Encyclopedia Tyrannica

Dr Jeroen J.J. Van den Bosch studied Area Studies (Slavonic Studies) and Political Science (International Relations) at the Catholic University in Leuven (Belgium) and Poznań (Adam Mickiewicz University [AMU]). Since 2018, he works as an Erasmus+ project coordinator at AMU, raising funds and managing complex, consortium-based, educational projects. His previous projects include: EISCAS, EISIPS, M.O.R.D.O.R., CAGHAN-P. In parallel, he is active as an independent scholar and has written Personalist Rule in Africa and Other World Regions (Routledge, 2021) and co-edited The European handbook of Central Asian Studies: History, Politics, and Societies (ibidem-Verlag, 2021), Handbook of Indo-Pacific Studies (Routledge, 2023), and Research Handbook on Authoritarianism (Edward Elgar, 2024). His research fields encompass theories of dictatorships, their classification, autocratic cooperation democratization, political regimes theories, sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia. This Encyclopedia Tyrannica was created in the frame of the M.O.R.D.O.R. project, of which J. Van den Bosch is the project coordinator. 

Dr Natasha Lindstaedt is Professor of Government at the University of Essex, where she also serves as the Faculty Dean for Education in the Social Sciences. Dr Lindstaedt’s research focuses on authoritarian regimes, governance, democratic backsliding, and human security.  She has published extensively on these topics including Dictators and Dictatorships (Bloomsbury, 2011), The Politics of Dictatorships (Lynne Rienner, 2011), Failed States and Institutional Decay (Bloomsbury, 2013), Democracies and Authoritarian Regimes (Oxford University Press, 2019), Democratic Decay and Authoritarian Resurgence (Bristol University Press, 2021), and, most recently, the Research Handbook on Authoritarianism (Edward Elgar, 2024). At the University of Essex, she has taught courses in Authoritarian Politics, State Building and Governance, International Development, International Security, Latin American Politics, Asian Politics, and Middle East Politics.  In addition to her teaching and research, she has consulted for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Western Asia, and has worked on projects with the European Union External Action Service and IDEA International.

Dr Teresa Almeida Cravo studied for her PhD in Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom, for her Masters in Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, in the United Kingdom, and for her Undergraduate Degree in International Relations at the University of Coimbra, in Portugal. Since 2023, she is an associate professor of International Relations at the Faculty of Economics, a researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, and the coordinator of the PhD program in international politics and conflict resolution, at the university of Coimbra, in Portugal. Previously, Almeida Cravo held visiting fellowships at the University of Oxford (UK), at the University of Westminster (UK), at Monash University in Australia, and at Harvard University (USA). Almeida Cravo is a member of the International Studies Association, the European International Studies Association, and the British International Studies Association, among others. Her papers have been published by, among other outlets, Asia-Europe Journal, European Review of International Studies, Revue Internationale et Stratégique, and Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais.

Joanna Barszcz holds an MA in Clinical Psychology and an MA in Anthropology and Cultural Studies. Currently she is an independent scholar and head of the International Relations Centre at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań (Poland). Her research interests and publications during her doctoral studies focused on communication theory in the cognitive sciences and the perspective of postmodern philosophy, as well as issues of resilience and chronic stress. Currently,she foremost works in international projects, and, in parallel, continues her doctoral studies in the field of social responsibility of science in an international context.

Dr Agnieszka Bógdał-Brzezińska studied International Relations in Warsaw. Since 2001–2003 and 2008–2016, she was Deputy Director of Institute of International Relations at the University of Warsaw, Poland. She is a founding member of Polish Society for International Studies (Warsaw, Poland), member of Polish Society of Political Science (Warsaw, Poland), Polish Geopolitical Society (Cracow, Poland), Space Commission of Polish Academy of Sciences (Gdańsk, Poland). Her previous books include Cyberterrorism and the problems of information security (ASPRA-JR, 2003); Terrorism and cyberterrorism as the greatest security challenge of the modern state, (co-author) (Conducting Research Foundation (FPBN), 2016); Re-visions and Re-Orientations. Non-European Thought in International Relations Studies (co-editor) (Bloomsberry-India, 2014). Her papers have been published by, among other outlets, Stosunki Międzynarodowe-International Relations; Journal of Geography, Politics and Society; Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity; Revista Română de Geografie Politică; Sustainability.

Dr Ana Bojinović Fenko studied International Relations in Ljubljana. Since 2005 she is professor of International Relations at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences in Slovenia. Bojinović Fenko is a member of ISA, EISA, CEEISA and Slovenian Political Science Association. Her previous co-authored books include Mapping the New World Order (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009) and Bridging the Gap Between the Study of International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis: The Case Of International Regionalism (in Slovenian, 2010). Her papers have been published by, among other, the Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, Journal of Southeast European & Black Sea Studies, Journal of European Integration, Mediterranean Quarterly, Parliamentary Affairs. 

Aleksandra Bolonina studied International Relations in Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) and Paris (France). Since 2017, she is a PhD student in Political Science at the Paris Panthéon-Assas University. Previously, she held a teaching and research position at the Paris Panthéon-Assas University, as well as a visiting student position at the French Institute for Central Asian Studies in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). Her papers have been published by, among other outlets, Annuaire Français des Relations Internationales, Le Rubicon and L’Observatoire du Multilateralisme et des Organisations Internationales.

Prof Dr Bruno J. De Cordier is an associate professor at the Department of Conflict and Development Studies of Ghent University. His previous books include The European Handbook of Central Asian Studies: History, Politics, and Societies (ibidem-Verlag, 2021), of which he is co-editor and (co-)author of several chapters. 

Ajda Hedžet studied International Relations in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Since 2019, she has been a young researcher at the Centre of International Relations and an assistant in the Department of International Relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. Hedžet is a member of the International Studies Association, the European International Studies Association, and the Central and East European International Studies Association. She serves as the Managing Editor of the Journal of International Relations and Development. Her papers has been published in Teorija in Praksa.

Dr Tomáš Hoch studied Political and Cultural Geography in Ostrava, Czechia. Since 2022, he is associate professor at the Department of Human Geography and Regional Development at the University of Ostrava. He is a member of the British International Studies Association, British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies and Association for the Study of Nationalities. His previous books include De Facto States in Eurasia (co-edited with Vincenc Kopeček, Routledge, 2020). His papers have been published by, among other outlets, Europe-Asia Studies, Comparative Southeast European Studies, Soviet and Post-Soviet Review, Problems of Post-Communism.

Dr Marko Hočevar studied Political Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Since 2022, he is assistant professor of Political Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. Dr Marko Hočevar is the president of the Slovenian Political Science Association since June 2023. His previous books include Neoliberalizem in teorije države (Neoliberalism and theories of the state, University of Ljubljana Press, 2021) and, as an editor, The Neoliberal World Order in Crisis, and Beyond (University of Ljubljana Press, 2021). His papers have been published by, among others, Thesis Eleven, Teorija in praksa, Brave New Europe.

Dr Slavomír Horák obtained his Ph.D. in Area Studies at Charles University in Prague. Since 2019, he is an associate professor of Political and Cultural Geography at the Department of Russian and East European Studies, Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic). Previously, Slavomír Horák held his fellowships and visiting scholarships in Moscow, Tashkent, Almaty, Washington, Helsinki and Tbilisi. Horák is a member of the European Association for Central Asian Studies Board. His previous books include Central Asia between the West and East (Karolinum, 2005), Afghan Conflict (Prague, 2005). His papers have been published by, among other outlets, Central Asian Survey, Contemporary Politics, Problems of Communism, Central Asian Affairs, Nationalities Papers, and Demokratizatsiya.

Dr Daniela Irrera studied Political Science and International Relations in Catania. Since 2024, she is Professor of International Relations at the School of Advanced Defence Studies, in Rome. Previously, Daniela Irrera held a position of associate professor of International Relations at the University of Catania, Italy. Daniela Irrera is Chair of the ECPR and a member of ISA, IPSA, BISA and the Italian Political Science Association. Her previous books include NGOs Crisis Management and Conflict Resolution: Measuring the Impact of NGOs on Intergovernmental Organisations (Edward Elgar, 2013); EU Emergency Response Policies and NGOs. Trends and Innovations (Palgrave, 2018); Mapping Non-State actors in International Relations, edited with Marianna Charountaki (Springer, 2022). Her papers have been published by, among other outlets, in Global Crime, The European Union Review, Perspectives in European Politics and Society, European Foreign Affairs Review, Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Conflict Management and Peace Science, European Political Science.

Anna Jordanova studied History and Area Studies with a focus on Central Asia in the Czech Republic. Since 2021, she has been a PhD student and, since 2023, lectured on current Central Asian affairs at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University in Prague. Previously, Anna Jordanova held an internship at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and remains an associate fellow of the Association for International Affairs in Prague. 

Dr Faris Kočan studied European Studies in Ljubljana. Since 2022, he is an assistant professor at Chair of International Relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Dr Kočan is a member of Central and Eastern European Studies Association and International Studies Association. His previous books include Identity, Ontological Security and Europeanisation in Republika Srpska (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) and European Narratives and Euroscepticism in the Western Balkans and the EU (Routledge, 2024). His papers have been published by, among other outlets, in Nationalities Papers, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies and Peacebuilding.

Dr Vincenc Kopeček studied Political and Cultural Geography in Ostrava. Since 2020, he is associate professor of Political Geography at the Department of Human Geography and Regional Development, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Czechia. Previously, Vincenc Kopeček held assistant professorship at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ostrava, and fellowship at the School of Arts and Sciences, Ilia State University, Tbilisi. Vincenc Kopeček is a member of the ECPR Standing Group on Statehood, Sovereignty and Conflict, the Central Eurasian Studies Society, and the Czech Geographical Society. His previous books include De Facto States in Eurasia (Routledge, 2020, co-edited with Tomáš Hoch). His papers have been published by, among other outlets, Europe-Asia Studies, Problems of Post-Communism, and Caucasus Survey.

Prof Michal Kubát studied Political Science in Prague and Cracow. Since 2019 he is a full professor of Political Science at the Institute of International Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University. Previously, Kubát held the position of assistant professor and later associate professor at the same Institute. Kubát is member of: the ECPR Standing Group on Presidential Politics, Czech Political Science Association, Polish Political Science Association, Scientific Board of the faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Academic Senate of Charles University, etc. His previous books include Power Beyond Constitutions. Presidential Constitutional Conventions in Central Europe (Palgrave, 2023), Semi-Presidentialism, Parliamentarism and Presidents. Presidential Politics in Central Europe (Routledge, 2019), Giovanni Sartori. Challenging Political Science (ECPR Press/Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). His papers have been published by, among other outlets, Problems of Post-Communism, Nations and Nationalism, Osteuropa, Contemporary European History, Polish Political Science Review, Czech Sociological Review.

Dr Lukáš Laš studied Political Geography in Ostrava, Paris and Ružomberok, and Asian Studies in Prague, Turku, Fukuoka and Beijing. Since 2020, he has been an assistant professor of Political and Cultural Geography with a focus on Asia, Indo-Pacific in the Department of Human Geography and Regional Development at the University of Ostrava in Czechia. Previously, Laš held internship at the Centre for East Asian Studies (CEAS), University of Turku in Finland. Laš is a research fellow of the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) in Bratislava and the incumbent co-chair (2023-2025) of the Czech Association of Contemporary Asian Studies (CACAS). His papers have been published by, among other outlets, Asian Geographer, Geografie, Journal of International Relations, Contemporary European Studies, Contemporary Asian Studies Series.

Ellen Leafstedt studied Russian and East European Studies at Oxford University and Russian Language and Politics & International Relations at Durham University in the United Kingdom. Since 2023, she is a Project Manager at BBC Media Action. Previously, Leafstedt held positions at the European Partnership for Democracy and the European Studies Centre at Oxford University. Her papers have been published by, among other outlets, SLOVO Journal, Riddle Russia, and Carnegie Europe.

Melika Mahmutović studied International Relations in Ljubljana. Since 2021, she is a junior researcher of International Relations at the Centre of International Relations, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. She is a managing editor of the Journal of International Relations and Development and a secretary-general of the Slovenian Political Science Association. 

Dr Aleksandra Monkos studied Political Science in Poznań. Since 2022, she is an Independent Scholar, a News and Information Literacy Specialist in Demagog Association and a Lecturer of International Relations at the Faculty of Political Science and Journalism in Poznań, Poland. Previously, Monkos held fellowships at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in Ukraine, and Stockholm University in Sweden. Her previous books include Polish and Ukrainian NGOs in development cooperation with the media in Ukraine (Adam Mickiewicz University Press, 2022). Her papers have been published by, among other outlets, Europe-Asia Studies, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Nationalities Papers, Journal of International Relations and Development, Central European Journal of Communication. 

Dr Sarah da Mota studied International Relations and Political Science in Coimbra and Bordeaux. Since 2024, she is assistant professor of International Relations at the School of Economics at the University of Coimbra, in Portugal. Previously, da Mota was a visiting professor at the same school. She is a member of the International Studies Association, the Portuguese Association of Political Science, and the European International Studies Association. Her previous books include NATO, Civilisation and Individuals. The Unconscious Dimension of International Security (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Her papers have been published by, among other outlets, Third World Quarterly, Nação e Defesa, Human Security Perspectives Journal, and books such as Contemporary European Security (Routledge, 2019).

Dr Arkadiusz Nyzio studied Political Science and European studies in Kraków. Since 2021, he is an assistant professor at the Jagiellonian University and lecturer at the Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University. Nyzio is a member of the Polish Political Science Association. His previous books include Rakowiecka w remoncie (Księgarnia Akademicka, 2020) and Polskie studia wywiadowcze (co-author, Księgarnia Akademicka, 2024). His papers have been published by, among other outlets, Politeja and Institute of National Remembrance.

Dr Jure Požgan studied International Relations and European Studies in Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Maastricht (The Netherlands). Since 2022, he is an assistant professor at the Chair of International relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Požgan is a member of the Slovenian Political Science Association, CEEISA and ISA. His papers have been published by, among other outlets, Routledge, Brill Nijhoff, IGI Global, Založba FDV, Teorija in praksa, Družboslovne razprave and Studia Historica Slovenica.  

Dr Petra Roter holds her PhD from the University of Cambridge (UK). She is a professor of International Relations at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. She was a visiting professor/ researcher at universities of Tübingen, Warwick, Cambridge and Padova. She is the President of the Advisory Committee on the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, where she serves the second mandate as an independent expert elected in respect of Slovenia. Her previous books include International Protection of Minorities (in Slovenian) and a co-edited book on Mapping the New World Order. Her papers appeared in edited volumes published by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, Wiley, Brill and others, and her papers have been published in, among others, Journal of International Relations and Development, Journal of Minority and Group Rights, Parliamentary Affairs, Mediterranean Quarterly. 

Prof Larbi Sadiki studied Politics and International Relations in Sydney (Sydney University) and Canberra (Australian National University). Since 2024, he is Fellow of the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science at Chiba University in Tokyo, Japan. Previously, Sadiki held fellowships, lectureships, and professorships at Australian National University, University of Exeter, Qatar University, Middle East Council on Global Affairs (Doha). Sadiki is on the international advisory boards of The International Spectator and The Journal of North African Studies. His books include The Search for Arab Democracy (Columbia UP, 2004), Rethinking Arab Democratization (OUP, 2009/2011), Routledge Handbook of the Arab Spring (Routledge, 2015), Routledge Handbook of Middle East Studies (Routledge, 2020), COVID-19 and MENA Risk Society (IB Tauris, 2023) with Layla Saleh, and (also Layla Saleh), the forthcoming Revolution and Democracy in Tunisia (OUP, 2024). His articles have been published by, among other outlets, International Journal of Middle East Studies, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Political Studies, Digest of Middle East Studies, The Journal of North African Studies, The International Spectator, Aljazeera, Eurozine, The New York Times, and OpenDemocracy.

Dr Layla Saleh studied Political Science and International Relations at the University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since 2024, she is an adjunct faculty member at Chiba University (Tokyo) and Director of Research at Demos Tunisia-Democratic Sustainability Forum. Previously, Saleh taught as Assistant and Associate Professor at Qatar University in Doha. Saleh’s books include Resisting Hard Power in the Arab World (Routledge, 2017), COVID-19 and MENA Risk Society (IB Tauris, 2023) (co-edited with Larbi Sadiki), and (with Larbi Sadiki) the forthcoming Revolution and Democracy in Tunisia (OUP, 2024). Her articles have been published by, among other outlets, International Journal of Feminist Politics, The International Spectator, The Journal of North African Studies, as well as OpenDemocracy and Eurozine. 

Dr Edmund Stewart studied Classics in Edinburgh, Oxford and Nottingham. Since 2017, he has been assistant professor of Ancient Greek History at the University of Nottingham (UK). Previously, he held teaching positions at the Universities of Warwick, Leeds, Lincoln and University College London. His previous books include Greek Tragedy on the Move (OUP, 2017) and Skilled Labour and Professionalism in Ancient Greece and Rome (CUP, 2020). His papers have been published by, among other outlets, Polis: The Journal for Greek And Roman Political Theory.

Dr hab. Mateusz Stróżyński studied Classics, philosophy, and psychology in Poznań. He is associate professor of Classics and philosophy at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. Since 2021, he is Director of the Institute of Classical Philology at AMU Poznań. He is a member of the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism and founding editor of the journal Antigone. His previous books include Philosophy as Therapy in Marcus Aurelius, Plotinus, and Augustine (in Polish, AMU Press, 2014); Adam Mickiewicz, “Metaphysical Poems,” eds. J. Fiećko, M. Stróżyński (Brill, 2023); Plotinus on the Contemplation of the Intelligible World: Faces of Being and Mirrors of Intellect (Cambridge University Press, 2024). His papers have been published by, among other outlets, Phronesis, Mnemosyne, Classical Philology, Ancient Philosophy, Classical Review, Augustinian Studies, Vigiliae Christianae, Franciscan Studies. 

Dr Bernardo Teles Fazendeiro studied International Relations at the University of St Andrews. Since 2018, he has been a lecturer in International Relations at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra. His articles have been published by, among other outlets, International Affairs, International Studies Review, Review of International Studies and European Journal of International Relations.

Dr Blaž Vrečko Ilc studied political science in Ljubljana. Since 2017, he is an assistant professor of Political Science, a member of the Department of Political Science, the chair of political theory at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). Previously, Vrečko Ilc held the position of researcher at the FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA. Vrečko Ilc is a member of the Slovenian Political Science Association. His previous book chapters include The ambivalences and contradictions of China's politico-economic system and its relationship with the US-led global order (FDV, 2023) and Youth and the Environmental crisis (FDV, 2022). His papers have been published by, among other outlets, Journal of Comparative Politics, Social Science Forum, Teorija In Praksa, Two Homelands.

Dr Kateřina Ženková Rudincová studied Political and Cultural Geography in Ostrava. Since 2018, she is an assistant professor of Political and Cultural Geography at the University of Ostrava in Ostrava, Czechia. Previously, Ženková Rudincová held a fellowship at the Technical University of Liberec. Ženková Rudincová is a member of the Czech Association for African Studies. Her papers have been published by, among other outlets, Ethnopolitics, Bulletin of Geography, Socio-economic Series, and Modern Africa: Politics, History, and Society.