Czech Journal of International Relations
type: channel
description: The Czech Journal of International Relations (CJIR) is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes scholarly work in International Relations (IR), and also research based in other disciplines if its contribution is relevant for IR. While the journal seeks to promote research that resonates within the Central and Eastern European (CEE) context, it provides an inclusive platform for diverse theoretical and geographical approaches. CJIR is particularly interested in studies of European politics, international institutions, small states, environmental politics, international conflicts, gender, migration, and related topics that have implications for, or originate from, the CEE region. While it strives to foster academic excellence in and support researchers from Central and Eastern Europe, the journal welcomes contributions from all parts of the world. The journal invites suggestions for special issues. CJIR publishes peer-reviewed articles, discussion articles and book reviews. The journal is published by the Institute of International Relations (IIR) in Prague, Czech Republic. The IIR is an independent public research institution which conducts scholarly research in the area of international relations. Its founder is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. CJIR is fully Open Access, with no Article Processing Charges. Why publish in the Czech Journal of International Relations? CJIR is a leading voice in the study of international relations within the Czech Republic and the broader CEE region. CJIR offers an experienced pool of reviewers, which combines experts on IR theories with regional specialists. CJIR is open to a broad range of approaches – CJIR was a pivotal journal in bringing new theoretical and methodological approaches to Czech IR and we are eager to continue in this tradition. CJIR provides a careful editorial work – our editors work closely with both authors and reviewers and we aim to make the most of the articles submitted to our jou…
publisher: Institute of International Relations Prague
language: en
publication name: Czech Journal of International Relations
issn: 2788-2985
copyright: Articles in CJIR are published under the CC Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International License.
items: Hostages of/by the Language: The Origins, Process and Consequences of (Not) Talking About Domestic and Gender-based Violence in Poland
items: What's Behind Democratic Backsliding? A Comparative Study of Indonesia, Tunisia, and Turkey
items: Book Forum on Quinn Slobodian's Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right
items: Anxiety and Fantasy: A Psychoanalytic Approach to the Continuity of the EUʼs Sanctions Policy Regarding Russia and Myanmar
items: Discredited and Disgraced: Gender-based Violence against Women Politicians and Journalists in Slovakia
items: Empirical Study on Raising the Rainbow Flag by Diplomatic Missions
items: Obituary: Joseph S. Nye Jr. (1937–2025)
items: Jan Kovář: Debating Immigrants and Refugees in Central Europe. Politicising and Framing Newcomers in the Media and Political Arenas
items: Reassessing the Czech Public Attitudes towards Israel and the Israel-Palestinian Conflict
items: International Principles or Crude Geopolitics? The Incoherence of Czech Foreign Policy Towards Ukraine and Gaza
items: Poland’s Attitudes and Policy Towards Israel and Palestine after October 7th: Continuity and Change
items: Václav Havel’s Zionism? The Role of New Political Elites in the Transformation of Czech Policies Towards the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict after the Fall of Communism
items: Czechoslovak Support for the Founding of Israel in the Late 1940s: the Myth of Everlasting Friendship?
items: Czech Foreign Policy towards Israel, Gaza and Palestine: An Introduction
items: International Organizations Climbing on a Ladder of Public Participation: A Case Study of the World Bank Instruments
items: Public Diplomacy in Peace Missions: The Case of the UN and NATO in Kosovo
items: Cross-national Salience of Marine Environmental Issues: Evidence from UN General Assembly Debates, 1993–2020
items: Grappling with the Climate Crisis in IR: Existentially, Psychologically, Interdisciplinarily
items: Jan Eichler: NATO and the War in Ukraine: Geopolitical Context and Long-term Consequences
items: Stefan Auer: European Disunion: Democracy, Sovereignty and the Politics of Emergency.
items: Úvod
items: From Grassroots Humanitarianism to Mutual Aid: Citizen Responses in Poland and the Czech Republic to Russia’s War in Ukraine
items: Z Pusanu do Pchanmundžomu
items: Německá identita
items: Mnichov a Sovětský svaz
items: Verbatim - Attaliho deník
items: Vydavatelský počin Společnosti Edvarda Beneše
items: Postoje obyvatel Chodska k Němcům (informace z výzkumu)
items: Úloha veřejné diplomacie v mezinárodních vztazích
items: Portugalsko a Evropská politická spolupráce

Hostages of/by the Language: The Origins, Process and Consequences of (Not) Talking About Domestic and Gender-based Violence in Poland
type: item
description: Domestic and gender-based violence (D/GBV) in Poland has long been relegated to the margins of political, legal, and social agendas, as it was overshadowed by “more pressing” issues such as economic transition, EU accession, or wartime security. Despite Poland’s ratification of the Istanbul Convention (2015), its implementation remains partial and contested. Scholarship has documented the silencing and invisibilisation of women and children in contexts of D/GBV and international politics (e.g., Enloe), yet little attention has been paid to language as a literal and discursive barrier and opportunity in this regard. This paper asks how women and children are “hostages of/by language”. Drawing on feminist critical discourse analysis, sociological imagination, and norm translation theory, we analyse Polish politicians’ speeches, media reporting, and Catholic Church communications (2015–2025) to show how discursive silences and terminological struggles obstruct recognition and policy, making naming a necessary condition for protection.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
creator: Patrycja Buxton
creator: Aneta Ostaszewska
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Patrycja Buxton, Aneta Ostaszewska https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-05-08
publication date: 2026-05-08
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1960

What's Behind Democratic Backsliding? A Comparative Study of Indonesia, Tunisia, and Turkey
type: item
description: Over the past decade, Tunisia, Indonesia and Turkey have experienced democratic dynamics that show a downward trend, despite previously being seen as models of successful democratic transitions in their respective regions. This study analyses the causal factors and compares the dynamics that drive democratic backsliding in the three countries using a qualitative approach based on a literature study. It uses the theory of democratic backsliding as an analytical framework. The results show that strategic manipulation of elections, executive aggrandizement, and restrictions on civil liberties are common patterns that emerge. In Indonesia, the weakening of democratic institutions such as the Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) and the Constitutional Court or Mahkamah Konstitusi (MK) as well as regulations restricting freedom of expression, show the characteristics of a flawed democracy. In Tunisia, the constitutional coup by President Kais Saied led to the consolidation of power and the transition to a hybrid regime. While in Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's change of political system accelerated the shift towards electoral authoritarianism. This article contributes to an enriched understanding of democratic backsliding in developing countries and highlights the importance of maintaining a balance of power and civil liberties in sustaining a healthy democracy.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
creator: Ahmad Sahide
creator: Yenis Contesa
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Ahmad Sahide, Yenis Contesa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-04-14
publication date: 2026-04-14
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1883

Book Forum on Quinn Slobodian's Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right
type: item
description: In this forum, Valentina Ausserladscheider, Béla Greskovits, and Daniel Šitera discuss Quinn Slobodian’s Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right (Zone Books, 2025), which examines the relationship between neoliberalism and the contemporary far right. Slobodian challenges the dominant view that right-wing populism represents a bottom-up revolt of globalization’s “losers” and instead argues that today’s far right emerged from within neoliberal thought itself. Through an intellectual genealogy, he traces how segments of neoliberalism evolved to incorporate racism, xenophobia, and male chauvinism as natural components of the market order, producing a far-right neoliberal vision of free markets fortified by borders and hierarchy. The contributors to this forum discuss both the book’s key insights and its limitations. While Ausserladscheider explores its conceptual implications for understanding the state and nationalism, Greskovits and Šitera test Slobodian’s argument against the post-socialist contexts of Hungary and Czechia. Slobodian concludes the forum with a polemical response to their critiques.
subject: Discussion Articles
  topic: section
subject: capitalism
  topic: keywords
subject: Europe
  topic: keywords
subject: race
  topic: keywords
subject: far right
  topic: keywords
subject: neoliberalism
  topic: keywords
creator: Quinn Slobodian
creator: Valentina Ausserladscheider
creator: Béla Greskovits
creator: Daniel Šitera
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-12-01
publication date: 2025-12-01
starting page: 105
ending page: 147
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1991

Anxiety and Fantasy: A Psychoanalytic Approach to the Continuity of the EUʼs Sanctions Policy Regarding Russia and Myanmar
type: item
description: This article employs Lacanian psychoanalysis to explain why the EU maintains its sanctions against Russia and Myanmar despite their questionable effectiveness. The framework moves beyond traditional identity, normative and interest-based explanations. By integrating existential concerns with psychoanalytic insights, this article illuminates the understudied emotional dimensions of the EU sanctions policy, offering a deeper understanding of the sanctions policy continuity through the nonconscious dimension. It explains that the EU experienced existential anxiety when its idealised discourses – “Integration and Eastern Enlargement” for Russia and the “normative economic partnership with Asia” for Myanmar – became fragmented. The hidden political enjoyment of each discourse, which provided the EU’s sense of existence, became disrupted. Concurrently, a new political enjoyment emerged through a political fantasy involving a clear identification of “Us” (the EU) and “Them” (the targeted regime). Another central aspect of the political fantasy is narratives about the sanctions. These narratives function as transgressive elements of narratives of identification. Through the sanctions implementation, the EU repeatedly tried to actualise this new political enjoyment.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: anxiety
  topic: keywords
subject: Myanmar
  topic: keywords
subject: political fantasy
  topic: keywords
subject: psychoanalysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Russia
  topic: keywords
subject: sanctions
  topic: keywords
subject: the continuity
  topic: keywords
subject: the EU
  topic: keywords
creator: Lunyka Adelina Pertiwi
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Lunyka Adelina Pertiwi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-04-01
publication date: 2026-04-01
starting page: 109
ending page: 145
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1898

Discredited and Disgraced: Gender-based Violence against Women Politicians and Journalists in Slovakia
type: item
description: This article examines the gender-based violence experienced by women politicians and journalists in Slovakia following the 2023 parliamentary elections, a period marked by democratic backsliding. Drawing on 14 semistructured interviews with women politicians, journalists, and gender equality experts, it analyses the forms and impacts of the violence, focusing on meaning-making processes, coping strategies, and motivations to remain publicly active. The findings show that women are frequently targeted through gendered attacks aimed not only at their personal lives and families but also at the values they represent, including democracy, human rights, and gender equality. These attacks often involve semiotic violence designed to discredit and disgrace them, such as accusations of being “foreign agents,” “prostitutes,” or “sell-outs.” The study identifies this violence as a contextspecific mechanism linking gender-based violence with broader political attacks against ideological opposition. It demonstrates how such violence operates as a strategic tool to silence women and limit their participation, particularly in the absence of effective institutional protection, thereby undermining democratic governance and diversity.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: violence against women in politics
  topic: keywords
subject: violence against women journalists
  topic: keywords
subject: political violence
  topic: keywords
subject: semiotic violence
  topic: keywords
subject: Slovakia
  topic: keywords
subject: anti-gender movement
  topic: keywords
creator: Kristina Gotthardova
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Kristina Gotthardova https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-04-14
publication date: 2026-04-14
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1970

Empirical Study on Raising the Rainbow Flag by Diplomatic Missions
type: item
description: Many countries are displaying rainbow flags at their diplomatic missions, a practice that began in 2008 and has gained significant attention since then. This article provides a global overview of this trend based on public sources and a questionnaire survey. It explores the emergence, development, and implications of the raising of the rainbow flag by missions abroad as a visible support for LGBTI rights in bilateral diplomacy. The article categorises countries according to their stance on this issue – supportive, opposing, or neutral. Although this practice lacks explicit legal foundations in international law, including the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, it is still governed by the general duties of the sending state when it is performing diplomatic activities in the receiving state. The study reveals that the flying of the rainbow flag by diplomatic missions ref lects the given state’s political position on LGBTI rights and enhances our understanding of the intersection of diplomacy, human rights, and international law in this matter.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: rainbow flag
  topic: keywords
subject: diplomatic mission
  topic: keywords
subject: diploamtic practice
  topic: keywords
subject: LGBTI rights
  topic: keywords
creator: Peter Rosputinský
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Peter Rosputinský https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-04-01
publication date: 2026-04-01
starting page: 71
ending page: 107
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1933

Obituary: Joseph S. Nye Jr. (1937–2025)
type: item
description: This obituary pays tribute to Joseph S. Nye Jr. (1937–2025), one of the most influential thinkers in international relations of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It traces his intellectual evolution from the early critique of realist orthodoxy to the formulation of key concepts such as soft power, smart power, and neoliberal institutionalism. The text highlights Nye’s dual role as a scholar and a policymaker, emphasizing his ability to translate theory into actionable foreign policy, notably during his service under the Carter and Clinton administrations. It reflects on Nye’s enduring efforts to embed ethics and legitimacy into strategic thinking and leadership, which ultimately shaped the global vocabulary of power. The obituary also situates Nye’s work in dialogue with figures such as Henry Kissinger, and revisits his influence on U.S.–Asia relations, NATO enlargement, and debates on American decline. The text concludes with some reflections on Nye’s legacy as a moral voice in foreign policy and a diagnostician of the changing nature of power in an interconnected world.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: Joseph Nye
  topic: keywords
subject: soft power
  topic: keywords
subject: smart power
  topic: keywords
subject: obituary
  topic: keywords
subject: neoliberal institutionalism
  topic: keywords
subject: regimes
  topic: keywords
subject: IR theory
  topic: keywords
creator: Doubravka Olšáková
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-03
publication date: 2025-07-03
starting page: 201
ending page: 217
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1914

Jan Kovář: Debating Immigrants and Refugees in Central Europe. Politicising and Framing Newcomers in the Media and Political Arenas
type: item
description: Ivana Rapoš Božič reviews Jan Kovář’s ambitious, comprehensive, and meticulously researched book. According to Rapoš Božič, Kovář explores the politicization and framing of one of the last decade’s most polarizing and widely debated socio-political issues: migration. He focuses on two Central European countries—Czechia and Slovakia—and their distinct arenas of media and political debates. Through this complex comparative research design, Kovář aims to tackle several shortcomings of previous studies on the politicization and framing of immigrants, such as their dominant focus on Western Europe, lack of a cross-national comparative perspective, and tendency to favor the analysis of media discourse over that of its political counterpart. His book successfully achieves these aims and also does much more: it offers a nuanced and multilayered understanding of the politicization and framing processes of migration in two countries located in a region whose hostile approach to migrants and refugees during the so-called mid-2010s European migration crisis has attracted the interest of many migration scholars. Rapoš Božič reads the book from her perspective, which inevitably pushes the book to another promising point of debating migration—that is, the construction of the European East-West divide. This reading is informed by her disciplinary background in cultural sociology and qualitative research methods, as well as her close professional and personal ties to both of the countries under study. From this specific position, she praises several aspects of the book but also raises some critical remarks.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: migration
  topic: keywords
subject: East-West divide
  topic: keywords
subject: Central Europe
  topic: keywords
subject: Czechia
  topic: keywords
subject: Slovakia
  topic: keywords
subject: politicization
  topic: keywords
subject: discourse
  topic: keywords
creator: Ivana Rapoš Božič
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-23
publication date: 2025-07-23
starting page: 151
ending page: 162
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1899

Reassessing the Czech Public Attitudes towards Israel and the Israel-Palestinian Conflict
type: item
description: The Czech political elites have traditionally maintained an unwavering support for Israel, and it has been popularly assumed that this view is widely translated into the Czech public opinion. In this review essay, I contest this popular assumption and argue that the Czech public opinion is more nuanced and less uniformly pro-Israel than previously believed. Drawing on public opinion data and original surveys, this paper highlights that many Czechs adopt neutral or even maintain some pro-Palestinian stances in this regard despite a dominant pro-Israel media narrative and a unified political consensus. The empirical evidence confidently shows that there is a significant gap in public and elite attitudes towards Israel and Palestine. The Czech case thus goes against the theoretical assumption that an undivided elite discourse favoring a particular policy should translate into a general public support.
subject: Discussion Articles
  topic: section
subject: public opinion
  topic: keywords
subject: surveys
  topic: keywords
subject: elite cues
  topic: keywords
subject: Israeli-Palestinian conflict
  topic: keywords
subject: Czech foreign policy
  topic: keywords
creator: Tereza Plíštilová
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-02
publication date: 2025-06-02
starting page: 165
ending page: 178
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1894

International Principles or Crude Geopolitics? The Incoherence of Czech Foreign Policy Towards Ukraine and Gaza
type: item
description: Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Czech Republic’s foreign policy has gained an unprecedented salience in domestic politics. While strongly supporting Ukraine based on international law, the Czech government stands unreservedly behind Israel in the conf lict with Gaza and Lebanon, ignoring international humanitarian law. The article argues that this inconsistency undermines the credibility of Czech foreign policy, and its commitment to human rights and international law, and threatens its partners and interests. The framing of the two wars by foreign policy representatives suggests that this discrepancy is driven by civilizational geopolitics. The neglect of universal principles leads to inconsistency with the position of the majority of the European Union and contributes to the weakening of the international order.
subject: Discussion Articles
  topic: section
subject: Czech foreign policy
  topic: keywords
subject: Russian-Ukrainian War
  topic: keywords
subject: gaza war
  topic: keywords
subject: international law
  topic: keywords
subject: human rights
  topic: keywords
subject: civilisational geopolitics
  topic: keywords
creator: Zora Hesová
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-02
publication date: 2025-06-02
starting page: 147
ending page: 163
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1893

Poland’s Attitudes and Policy Towards Israel and Palestine after October 7th: Continuity and Change
type: item
description: Poland’s response to the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conf lict after October 7th, 2023, showed considerable continuity, though notable signs of change were also evident. Among the key transformative variables, one can point out: the post-election government change and the consequent realignment with the EU-Brussels stance, and the reorienting public attitudes due to the dramatically deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza that were accompanied by new social phenomena as pro-Palestinian street protests and campus campaigns. The paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of the dynamics of continuity and change in Poland’s relations with Israel and its stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conf lict. This paper argues that the interplay of international developments and domestic circumstances has led Poland to distance itself from Israel. If this trend becomes a harmonized and institutionalized foreign policy approach, it may ultimately redefine the Poland-Israel relations. Against this backdrop, the paper examines key drivers of this shift and its potential short- and medium-term consequences.
subject: Discussion Articles
  topic: section
subject: Poland
  topic: keywords
subject: Israel
  topic: keywords
subject: Palestine
  topic: keywords
subject: October 7
  topic: keywords
creator: Joanna Dyduch
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-02
publication date: 2025-06-02
starting page: 181
ending page: 197
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1892

Václav Havel’s Zionism? The Role of New Political Elites in the Transformation of Czech Policies Towards the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict after the Fall of Communism
type: item
description: This essay analyzes the causes and conditions that led Czech political elites to form a strong bond with the State of Israel after the Velvet Revolution. This bond gradually developed into a strategic alliance. This relationship became increasingly accompanied by the Czech Republic’s clearly uncritical stances towards Israel and its policies in the Middle East. In this context, the important role of Czech political elites – initially led by Václav Havel – is examined, while the shifts in their thinking that contributed to today’s approaches in Czech diplomacy are illustrated.
subject: Discussion Articles
  topic: section
subject: Václav Havel
  topic: keywords
subject: Czechoslovak foreign policy
  topic: keywords
subject: Israel
  topic: keywords
subject: Czech foreign policy
  topic: keywords
subject: counterelites
  topic: keywords
creator: Marek Čejka
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-02
publication date: 2025-06-02
starting page: 133
ending page: 144
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1891

Czechoslovak Support for the Founding of Israel in the Late 1940s: the Myth of Everlasting Friendship?
type: item
description: The war between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2023 deeply polarized public and political opinion worldwide. In contrast to many EU countries, the Czech Republic adopted a position of unwavering support for Israel, referencing their shared values and long-standing friendship grounded in the historical ties between the Czech and Jewish peoples. This article explores this narrative by examining the commonly cited example of Czechoslovakia's support for the establishment of Israel in the late 1940s, which included providing arms supplies, military training, and diplomatic backup. However, such reflections on history often overlook important international and domestic factors of the time, including the Eastern Bloc’s efforts to expand communism into the newly decolonized Third World countries and its pursuit of financial gain. As a result, Czechoslovakia’s pro-Israeli position during the Cold War was short-lived, and was quickly reversed when the political circumstances changed. Ignoring these facts leads to distorted historical interpretations and even the development of some historical myths.
subject: Discussion Articles
  topic: section
subject: Czech Republic
  topic: keywords
subject: Israel
  topic: keywords
subject: arms supplies
  topic: keywords
subject: First Arab-Israeli war
  topic: keywords
subject: Cold War history
  topic: keywords
creator: Eva Taterová
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-05-28
publication date: 2025-05-28
starting page: 119
ending page: 130
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1888

Czech Foreign Policy towards Israel, Gaza and Palestine: An Introduction
type: item
description: This text introduces the special forum focusing on the Czech foreign policy towards Israel and Palestine in the wake of the Hamas’ October 7 attack and the ensuing Israeli war in Gaza. It discusses the Czech political elites’ statements and decision-making regarding the Middle East that have been largely defined by starkly pro-Israeli positions. The introduction goes on to note how Prague’s decisions and steps on the EU and international level have become increasingly remarkable due to their uncritical support for the Israeli conduct in spite of the global criticism aimed at its breaches of international and humanitarian law. The introduction further briefly outlines individual contributions, arguing that the forum overall speaks to IR-relevant issues pertaining to the notion of a special relationship, the role of the domestic context for foreign policy, and the EU’s international position vis-a-vis the recent major conflict in its neighborhood.
subject: Discussion Articles
  topic: section
subject: Czech foreign policy
  topic: keywords
subject: Israel
  topic: keywords
subject: Israeli-Palestinian conflict
  topic: keywords
subject: European Union
  topic: keywords
subject: international law
  topic: keywords
creator: Jakub Záhora
creator: Jan Daniel
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-05-30
publication date: 2025-05-30
starting page: 105
ending page: 117
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1887

International Organizations Climbing on a Ladder of Public Participation: A Case Study of the World Bank Instruments
type: item
description: Despite that a lot of attention has been paid to the legitimacy of IOs and the “transnational turn of global governance,” an in-depth analysis of access to information and public consultations as fairly new elements of public participation has not been conducted before. This article brings evidence from the World Bank (WB), its instruments of public involvement, and their practical usage in the last 10 years. The results show that in each of the “rungs” on the “ladder” of public participation, the WB designed a tool that is particularly used when a local aspect is involved. Therefore, I argue that the need for implementation of the IO policies on the ground might also drive their legitimation practices and the public participation in these instruments. Furthermore, the paper suggests that an exchange of resources between IOs and non-state actors can work both ways and their cooperation can thus be mutually beneficial.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: public consultation
  topic: keywords
subject: international organizations
  topic: keywords
subject: World Bank
  topic: keywords
subject: legitimacy
  topic: keywords
subject: Non-state actors
  topic: keywords
subject: implementation
  topic: keywords
creator: Jan Dostál
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-04-01
publication date: 2026-04-01
starting page: 39
ending page: 69
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1850

Public Diplomacy in Peace Missions: The Case of the UN and NATO in Kosovo
type: item
description: Peacekeeping missions remain a contentious subject capable of tarnishing the reputation of international organisations (IOs). In response, IOs engage citizens and enhance their understanding of the missions through public diplomacy. The article connects two fields of research – public diplomacy in missions and the debate about the decline of liberal peacekeeping in favour of a specific approach. The aim is to analyse whether UNMIK and KFOR promote general norms while conducting public diplomacy or rather pay attention to the specific context. It concludes with two assumptions. Firstly, the comparison shows that one-way advocacy continues to dominate public diplomacy, which limits the potential of public diplomacy to function as a partnership-oriented engagement tool. Moreover, the empirical evidence demonstrates that KFOR promotes neutral topics primarily through listening, whereas UNMIK engages the audience with both specific and general topics. Secondly, the research indicates that the turn towards specific topics is not linear and varies across missions.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: public diplomacy
  topic: keywords
subject: international organizations
  topic: keywords
subject: peacekeeping
  topic: keywords
subject: liberal norms
  topic: keywords
subject: local turn
  topic: keywords
subject: X
  topic: keywords
subject: KFOR
  topic: keywords
subject: UNMIK
  topic: keywords
creator: Adéla Sedlecká
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Adéla Sedlecká https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-02-18
publication date: 2026-02-18
doi: 10.32422/cjir.935

Cross-national Salience of Marine Environmental Issues: Evidence from UN General Assembly Debates, 1993–2020
type: item
description: In this paper, we examine an important dimension of state preferences regarding the protection of the marine environment, namely the salience of marine environmental problems. To do so, we analyse statements delivered in the annual reviews of ocean affairs and the law of the sea in the General Assembly of the United Nations in the years 1993–2020. In methodological terms, the paper employs topic modelling. The results reveal that the attitudes of states to the importance of specific environmental issues are relatively heterogeneous and the overall salience of these issues also varies significantly. The variation is primarily driven by the geographic characteristics of countries. The ratio of the given country’s marine territory to its land area is positively associated with the salience of climate change, pollution, and the aggregated salience of environmental topics in the country. Also, the absolute size of the marine territory is positively associated with the salience of sustainable fisheries.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: marine environment
  topic: keywords
subject: environment
  topic: keywords
subject: marine policy
  topic: keywords
subject: environmental policy
  topic: keywords
subject: topic modelling
  topic: keywords
subject: United Nations
  topic: keywords
subject: state preferences
  topic: keywords
subject: salience
  topic: keywords
creator: Jan Karlas
creator: Jan Mazač
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-04-01
publication date: 2026-04-01
starting page: 7
ending page: 36
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1871

Grappling with the Climate Crisis in IR: Existentially, Psychologically, Interdisciplinarily
type: item
description: The introduction to this special issue argues that International Relations (IR) needs to give greater consideration to the existential and psychological implications of the accelerating climate crisis. Starting from debates about the disciplinary suitability of IR to meaningfully tackle an issue as all-encompassing as climate change, this introduction gives a short overview of how the problem of climate change has conventionally been conceived, and finds that IR has so far not sufficiently appreciated the psychological implications of the climate crisis. Yet, such a perspective is sorely needed, as climate change is not only an environmental problem but also a problem of existentialist sense-making, and because IR’s actors are themselves deeply affected by changes to the physical world that they are a part of. Consequently, this introduction provides a sketch of what an existential-psychological inquiry into the implications of climate change could look like and concludes that, regardless of the current state of the discipline, IR has a duty to become a discipline that can meaningfully contribute towards mitigating the climate crisis.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: climate change
  topic: keywords
subject: existentialism
  topic: keywords
subject: interdisciplinarity
  topic: keywords
subject: International Relations
  topic: keywords
subject: social psychology
  topic: keywords
creator: Nina C. Krickel-Choi
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-03-13
publication date: 2025-03-13
starting page: 7
ending page: 31
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1860

Jan Eichler: NATO and the War in Ukraine: Geopolitical Context and Long-term Consequences
type: item
description: In NATO and the War in Ukraine: Geopolitical Context and Long-term Consequences, Jan Eichler, a well-established scholar at the Institute of International Relations in Prague, contributes to the scholarly discourse surrounding NATO’s expansion, its geopolitical impacts and the impact of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. By combining historical revisionism with theoretical insights, Eichler crafts a compelling narrative that critiques prevailing perspectives on NATO’s post-Cold War role. The book offers an engaging mix of empirical rigor, theoretical depth and a revisionist spirit, making it a significant intervention in international relations (IR) scholarship. Eichler’s academic contributions place him squarely within the critical realist tradition of IR, informed by both classical realism and neorealism. His engagement with the works of Kenneth Waltz, Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer situates him in dialogue with some of the most influential theorists in the field. However, Eichler distinguishes himself through his willingness to critically assess NATO’s post-Cold War trajectory, an area often dominated by uncritical endorsements. His alignment with revisionist scholars like Andrew Bacevich adds depth to his critique of triumphalist narratives that celebrate NATO expansion without grappling with its unintended consequences.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: security
  topic: keywords
subject: NATO
  topic: keywords
subject: book review
  topic: keywords
subject: Russia-Ukraine war
  topic: keywords
creator: Alfred Marleku
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-05-23
publication date: 2025-05-23
starting page: 165
ending page: 170
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1859

Stefan Auer: European Disunion: Democracy, Sovereignty and the Politics of Emergency.
type: item
description: Jana Vargovčíková reviews Stefan Auer's new book. According to Vargovčíková, Auer brings a timely, elegantly written, and engaging critique of the many deficits and overstretches of the EU´s technocratic integration and its impact on democracy in Europe. He also provides a refreshing appreciation of the contradictory relationship between CEE experience and EU membership to point out these overstretches. However, Auer's polemical and provocative style risks falling into interpretative traps, including creating a caricature of the EU as a monolithic bloc and relativizing the CEE radical conservative autocrats at the expense of truly democratic and plural politics in the region. First, his critique rests on a reductionist caricature of the EU as a homogeneous project on its way to becoming a superstate and moving away from a Europe of nation states. Second, his rightful critique of the EU asymmetries makes him underestimate Central European radical conservatives' antidemocratic tendencies that are manifested through their own extraordinary politics in the manner of culture wars. Finally, Auer's admiration for political sovereignists makes him mistakenly view popular sovereignty as the only expression of national democracy rather than seeing the other EU-friendly democratic claims and actors of democratic politics in the region. European Disunion: Democracy, Sovereignty and the Politics of Emergency. London: Hurst, 2022, 288 pages, ISBN: 978-1-78738-684-6
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: Central Europe
  topic: keywords
subject: European Union (EU)
  topic: keywords
subject: Democracy
  topic: keywords
subject: Illiberalism
  topic: keywords
subject: Sovereignism
  topic: keywords
creator: Jana Vargovčíková
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-02-25
publication date: 2025-02-25
starting page: 191
ending page: 201
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1857

Úvod
type: item
description: Introduction
subject: Editorial
  topic: section
creator: Redakce
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 1996-03-01
publication date: 1996-03-01
starting page: 5
ending page: 5
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1849

From Grassroots Humanitarianism to Mutual Aid: Citizen Responses in Poland and the Czech Republic to Russia’s War in Ukraine
type: item
description: Russia’s full-blown war in Ukraine created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Europe. By the end of 2022, over eight million Ukrainians had become refugees throughout Europe, with more than 11 million crossing Ukraine’s borders (UNHCR Operational Data Portal). The Ukrainians have fled to many countries, but Poland and the Czech Republic have received some of the largest numbers of Ukrainian individuals seeking protection. The multilayered response to this influx of people has been impressive and surprising, with ordinary individuals showing up at the border to provide food and transportation while ordinary citizens and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) mobilized to create local systems of humanitarian assistance. This paper explores grassroots citizens’ aid in Poland and the Czech Republic from February 2022 until August 2024. It argues that in both countries, private individuals and small volunteer-run groups organized creative grassroots initiatives that went beyond providing immediate material assistance. Solidarity with Ukrainians also fueled citizen-led mutual aid and transformative spaces of care aimed at altering existing institutions and practices and integrating Ukrainians.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: grassroots humanitarianism
  topic: keywords
subject: mutual aid
  topic: keywords
subject: voluntarism
  topic: keywords
subject: Ukrainian refugees
  topic: keywords
subject: Poland
  topic: keywords
subject: the Czech Republic
  topic: keywords
creator: Simona Fojtova
creator: Patrice McMahon
creator: Hana Waisserova
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Czech Journal of International Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 2025-05-07
publication date: 2025-05-07
starting page: 7
ending page: 42
doi: 10.32422/cjir.899

Z Pusanu do Pchanmundžomu
type: item
description: Paik Sun Jup: From Pusan to Panmunjom. Předmluva: Matthew B. Ridgway a James A. Van Fleet. Brassey's (US) Inc. 1992, 271 stran.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
creator: Zdeněk Zbořil
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 1993-12-01
publication date: 1993-12-01
starting page: 88
ending page: 89
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1837

Německá identita
type: item
description: Harold James: Deutsche ldentität 1770-1990. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt, New York 1991, 310 stran, ISBN 3-593-3452-1.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
creator: Ivona Řezanková
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 1993-12-01
publication date: 1993-12-01
starting page: 86
ending page: 87
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1836

Mnichov a Sovětský svaz
type: item
description: Ivan Pfaff: Sovětská zrada 1938. BEA, Praha 1993, 144 stran, ISBN 80-900111-01.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
creator: Václav Vrabec
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 1993-12-01
publication date: 1993-12-01
starting page: 84
ending page: 85
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1835

Verbatim - Attaliho deník
type: item
description: Jacques Attali: Verbatim. Tome I. Chronique des années 1981-1986. Fayard 1993, 958 stran.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
creator: Karel Černý
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 1993-12-01
publication date: 1993-12-01
starting page: 79
ending page: 83
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1833

Vydavatelský počin Společnosti Edvarda Beneše
type: item
description: Publishing activities of the Edvard Beneš Association
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
creator: Zora Dvořáková
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 1993-12-01
publication date: 1993-12-01
starting page: 76
ending page: 78
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1832

Postoje obyvatel Chodska k Němcům (informace z výzkumu)
type: item
description: Attitudes of Inhabitants of the Chodsko Region towards Germans (Information from Research)
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
creator: Václav Houžvička
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 1993-12-01
publication date: 1993-12-01
starting page: 72
ending page: 75
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1831

Úloha veřejné diplomacie v mezinárodních vztazích
type: item
description: The Role of Public Diplomacy in International Relations
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
creator: Robert A. Bauer
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 1993-12-01
publication date: 1993-12-01
starting page: 67
ending page: 71
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1830

Portugalsko a Evropská politická spolupráce
type: item
description: Portugal and European Political Cooperation
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
creator: Álvaro de Vasconcelos
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
date: 1993-12-01
publication date: 1993-12-01
starting page: 59
ending page: 66
doi: 10.32422/cjir.1829