- Political Science, Political Economy, International Political Economy, International Relations, Security Studies, Visual Anthropology, and 20 morePublic Administration and Policy, Political Economy and History, Eastern European Studies, Intelligence, Political Extremism/Radicalism/Populism, Graffiti, Populism, Party Politics, Party Identity, State of Political Science in Post-Socialist Europe, Anthropology, Nationalism, Bulgaria, ATAKA, Globalization, International Studies, Marxism, Branding, Post-Communist Studies, and Cass Muddeedit
The essential purpose of this article is to revisit the functions and role of the Bulgarian State Security’s Department XIV, also known as the Cultural Historical Intelligence Department (CHI or Kulturno istorichesko razuznavane). This... more
The essential purpose of this article is to revisit the functions and role of the Bulgarian State Security’s Department XIV, also known as the Cultural Historical Intelligence Department (CHI or Kulturno istorichesko razuznavane). This analysis examines how the department served as a policy support tool for the regime’s pursuit of legitimacy in the late 1970s. It also explores how the department supported cultural nationalism while combatting ‘ideological subversion.’ This overview aims to add to a more nuanced understanding of the foreign intelligence apparatuses’ roles and functions in the former Eastern Bloc totalitarian states in the shadow of their Soviet counterpart. In this case, nuances are sought to improve understanding of Todor Zhivkov’s totalitarian regime’s inception and instrumentalization of CHI in the quest for internal and external credibility and prestige while attempting to trace a path to a unique form of national communism.
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The central focus of this article is an in-depth analysis of the interplay between Patriarch Kirill's ideology of "Holy Tradition" and the movement Sorok Sorokov, which we consider Kirill's praetorian guard, in charge of "maintaining the... more
The central focus of this article is an in-depth analysis of the interplay between Patriarch Kirill's ideology of "Holy Tradition" and the movement Sorok Sorokov, which we consider Kirill's praetorian guard, in charge of "maintaining the order for patriarchal services"-services which include humanitarian and military assistance in Russian offensives, the punishment of non-traditional priests, and the on-site guards of patriarchal projects within the wider scope of Russkiy mir. More importantly however, and due to this privileged position, Sorok Sorokov acts as a radicalizing outreach for Patriarch Kirill's "Holy Tradition" in the digital space. To demonstrate this relationship, we employ a mixed methods approach in line with digital humanities methodology. To achieve this, we have developed telegram API and web scraping tools as well as utilized exploratory data analysis, natural language processing, and critical discourse analysis. Our preliminary conclusions are that: (1) Sorok Sorokov does indeed function as a radical extension of Patriarch Kirill's Holy Tradition and (2) that Sorok Sorokov operates as an illiberal service provider for the Russian Orthodox Church in social contexts that Patriarch Kirill cannot directly address such as war and radical, national politics.
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Most of the scholarship on far-right hooliganism in Europe and Russia mentions only marginally the Russian far-right MMA gear and tournament brand White Rex (WR). A few authors have discussed WR’s right-wing connections and activities.... more
Most of the scholarship on far-right hooliganism in Europe and Russia mentions only marginally the Russian far-right MMA gear and tournament brand White Rex (WR). A few authors have discussed WR’s right-wing connections and activities. Yet both the structures that enabled WR and, now, other similar brands to exert ideological and political influence and the influence itself bear further examination. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of information from intelligence reports, social media, open media, and interviews to show how WR modeled and cultivated a professionalizing trend in several far-right combat sport tournaments. We argue that WR’s entrance into the Western European far-right combat sport scene was a key development in the emergence of professionally organized, fight-focused events with explicit political messaging targeted at a far-right, primarily trans-European audience and a surrounding infrastructure of far-right organizations shaping the character of this de...
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The Kremlin, under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, has sponsored a resurgence of political warfare against Western targets. This analysis will focus on a particular aspect of Kremlin-sponsored political warfare: sexuality and... more
The Kremlin, under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, has sponsored a resurgence of political warfare against Western targets. This analysis will focus on a particular aspect of Kremlin-sponsored political warfare: sexuality and gender-based narratives in Russian and pro-Russian disinformation campaigns targeting EU and aspiring members from 2015-2020. The potency of these narratives arises from the emotional and cognitive load that they elicit. Their significance is often overlooked in security, intelligence, and communication studies. In order to alleviate this gap, this article consists of a mixed-methods analysis in order to analyze the role and function of these narratives within the larger body of Russian disinformation. This research shows that sexuality and gender-based disinformation narratives are designed to target basic human emotions, such as fear, anger, hostility, confusion, and disgust, by exploiting existing cognitive biases within the targeted population. ...
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Most of the scholarship on far-right hooliganism in Europe and Russia mentions only marginally the Russian far-right MMA gear and tournament brand White Rex (WR). A few authors have discussed WR’s right-wing connections and activities.... more
Most of the scholarship on far-right hooliganism in Europe and Russia mentions only marginally the Russian far-right MMA gear and tournament brand White Rex (WR). A few authors have discussed WR’s right-wing connections and activities. Yet both the structures that enabled WR and, now, other similar brands to exert ideological and political influence and the influence itself bear further examination. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of information from intelligence reports, social media, open media, and interviews to show how WR modeled and cultivated a professionalizing trend in several far-right combat sport tournaments. We argue that WR’s entrance into the Western European far-right combat sport scene was a key development in the emergence of professionally organized, fight-focused events with explicit political messaging targeted at a far-right, primarily trans‑European audience and a surrounding infrastructure of far-right organizations shaping the character of this developing scene. The business model that WR developed in Russia proved to be something the emerging European far-right combat sport scene could adopt in order to grow. Finally, we elaborate on how WR’s founder, Denis Kapustin, was able to establish a Western European network that temporarily gave him influence over one of the far right’s most significant cultural scenes.
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Resumen: This paper examines the recent attiudes of the Bulgarian economic elites towards the process of European enlargement and the integration of Bulgaria into the structure of EU. The accent of the analisis falls upon the public... more
Resumen: This paper examines the recent attiudes of the Bulgarian economic elites towards the process of European enlargement and the integration of Bulgaria into the structure of EU. The accent of the analisis falls upon the public activity of the representatives of the socalled “nationally responsable capital” united in the Bulgarian Bussines Club “Renaissance”. The simple is chosen to illustrate the attitudes of the “Bulgarian strategic investors” towards the EU enlargement, as it is symbolic for the Bulgarian large capital. Several hypotheses will be reviewed in the course of the analysis, namely that the Bulgarian business will be supportive of Bulgaria’s NATO membership but rather reserved in its expectations towards EU membership. Its rhetoric will be directed towards the quality of its international cooperation with similar large foreign enterprises, as an instrumental of proof of its internal legitimacy. These will be accompanied by continuous lobbying efforts in search of ...
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In the past few years the Bulgarian capital city saw massive social unrest becoming a scene of different types of continuous protests. All of them attempted to conquer and remodel the "sacred" urban power landscape and its... more
In the past few years the Bulgarian capital city saw massive social unrest becoming a scene of different types of continuous protests. All of them attempted to conquer and remodel the "sacred" urban power landscape and its monuments. In this paper I will argue that graffiti as an alternative “low –tech”political communication stream and specifically its function, as a mechanism for revival and return of “forgotten” issues back into the mainstream public discourse, served as powerful „antidote” to the mainstream public and private mass media “selective blindness” due its opaque ownership structure, concentration and constant deterioration of media pluralism and freedom. In addition the paper will attempt to demonstrate the stages of evolution of simple urban political graffiti and stencils to complex rearrangement of urban landscape in synchrony with the increasing complexity of local political confrontation and its transformation from purely internal to foreign policy scan...
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From antiquity onwards the architecture and especially its commemorative monuments, artifacts and monuments represent a reflection of the ideology of the current ruling political, economic and cultural elite. They are the physical... more
From antiquity onwards the architecture and especially its commemorative monuments, artifacts and monuments represent a reflection of the ideology of the current ruling political, economic and cultural elite. They are the physical reflection of the ideas of the ruling elite over the masses and an attempt to objectify the abstract ideas of power. Precisely this physical reflection is also a type of “marker” for the so-called “sacred spaces of power” via the erection and arrangement of monuments and memorials in urban settings aimed towards
impacting the collective social psyche. In addition, these monuments and artifacts are part of the elites’ effort to “forge” collective identity politics. In post-socialist urban settings, especially in times of heightened civic activity and almost constant protest, we are witnessing
a new form of redefinition of the “sacred spaces of power” through the use of “unsanctioned” art-interventions in these spaces that are aimed towards provocation, revitalization of the public debate, questioning of the inherited dogmas concerning the national identity,
as well using them as a mechanism for return of “uncomfortable” questions into the main discourse of the mainstream media by creation of spectacular scandals able to provoke reactions not only from the traditional elites but also from the so-called “counter-publics”
at home and abroad. The aim of this article is to analyze the phenomenon of the art-interventions in post-socialist Sofia in its functionality of a type of “political permutation” of the post-socialist identity of the contemporary citizens.
Keywords: architecture, politics, “sacred spaces of power”, monuments, art-interventions, post-socialist Sofia, Red Army Monument
impacting the collective social psyche. In addition, these monuments and artifacts are part of the elites’ effort to “forge” collective identity politics. In post-socialist urban settings, especially in times of heightened civic activity and almost constant protest, we are witnessing
a new form of redefinition of the “sacred spaces of power” through the use of “unsanctioned” art-interventions in these spaces that are aimed towards provocation, revitalization of the public debate, questioning of the inherited dogmas concerning the national identity,
as well using them as a mechanism for return of “uncomfortable” questions into the main discourse of the mainstream media by creation of spectacular scandals able to provoke reactions not only from the traditional elites but also from the so-called “counter-publics”
at home and abroad. The aim of this article is to analyze the phenomenon of the art-interventions in post-socialist Sofia in its functionality of a type of “political permutation” of the post-socialist identity of the contemporary citizens.
Keywords: architecture, politics, “sacred spaces of power”, monuments, art-interventions, post-socialist Sofia, Red Army Monument
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The Kremlin, under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, has sponsored a resurgence of political warfare against Western targets. This analysis will focus on a particular aspect of Kremlin-sponsored political warfare: sexuality and... more
The Kremlin, under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, has sponsored a resurgence of political warfare against Western targets. This analysis will focus on a particular aspect of Kremlin-sponsored political warfare: sexuality and gender-based narratives in Russian and pro-Russian disinformation campaigns targeting EU and EU aspiring members from 2015-2020. The potency of these narratives arises from the emotional and cognitive load that they elicit. Their significance is often overlooked in security, intelligence, and communication studies. In order to alleviate this gap, this article consists of a mixed-methods investigation in order to analyze the role and function of these narratives within the larger body of Russian disinformation. This research shows that sexuality and gender-based disinformation narratives are designed to target basic human emotions, such as fear, anger, hostility, confusion, and disgust, by exploiting existing cognitive biases within the targeted population. These narratives are a useful and effective political and propaganda tool meant to elicit support for a specific brand of traditional values that furthers the Kremlin’s geopolitical aim of creating an alternative to Western liberal hegemony.
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Our journal for military conflicts for the first time in English (usually we publish in Bulgarian). In this first issue, we included an interview with Mark Galeotti, analyzes of Russia, Islamic State, Israel, and and the must-read article... more
Our journal for military conflicts for the first time in English (usually we publish in Bulgarian). In this first issue, we included an interview with Mark Galeotti, analyzes of Russia, Islamic State, Israel, and and the must-read article about the digital mercenaries by Kiril Avramov.
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The second edition of De Re Militari’s Journal of conflicts and analysis is now available for download. In the issue, you can find: - interviews with analysts Levent Kemal and Kyle Orton on Turkey, SDF, the US and Russia - an important... more
The second edition of De Re Militari’s Journal of conflicts and analysis is now available for download.
In the issue, you can find:
- interviews with analysts Levent Kemal and Kyle Orton on Turkey, SDF, the US and Russia
- an important text by Kiril Avramov on Eastern Ukraine and the new Donbas` heroes
- an analysis of the pro-Assad forces’ strategy for the siege of rebel settlements
- on China’s new policy towards the region, and Africa
- and for alliances between terrorist groups and organized crime in Europe.
In the issue, you can find:
- interviews with analysts Levent Kemal and Kyle Orton on Turkey, SDF, the US and Russia
- an important text by Kiril Avramov on Eastern Ukraine and the new Donbas` heroes
- an analysis of the pro-Assad forces’ strategy for the siege of rebel settlements
- on China’s new policy towards the region, and Africa
- and for alliances between terrorist groups and organized crime in Europe.
Research Interests: History, Terrorism, Middle East Studies, Geopolitics, Politics, and 7 moreTurkey, Syria, Modern Turkey, Russia, Journals, Mapping, and Kurds
Recent multiple high-profile cases involving private intelligence service operators, such as the British Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd., as well as the Israeli Black Cube Ltd. and PSY Group have increased the visibility of some of these... more
Recent multiple high-profile cases involving private intelligence service operators, such as the British Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd., as well as the Israeli Black Cube Ltd. and PSY Group have increased the visibility of some of these usually "quiet" private operators on the global scene. These scandals have also intensified the focus of public and academic scrutiny and have attracted scholarly interest regarding the nature of private intelligence operators' activities. It will be argued that the increasing stakes for the involved key political actors, coupled with upward spiralling financial and logistics campaign costs, increase the demand for these private sector intelligence services. This article will discuss several seemingly unrelated recent cases involving British and Israeli private intelligence service providers, in search of similarities and patterns in their modus operandi, marketing approach to customers and tradecraft deficiencies. This article will also speculate on the effects of negative publicity and pressure on private sector intelligence providers' business prospects and their ability to attract new future customers.
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The last issue of the "Military History" journal. Read about the medieval Bulgarian fleet and mercenaries, the end of World War One on the Balkans , Rommel's Africa campaign, the battle of Kharkov (1943), Russia's Wagner PMC and also... more
The last issue of the "Military History" journal. Read about the medieval Bulgarian fleet and mercenaries, the end of World War One on the Balkans , Rommel's Africa campaign, the battle of Kharkov (1943), Russia's Wagner PMC and also three film reviews - Dunkirk, 12 strong and The Darkest hour
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Minkenberg, M. (2015). Transforming the Transformation?: The East European Radical Right in the Political Process. Routledge.
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On another scene, Kiril Avramov's article on political grafitti and artistic intervention addresses the political stage of Bulgarian post-socialism, in which the urban landscape unavoidably reasserts its status as the canvas of protest... more
On another scene, Kiril Avramov's article on political grafitti and artistic intervention addresses the political stage of Bulgarian post-socialism, in which the urban landscape unavoidably reasserts its status as the canvas of protest and transformation, due to public and private mass media's "selective blindness" to dissenting views. @ http://www.seismopolite.com/political-graffiti-and-art-interventions-transformative-function-in-the-urban-landscapes-of-sofia
