New Eastern Europe Magazine Nov-Dec 2023 Edizione posteriore

In this issue New Eastern Europe, we asked our authors to look at China’s role in the region. They analysed the various aspects of the Sino-Russian axis trying to understand whether it is driven by convenience or a deeper connection between the two powers. In addition, they also looked at China’s presence in Central and Eastern Europe, and especially the 17+1 format which was initially met with some enthusiasm, especially among the more authoritarian politicians. However, the initial support for this format has somewhat waned recently. This shift, especially in Czechia and Lithuania, can be explained by a change of attitude to China’s policy towards Taiwan, the human rights’ violations towards the Uyghur population and China’s ambiguous position in the current conflict in Ukraine.

In addition to the China-focused bloc we encourage you to read the texts that cover the developments that have also been observed in the region but are less often addressed by the mainstream media. In particular, with the ongoing migration waves, be it from the Middle East or the war-affected Ukraine, our authors analyse different social reactions (in Poland and Romania) to ethnic Ukrainian migrants and those who are Muslim or from the Roma community. The lengthy war also requires that we discuss the role of the Russian society, its responsibility and sense of guilt, for the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian people and on the territory of Ukraine. We chose to address all these difficult and painful issues to stimulate discussions on the challenges that are continuing to emerge and which may determine the future condition of the social reality in Europe and beyond.