Dimitar Bechev

The research project will explore the international politics of Europe’s periphery, highlighting the critical role played by states and elites in Central, Southeast and East Europe. No mere objects of actors higher in the international hierarchy (the EU, US, Russia, Turkey, etc.), they have manipulated power dynamics to their advantage. I will use the wealth of empirical material I have collected with regards to Russia and Turkey to elaborate conceptual arguments which speak to international relations generalists and scholars focused on regional orders.