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Category: Issues

Karl who? – Haushofer, Japan and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific

By David Malitz. Following its first public conceptualization in 2007, the “Indo-Pacific” has been adopted as the geopolitical framework for strategic policies by numerous governments. This global adoption of the “Indo-Pacific”, with differing geographic definitions, has led to the emergence of a sizable literature on the region and the different strategies, visions, and outlooks formulated for it. In this literature, it is customary to refer to the German scholar Karl Haushofer (1869–1946) as first geopolitical thinker to use the term “Indo-Pacific” in the 1920s and therefore to claim or imply an influence of Haushofer’s thought on 21st century policy.

Fighting Impunity Through Intermediaries: The European Union, International Criminal Justice, and the Rule of Law

By Raphael Oidtmann. What legal principle – that may also be derived from its treaty framework – determined and guided EU support towards Ukraine? This contribution argues that at least certain streams of EU assistance for Ukraine in countering the Russian Federation’s aggression – namely those aimed at ending impunity for international crimes – have been organized within a distinct rule of law context.

Resisting the Hobbesian Narrative: Hope and Morality in ‘The Hunger Games’

In this article, Loaay Wattad focuses on the evolution of hope and morality in dystopian narratives. Through the case study of ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy, he explores how dystopian literature manifests and reverberates in our daily lives and emphasizes its development into a tangible political statement—one that challenges Hobbesian philosophy and its expression in contemporary politics. This analysis takes on added poignancy in light of current events, such as the ongoing war on Gaza, highlighting the timeliness and relevance of dystopian reflections in the face of contemporary conflicts and wars.

The Anticolonial Solidarity Campaign of 1962 in the Hungarian Countryside: An Attempt to Make Global Connections

By Réka Krizmanics. This article discusses a case study of an anticolonial solidarity campaign in the Hungarian countryside based on the archival records of the Hungarian Women’s National Council (HWNC), focusing on spaces and protagonists that are rarely centered in similar investigations. By expanding on this example, it seeks to demonstrate some of the difficulties that arose for women in their practical work that underpinned an important anticolonial initiative.

The Russian “Civilizing Mission” and the Russian War against Ukraine: the 19th-Century Colonial Origins

By Elżbieta Kwiecińska. This article examines the colonial concept of the civilizing mission as a cultural transfer in East-Central Europe during the nineteenth century. The author outlines the nineteenth century colonial origins of the contemporary Russian justification of the war against Ukraine as a Russian “civilizing mission”.

‘Instrumentalisation of Migrants’ and the EU-Belarus Border Crisis: Facts and Fictions

By Aleksandra Ancite-Jepifánova. Recent years have seen an increase in the violation of asylum-seeker rights in the EU, including through so-called pushbacks. These practices have typically not been authorised by domestic legislation and have been denied or concealed by the relevant Member States. However, this changed with the crisis at the EU-Belarus border that has unfolded since summer 2021.

Resilience and Connection. A field report on the international congress “Rethinking Ukraine and Europe: New Challenges for Historians”

By Denys Shatalov. In September, 2023, the international congress titled “Rethinking Ukraine and Europe: New Challenges for Historians” took place in Vilnius. This event was organized by the Lithuanian Institute of History, in collaboration with partner organizations from Germany, Ukraine, Poland, and Ukraine. Among these partners was Prisma Ukraïna. Vilnius University hosted the congress. A report.