Editorial note BJIEP 2025/Vol.5, Issue 1

Abstract

This issue of the Bulgarian Journal of International Economics and Politics comes at a time of increasingly turbulent interactions on the scene of international economics and politics. In the months since Donald Trump took office as the new-old US President, the EU has faced even greater challenges, including re-emerging questions about the quality of democracy and democratic participation and engagement within the Union. This context makes the first article truly relevant. The author delves into the normative and practical aspects of institutionalizing the practices and processes of deliberative democracy within the EU and rationalizes the importance of introducing legal standards to ensure democratic convergence in the context of deliberative methods supported by artificial intelligence. Again in relation to EU issues, the second article examines the current topic of Euroscepticism in relation to populism and analyses why this spreading phenomenon does not have deep roots in Cyprus. The third article also examines populism, but from a different perspective. The author studies Turkish President’s addresses to the nation arguing that they have become instrumental in perpetuating Erdogan’s control through manipulating both the past and present to align with his authoritarian objectives. Next is a study that examines the Islamic State Khorasan Province, a terrorist organization operating primarily in Central Asia and a regional affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The author claims that ISK’s tactical and ideological deviations stem from contemporary geopolitical conditions and its unique organizational dynamics. The fifth article takes readers further east (to the Far East) in search of explanations for the “Korean economic miracle” through the prism of the genesis and development of one of the leading Korean corporations – the chaebol Samsung. The last article examines the acceleration, deceleration and stagnation of agricultural investments (public and private) and agricultural productivity in Nigeria.
On the eve of Bulgaria’s long-awaited membership in the euro zone and against the backdrop of heightened political and social tensions in the country in this regard, the Expert’s Insights section presents an analysis of the impact of structural policy instability on the global economic environment and the implications for public investors. The analysis is written by Dimitar Radev, long-time Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, as well as a member of the General Council of the European Central Bank, a member of the General Council of the European Systemic Risk Board and Managing Director for Bulgaria at the IMF (all positions since July 2015). Focusing in particular on Bulgaria’s upcoming accession to the euro zone, the BNB Governor offers an assessment of Bulgaria’s strategy for foreign exchange reserves, investment management and institutional readiness. His analysis unequivocally states that adopting the euro is both a stabilizing anchor and a strategic necessity for Bulgaria within growing geopolitical and financial fragmentation.
The Book Review column presents the edited volume Modeling Economic Growth in Contemporary Slovakia, reviewed by Paskal Zhelev, who introduces the volume as a valuable contribution to the literature on structural transformation, convergence, and economic policymaking in small, open economies in Central and Eastern Europe.