Institute of Central Europe/IES Commentaries

IES Commentaries

Historical narrative and applied history team

IEŚ Commentaries 1510
26 January 2026
Jędrzej Piekara - Historical narrative and applied history team

Russian-Venezuelan Relations as a Factor in Russian Geopolitics[1]

In the decade after the Soviet collapse, Moscow’s room to manoeuvre in Latin America and the Caribbean was limited due to the scarcity of resources and reorientation of Russian diplomacy towards the West, which naturally lowered the region’s strategic weight in Russian thinking. The turn came in the early 2000s as a re-entry organised around reciprocity in the United States...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1492
23 December 2025
Jakub Bornio - Baltic Team

The U.S. National Security Strategy and the Security of Central and Eastern Europe

The U.S. National Security Strategy, published by the administration of Donald Trump, is a fundamental document diagnosing changes in the international security environment and outlining the United States’ efforts to adapt to new geopolitical conditions. The Strategy’s assumptions are of key importance for the security of central and eastern European states, whose...

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European Integration and Conflict Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1486
16 December 2025
Spasimir Domaradzki - European Integration and Conflict Team

Bulgaria: The Resignation of Rosen Zhelyazkov’s Government. Society versus the Captured State

On 11 December 2025, the government of Rosen Zhelyazkov resigned. The decision followed the largest wave of social protests since 1989, which spread across the entire country. The immediate trigger for public opposition was the shape of the budget planned for the coming year. Following provocations directed at demonstrators by the leaders of GERB and DPS-NP—Boyko Borisov and...

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Civic Studies Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1485
10 December 2025
Szczepan Czarnecki - Civic Studies Team

Czech Republic: Government Formation in Czechia and the Prospect of a Vote of Confidence

The process of forming a new government following ANO’s electoral victory has been marked by both considerable momentum and clear political tensions. According to statements by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Tomio Okamura (SPD), the cabinet formed by ANO, SPD, and the Motorists is expected to be appointed a few days after Andrej Babiš is sworn in as prime minister,...

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Civic Studies Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1481
29 November 2025
Jędrzej Jander - Civic Studies Team

The New Nationalities Policy Strategy of the Russian Federation: Deepening Securitization of Identity Issues

On 25 November 2025, the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, signed Decree No. 858 approving a new nationalities policy strategy for Russia for the years 2026–2036. Compared with previous editions, the document contains provisions that point to an ongoing securitization of nationality issues within the Russian Federation. It may be treated both as a statement of...

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Historical narrative and applied history team

IEŚ Commentaries 1477
27 November 2025
Jędrzej Piekara - Historical narrative and applied history team

Basic Concepts of Russian Geopolitics After 2022: The Global Majority and Minority

To understand the fundamental concepts and assumptions shaping contemporary Russian geopolitics, it is necessary to examine not only official state documents but also quasi-encyclopedic and quasi-academic publications such as The New Diplomatic Dictionary, which outline the key ideological elements underpinning Russia’s vision of the international order.[1] The political...

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European Integration and Conflict Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1473
20 November 2025
Krzysztof Fedorowicz - European Integration and Conflict Team

Amendments to the Acts on Military Security and Defense of the Republic of Belarus

Following a series of legal changes in recent years concerning national defense, the security of the (Russia-Belarus) Union State, and Belarus’s national security concept, the government began amending all laws related to military security and defense at the end of 2025. The new regulations are intended to reflect the current geopolitical environment. They will also enable rapid...

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Collective Memory Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1462
4 November 2025
Agata Tatarenko - Collective Memory Team

Czechs and Independence Day: Between History and Citizenship

The celebrations of the Czechoslovak Independence Day, held in Prague on 28 October 2025 with the participation of President Petr Pavel and the highest state authorities, highlighted the significance of the First Czechoslovak Republic’s traditions for contemporary Czech identity. The ceremonies at Vítkov and Prague Castle, during which state decorations and general appointments...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1461
3 November 2025
Jakub Bornio - Baltic Team

The “Estonianisation” of European Foreign Policy as a Challenge to NATO Cohesion

Recent Russian provocations directed against certain members of the North Atlantic Alliance have generated yet another axis of internal division within NATO. In this context, the Alliance faces a series of challenges in the sphere of strategic communication. The principal objective of NATO member states remains the mitigation of the adverse effects of such divisions on the...

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Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1423
1 September 2025
Hanna Bazhenova - Eastern Team

Changes on Ukraine’s Historical Front: The Law on State Policy of National Memory

Russia’s full-scale invasion prompted the Ukrainian authorities to rethink their national memory politics. The most recent innovation was the adoption on 21 August 2025 of the law on state policy in the field of national memory, which defines, in particular, the purpose, main principles, tasks, and legal foundations of this policy, as well as its subjects and their powers. The...

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