This issue includes a collection of five papers.
Raluca Alexandrescu’s paper explores the intersection of environmental history and modernization in Romania, focusing on the politicization of nature during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Using two case studies of environmentalist civil servants, Nestor Urechia and Paula Grunau, Alexandrescu shows how nationalistic narratives surrounding deforestation and environmental protection were shaped by ideological connections, and how these ideas persist in modern patriotic discourses.
In the second paper, Meta Novak and Damjan Lajh explore the consequences of growing professionalization in interest groups on member participation, particularly within the EU policymaking context. They argue that while professionalization improves lobbying efficiency, it negatively impacts member involvement, especially in non-economic groups, countering the EU’s intentions to promote democracy through increased public engagement in policymaking. The increased professionalization is linked to the implicit preference of EU institutions to interact with professionalized advocacy organizations.
In the third paper, Tetiana Sydoruk, Viktor Pavliuk, and Mariia Avhustiuk analyze the different approaches to assessing the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on European security and explore scenarios for further involvement of Ukraine’s transatlantic partners in its defense. They critically analyze Western aid limitations, public support for Ukraine, and ongoing debates about Ukraine’s potential victory and Western leaders’ understanding of Russia’s objectives.
Mohamed Badine El Yattioui investigates Turkey’s strategy in Libya, examining its hegemonic aspirations (at the regional level) and the challenges Turkey is facing in achieving its goals. The paper highlights the geopolitical risks of Turkey’s involvement, driven by economic, energy, and military concerns, and analyzes how its role in Libya reflects broader shifts in Turkish foreign policy.
In the last article published in this issue, Daniel Buti and Alexandru Radu investigate the Romanian Electoral Management Body (EMB), focusing on the gap between formal and functional independence. Their analysis reveals that while the EMB meets some formal criteria of independence, political influence and financial dependency shift it toward a governmental model, raising concerns about its practical autonomy and about its impact on democratic integrity.
