Call for Proposals | Eastern and Central Europe in the post-2022 Era

2026-03-21

Call for proposals

Eastern and Central Europe in the post-2022 Era: Security, Diplomacy, and Domestic Transformation

Politikon invites submissions for a special issue dedicated to Eastern and Central Europe in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since 2022, the region has undergone profound transformation as states confront intensified security threats while simultaneously renegotiating domestic political orders, institutions, and social contracts.

Eastern and Central European countries face a dual challenge: responding to external geopolitical pressures—including war, alliance politics, and defense cooperation—while maintaining internal stability, democratic governance, and societal cohesion. This special issue seeks to explore how these external and internal dynamics interact and shape state strategies, political leadership, and institutional change.

By bringing together perspectives from International Relations and Comparative Politics, the issue aims to capture the real-time transformation of political orders in the region and to assess how states seek stability, resilience, and strategic advantage under conditions of prolonged crisis.

We welcome contributions focusing on NATO and EU member states (e.g. Poland, the Baltic states, Romania, Hungary), NATO and EU candidates (e.g. Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia), as well as carefully grounded comparative perspectives beyond the region.

Research Focus

To ensure thematic coherence, submissions should engage with one of the two themes:

1. Security Alignment, Sovereignty, and Regional Cooperation

This theme examines how states recalibrate their security strategies in response to war and heightened geopolitical pressure. Topics may include:

  • NATO membership politics, alliance management, and security dependence.
  • Bilateral and multilateral security coalitions and regional formats (e.g. B9, Lublin Triangle, V4).

2. Democratic Governance under Crisis Conditions

This theme focuses on how democratic institutions and political processes adapt or erode under prolonged security stress. Relevant questions include:

  • The interaction between security imperatives and democratic accountability
  • Consensus-building versus polarization in societies facing external threats
  • Populism, political mobilization, and leadership during war and crisis

Submission Requirements

Please submit an extended abstract of up to 500 words by June 1, 2026 for full consideration.

Longer and more developed submissions are encouraged.

Abstracts should clearly state:

  1. Research question and significance
  2. Geographic scope and methodological approach
  3. Expected contribution to understanding the research topic.
  4. Research stage (design, fieldwork completed, draft available)

Authors of successful submissions will be invited to participate in an online workshop in the end of June, 2026. At the workshop, contributors will engage in collaborative discussion and collaborative feedback to strengthen their manuscripts for publication.

Contact

Regarding inquiries about this special issue, submissions, and questions, please contact us at  politikonjournal@iapss.org or politikon.conversations@iapss.org.