ukraine, Albania and Kosovo Firmly on the EU and NATO Course
Yura Konstantinova
Greece – “On the Right Side of History
Mariyana Stamova
The War in Ukraine and its Impact in the Republic of North Macedonia
Aneta Mihaylova
Romania and the War in Ukraine
Biser Banchev
Serbia and the War in Ukraine
Marian Karagyozov
The Necessary Mediator - Turkey and the War in Ukraine
Irina Lyubomirova Ognyanova-Krivoshieva
Croatia and the Russian-Ukrainian War of 2022-2023
Biser Banchev
Montenegro and the War in Ukraine
Kostov, A. ( Ed.) Contemporary Balkans: The Challenges of the 21st Century, Sofia: Tendril, ISBN 978-619-91496-8-3, 2021
The present collective monograph focuses on the challenges facing the Balkans in the beginning of... more The present collective monograph focuses on the challenges facing the Balkans in the beginning of the new decade of this century. The authors of the chapters had the task to provide answers to several important questions connected predominantly with identification of the leading tendencies in the development of each of the countries: from a domestic viewpoint to highlight the key priorities in the sphere of the economy, politics and security, and in their foreign policies – to demonstrate above all their relations with their preferred partners, as well as to highlight the existing issues with a potential for conflicts and instability. The latter is valid both for the relations with their immediate neighbours and with the EU, as well as with global and regional players, notably the USA, Russia and China, and with a country from the same region – Turkey. The principal part of the text addresses these issues. The monograph also comprises three chapters indicating the place of the Balkan countries in the changing strategies and policies of the EU, NATO and Russia – both with a view to assisting the readers and for a broader presentation of the issues discussed.
The collective monograph Contemporary Balkans: The Challenges of the 21st Century is prepared in the framework of the Project № DN 20/2-2017 Contemporary Balkans and the Challenges beforе Bulgaria of the Bulgarian National Science Fund.
Arhivele Totalitarismului, 2024
The pivotal role of the Bulgarian Communist Party in the anti-fascist resistance movement and of ... more The pivotal role of the Bulgarian Communist Party in the anti-fascist resistance movement and of the Soviet Union in liberating Bulgaria from fascism were the two central pillars of the narrative of the history and memory of Second World War in communist Bulgaria. The end of communism marked the beginning of a new reading of the past and an increased public interest in topics and personalities, whose historical evaluation had been caught in the grip of the established ideological canon for decades. The reassessment of Bulgarian national history also referred to the period of the Second World War. The new historical narrative necessitated also re-evaluation of the memory of the period and its visual representation. In the new political environment after 1989, when Bulgarian society was desperately seeking to break away from its recent past, the presence in public space of the ideologically grounded monuments built during the previous regime became problematic, because they represented the most visible part of the communist legacy. The question of the fate of World War II-era monuments in Bulgaria is part of the larger issue of the fate of the communist legacy, which is relevant to the whole of Eastern Europe. The aim of this article is to present in a synthesized form the changes that took place in the memory of World War II and its visual representation in post-communist Bulgaria with a major focus on the fate of the monuments devoted to the war that were built during the socialist period.
Външната политика на Румъния в геополитически контекст и България, 2023
The geopolitical dimensions of the neighborhood between Bulgaria and Romania is a very topical is... more The geopolitical dimensions of the neighborhood between Bulgaria and Romania is a very topical issue, especially in view of the recent events that have taken place in close proximity to the borders of the two countries, namely the war in Ukraine and the security threats it poses, as well as its economic consequences in regional, European and global plan. Bulgaria and Romania have a long history of rivalry and alliance in their relations and over time they have often fall en under the influence of similar historical circumstances. Today, the two countries-allies in the EU and NATO, face common challenges, which require a quick and adequate political response. In this sense the analysis of Romania's foreign policy priorities, the identification of similarities and differences with the foreign policy priorities Bulgaria, and the risks facing the two countries in the current geopolitical situation as well as the potential problems in the bilateral relations and the possibilities for the development of the cooperation in the future – all this will help to develop the necessary quick and adequate political reaction from Bulgaria. These are the major aims of this study.
EUROPOLITY. CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN EUROPEAN GOVERNANCE, 2017
The Ukrainian crisis has been a test for the alignment of Romania and Bulgaria with the EU on the... more The Ukrainian crisis has been a test for the alignment of Romania and Bulgaria with the EU on the background of the Union's new foreign policy instruments as redesigned by the Lisbon Treaty. This paper aims to present the positions of Bulgaria and Romania towards the events of 2013-2015 in Ukraine. Our research target is to identify the driving forces that shaped these positions, to analyse and describe the main foreign policy goals and actions of Bucharest and Sofia regarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and to compare the attitude of these two countries toward the Ukrainian crisis. The paper analyses first the Romanian and the Bulgarian perspectives on the dramatic events in Ukraine in the first half of 2014. The positions of the two countries are further placed in the wider international context of the Ukrainian crisis-the UN resolutions, the EU sanctions against Russia, NATO activities, and the security in the Black Sea region. In the third part Romania and Bulgaria are viewed as a "playground" for the competing narratives and propaganda in regards to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. We also examine the economic impact
Topics Europolity is a leading international journal for publication of new ideas, research resul... more Topics Europolity is a leading international journal for publication of new ideas, research results and fundamental advances in all aspects of International Relations, European Studies and Political Science. Europolity publishes well developed innovative articles, in English, and encourages emerging researchers to share their professional and academic knowledge. Contributions regarding international relations, European studies, political science, security studies and other related fields are strongly encouraged. A special Section will be dedicated to researches focused on the Romanian Presidency of EU's Council of 2019. We strongly encourage scholars to send us their contribution in this field.
Revue des Études Sud-Est Européenes, 2016
1968 was a turning point in the history of Europe and it had significant repercussions on the rel... more 1968 was a turning point in the history of Europe and it had significant repercussions on the relations in its eastern part and the Balkans in particular. That was the time when the region was divided more than ever. During the "Prague Spring" there was much speculation of the emergence of a possible tripartite agreement between Romania, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, actually of a revival of the "Little Entente" of the interwar period. The article seeks an answer how viable that possibility was and how close and similar were Romania and Yugoslavia, which were united in their support of Czechoslovakia.
EUROPOLITY, 2017
The Ukrainian crisis has been a test for the alignment of Romania and Bulgaria with the EU on the... more The Ukrainian crisis has been a test for the alignment of Romania and Bulgaria with the EU on the background of the Union's new foreign policy instruments as redesigned by the Lisbon Treaty. This paper aims to present the positions of Bulgaria and Romania towards the events of 2013-2015 in Ukraine. Our research target is to identify the driving forces that shaped these positions, to analyse and describe the main foreign policy goals and actions of Bucharest and Sofia regarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and to compare the attitude of these two countries toward the Ukrainian crisis. The paper analyses first the Romanian and the Bulgarian perspectives on the dramatic events in Ukraine in the first half of 2014. The positions of the two countries are further placed in the wider international context of the Ukrainian crisis-the UN resolutions, the EU sanctions against Russia, NATO activities, and the security in the Black Sea region. In the third part Romania and Bulgaria are viewed as a "playground" for the competing narratives and propaganda in regards to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. We also examine the economic impact
SPRE PĂMÂNTUL FĂGĂDUINȚEI, ÎNTRE BALCANI ȘI BUGEAC Omagiu Doamnei Profesoare Elena Siupiur la împlinirea vârstei de 80 de ani, 2020
THE POLICY ON JEWISH EMIGRATION DURING WWII IN TWO GERMAN SATELLITES: ROMANIA AND BULGARIA IN COM... more THE POLICY ON JEWISH EMIGRATION DURING WWII IN TWO GERMAN
SATELLITES: ROMANIA AND BULGARIA IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
During WWII thousands of Jews were seeking for salvation through emigration.The further the Nazi movement and the persecution of Jews spread, the more the essence of illegal immigration changed from that of ordinary Zionist emigration to salvation for the Jewish refugees. Gradually, the Black Sea ports of Bulgaria and Romania turned into
major points of departure towards the Promised Land. During WWII both countries were allies of Nazi Germany. In that period Jewish emigration through and from Romania and Bulgaria was a complex phenomenon and was dependent on a variety of factors – the international situation, the policy of Great Britain and Germany on Jewish emigration, the policy of third countries they had to pass through, the policy of international Jewish organization, etc. I will focus on the policy of the governments of Romania and Bulgaria on the emigration of the Jewish population during the war from and through their countries, while trying to find an answer to the questions whether they had a specially developed policy on this issue or they followed the course of events, was there a difference in the attitude of the two countries and if so what was the reason for it, and
finally, how should we regard the support for Jewish emigration in that period – salvation or a form of ethnic cleansing. The topic of emigration is an integral part of the life destiny of Elena Siupiur and it occupies an important place in her work. I dedicate this text to her.
Études balkaniques, 2017
The Paris Peace Conference, which lasted from July to October, 1946, was convened to decide on th... more The Paris Peace Conference, which lasted from July to October, 1946,
was convened to decide on the peace terms for Germany‘s five allies in World War II: Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Finland. The article focuses on two of these former German satellites, namely Bulgaria and Romania, which, like many other times in their history shared a common fate. It explores the expectations and ambitions of the two states, the way they justified their causes and asserted their positions and how successful they were in achieving their goals. It comes to the conclusion that regardless of the fact that both countries were very active and had managed to present their positions well, their experience was bitter, for they were just figureheads in the tricky games of the major victorious powers, each of them having its own aims and ambitions that were to decide their fate. The decisions reached at the conference were the result of mutual compromises between the Soviet Union and its Western Allies, while Bulgaria and Romania, although being given the opportunity to have their say, were actually in the position of voiceless spectators.
Études balkaniques, 2018
The collapse of communism in Romania in 1989 has left its imprint also on the minority policies. ... more The collapse of communism in Romania in 1989 has left its imprint also
on the minority policies. The article tries to outline the factors that influenced the minority policies of the Romanian governments and their development over the past quarter of a century, while laying a major focus on education and the use of the mother tongue. The Romanian legislation in these fields in the post-communist period gives good grounds to conclude that there has been a considerable progress
towards the extension of minority rights. A major role for that has played the need to harmonize the Romanian legislation with the European rules and directives. A significant factor for the change was also the active policy of the UDMR, which firmly defended the rights of the Hungarian minority. At the same time, it should be noted that while making numerous concessions, the Romanian government had made it clear that these concessions could only be made within certain limits.
Arhivele Totalitarismului, 2016
The article traces and analyzes the reactions of the Bulgarian leader Todor Zhivkov and the Roman... more The article traces and analyzes the reactions of the Bulgarian leader Todor Zhivkov and the Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu to the processes taking place in the USSR in the
second half of the 1980s and their effect on the relations between Bulgaria and Romania.
After Mikhail Gorbachev launched his policy of glasnost and perestroika, both of them felt
threatened for their power position and made hard efforts to defend it. The Soviet factor got directly involved in Bulgarian-Romanian relations in the late 1980s and proved to be of far greater significance for the fate of both countries, ultimately bringing to the collapse of the socialist system in them.
Revue des Études Sud-Est Européenes, 2020
In the winter of 1933, eighteen-year-old Patrick Leigh Fermor set out on an adventurous walk acro... more In the winter of 1933, eighteen-year-old Patrick Leigh Fermor set out on an adventurous walk across Europe, starting in Holland and ending in Constantinople. Decades later he would tell the story of that journey in his books A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water that would immediately grasp the public attention and ultimately make him the most acclaimed British travel writer of the twentieth century. The final volume of his conceived trilogy The Broken Road: From the Iron Gates to Mount Athos appeared posthumously in 2012, a year after his death. In the course of that journey, Leigh Fermor not only crossed the borders of several countries, but also the borders of two former empires-the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian one, the presence of which could still be felt decades after they had ceased their existence. An intelligent and curious observer, Fermor offers interesting examples of this ineffaceable presence. This is most evident in his description of Transylvania, which he considers a part of central Europe and something quite different from the rest of Romania, and also in his description of Bulgaria, where he finds clear traces of the Ottoman legacy, the crossing of the Danube seen as entering into the Orient. This paper presents and analyzes those examples of imperial legacies in the Balkans in the 1930s.
Revue des Études Sud-Est Européenes, 2020
Among all other things, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe gave rise to significant chan... more Among all other things, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe gave rise to significant changes in the historiography and the memory of the past in general. Topics that have long been carefully covered by ideological silence were brought up to public attention, historical events and whole historical periods became subject of revision and reassessment. The spirit of the "miraculous" 1989 unleashed passionate public interest in the national history of the recent past, as if vocalizing the "silenced" issues and correcting the distorted picture of the past would clear the path for a new future. In this new situation of openness and ideological freedom, the historians were also to face many challenges. Unveiling the dark past implied the difficult task of handling with nationally sensitive issues. The history of the Second World War, which is a turning point in the history of Europe, is full of such delicate and controversial issues. And if in Western Europe the process of talking about the difficult issues related to that period had started in the 1970s and especially in the 1980s, in Eastern Europe that would take place only after the fall of communism. This paper attempts to make a comparative study of the post-communist historiography on the Second World War in Bulgaria and Romania, two countries that shared the common fate of German satellites during the war and then of Soviet satellites in its aftermath, which determined the historical interpretation of the period.
Войната в Украйна и Балканите (2022-2023)., 2024
The firm and categorical position in condemning Russian aggression and supporting all EU sanction... more The firm and categorical position in condemning Russian aggression and
supporting all EU sanctions packages against Russia, the strengthening
of the strategic partnership with the USA and the activity shown for the
implementation of NATO policy have made Romania, along with Poland,
the strongest NATO ally on the eastern flank and primary partner of the US.
Along with that, the active support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugees,
the comprehensive assistance that Romania provided to the Republic of
Moldova in dealing with the many crises that the country had to face in
the course of the war, the firm support for the European perspective of
the countries of the Eastern Neighbourhood, all that shapes the country’s
profile as a regional leader and as a guarantor of regional security.
Alexandre Kostov and Biser Banchev (eds) Войната в Украйна и Балканите (2022-2023), София: ИБЦТ-БАН, 2024
Mikhael Stanchev The Issue of War and Peace: Global Trends Plamen Dimitrov How Russia’s War on U... more Mikhael Stanchev
The Issue of War and Peace: Global Trends
Plamen Dimitrov
How Russia’s War on Ukraine is Rearranging the Geoenergy Puzzle in the Balkans
Dimitar Dobrev
United States and Black Sea Security
Jordan Baev
Chinese Policy and the War in Ukraine
Bobi Bobev
The War in Ukraine, Albania and Kosovo Firmly on the EU and NATO Course
Yura Konstantinova
Greece – “On the Right Side of History
Mariyana Stamova
The War in Ukraine and its Impact in the Republic of North Macedonia
Aneta Mihaylova
Romania and the War in Ukraine
Biser Banchev
Serbia and the War in Ukraine
Marian Karagyozov
The Necessary Mediator - Turkey and the War in Ukraine
Irina Lyubomirova Ognyanova-Krivoshieva
Croatia and the Russian-Ukrainian War of 2022-2023
Biser Banchev
Montenegro and the War in Ukraine
Kostov, A. ( Ed.) Contemporary Balkans: The Challenges of the 21st Century, Sofia: Tendril, ISBN 978-619-91496-8-3, 2021
The present collective monograph focuses on the challenges facing the Balkans in the beginning of... more The present collective monograph focuses on the challenges facing the Balkans in the beginning of the new decade of this century. The authors of the chapters had the task to provide answers to several important questions connected predominantly with identification of the leading tendencies in the development of each of the countries: from a domestic viewpoint to highlight the key priorities in the sphere of the economy, politics and security, and in their foreign policies – to demonstrate above all their relations with their preferred partners, as well as to highlight the existing issues with a potential for conflicts and instability. The latter is valid both for the relations with their immediate neighbours and with the EU, as well as with global and regional players, notably the USA, Russia and China, and with a country from the same region – Turkey. The principal part of the text addresses these issues. The monograph also comprises three chapters indicating the place of the Balkan countries in the changing strategies and policies of the EU, NATO and Russia – both with a view to assisting the readers and for a broader presentation of the issues discussed.
The collective monograph Contemporary Balkans: The Challenges of the 21st Century is prepared in the framework of the Project № DN 20/2-2017 Contemporary Balkans and the Challenges beforе Bulgaria of the Bulgarian National Science Fund.