The issue features contributions devoted, among other topics, to the role of international organisations in shaping security, Lithuania’s strategic culture, migration of Ukrainian citizens to Poland, Russian-language media and the idea of the Russkiy Mir, as well as India-Bangladesh relations in the context of Sino-Indian rivalry. The volume is complemented by analyses addressing the political dimension of the Olympic movement and the history of Polish and Russian geopolitical thought.
More About the Articles
From Eastern Europe to Central Asia
The opening article is Timothy Bridgman’s “It Is Not Our Problem: Socio-Politics at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne”. The author examines how the Olympic Museum presents the socio-political aspects of past Olympic Games. His analysis of the exhibition raises important questions about the responsibility of sports and museum institutions in shaping narratives about the political dimension of sport.
Security issues are the focus of Krystian Pachucki-Włosek’s article “The Role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Shaping the Security of Central Asian States”. The author analyses cooperation among Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, highlighting the differing security priorities of these states and their connection to national interests.
Geopolitics Has a History
An intriguing combination of historical research and contemporary geopolitical reflection is offered by Piotr Przybytek’s two-part study “Geopolitism in the Reports of Konstanty Srokowski – W stolicy białego cara (1904) and Likwidacya caratu (1905) – On the Prescription of Geopolitical Thought (Polish and Russian) (part I)” and “Geopolitism in the Reports of Konstanty Srokowski – W stolicy białego cara (1904) and Likwidacya caratu (1905) – On the Prescription of Geopolitical Thought (Polish and Russian) (part II)”. The author demonstrates that as early as the beginning of the twentieth century, Srokowski recognised the connections between geography, history and the functioning of the Russian state. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that some of his observations corresponded not only with Polish but also with Russian geopolitical thought. As a result, the analysis of Srokowski’s historical diagnoses provides an opportunity to reflect on the persistence of certain ways of perceiving Russia and its place in Europe.
Lithuania, Poland and the Changing Security Environment
Of particular interest to Polish readers is Aleksander Zalech’s article “The Strategic Culture of Lithuania”. The author examines the factors shaping Lithuania’s security policy and discusses the transformations that have taken place in Lithuanian-Polish relations as a result of changes in Europe’s security environment following 2014 and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The article offers a broader geopolitical perspective on relations between Poland and Lithuania.
Migration from Ukraine: Between Data and Public Policy
One of the articles most directly connected with contemporary realities in Poland is Ewa Flaszyńska’s study “Ukrainian Migrants in the Institutional System of the Polish Labour Market: Challenges of Public Data Systems Integration”. The author analyses data originating, among other sources, from the social insurance system, registers concerning foreign nationals’ access to the labour market, and residence records. She points to the multi-source and fragmented nature of the public information system, which makes it difficult to determine the scale of migrants’ economic activity with precision. At the same time, she highlights the growing importance of Ukrainian citizens in the Polish labour market and the gradual transformation of migration patterns from short-term mobility towards more stable forms of residence.
Media and the Russkiy Mir
Another article “Russian-language electronic media as a tool for programming the Russkiy Mir”, authored by Anton Chelyuskin (Czeluskin) and Sylwester Woźniak, addresses Russian-language electronic media as a tool for expanding Russian influence. Using the example of Latvia, the authors analyse narratives directed at the Russian-speaking diaspora and demonstrate how issues of language, identity and historical memory can be employed for political mobilisation. The article draws attention to mechanisms portraying Russian-speaking residents of Latvia as a discriminated group and explores how such narratives fit within the ideology of the Russkiy Mir.
India-China Rivalry: A South Asian Perspective
The issue also extends beyond the traditionally defined area of Eastern Europe. Cezary Pawlak and Naimul Hamid Riaz analyse India’s policy towards Bangladesh in the context of Sino-Indian rivalry.
The authors emphasise the importance of economic issues, disputes over water resources, transit, and the security of north-eastern India. Particular attention is devoted to the political changes that took place in Bangladesh in 2024 and their impact on the country’s strategic shift towards China. The article “India’s Policy Towards Bangladesh in the Context of the China–India Rivalry” demonstrates that regional conflicts and tensions are becoming increasingly difficult to analyse in isolation from broader great-power competition.
The latest issue of “Eastern Review” is an excellent example of the interdisciplinary nature of research devoted to Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet area. Alongside classic topics related to geopolitics and security, the volume addresses migration, the operation of public institutions, media, identity, historical memory and the socio-political dimension of sport.
The common thread running through all the published articles is an attempt to capture the changing configuration of power and interdependence in the contemporary world, both from the perspective of Central and Eastern European states and from that of the wider Eurasian region.
“Eastern Review” is an academic journal devoted to political, legal, social, economic and linguistic-cultural transformations taking place in Eastern Europe and across the post-Soviet area. The journal continues the activities of the University of Lodz International Centre for East-European Research and serves as a forum for interdisciplinary knowledge exchange concerning the region.
