ELIAMEP

You can read here the article on Trump and climate change which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 5 April  2017 [in Greek].

In ELIAMEP Briefing Note 51/2017  Associate Professor at the University of Macedonia Yorgos Christidis offers a brief analysis of the Bulgarian Parliamentary Elections of 26th March 2017 and of the negotiations concerning the formation of the next government.

On Tuesday 21 March 2017, the latest research programme hosted by ELIAMEP and titled  ‘Architectural replicas in the scramble for the past: Politics of identity in Istanbul, Athens, Skopje’ (REPLICIAS) was presented for the first time. This project is carried out by Kalliopi Amygdalou, a Marie Skłodowska – Curie Fellow. Dr Amygdalou presented the research objectives and first findings of the project, which explores the politicization of cultural heritage through its reproduction/reconstruction in three cities of South-eastern Europe, and the way this affects the relations between the countries involved. The presentation was followed by a discussion with participants from ELIAMEP, the academic community and the field of heritage management. The research is supervised by Professor Thanos Veremis and Associate Professor Ioannis N. Grigoriadis.

It is noteworthy that ELIAMEP has hosted in the past many fellows who were funded by researcher mobility programmes such as the Marie Skłodowska – Curie Actions, and it is the first research institution in Greece that is hosting a programme in the humanities funded by the European Research Council.

This project has received funding from the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions [European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme]under grant agreement No [748634]

This report written by Dr Dia Anagnostou and Dr Dimitris Skleparis was completed in the frame of the RAD MONITOR project. Its main objective is to provide a background study on radicalisation in Greece and the various forms that it takes: the extreme left radicalization and its transmutation into the anti-authoritarian movement, the far-right radicalization, the Islamist radicalization, and football ‘hooliganism”. It provides an overview of past and current radicalisation trends, the social groups most vulnerable to each form of extremism, their repertoires of action, and the institutional responses of Greek authorities.

This policy report written by Dr Dia Anagnostou and Dr Dimitris Skleparis provides a brief overview of the phenomenon of radicalization in its different forms in Greece, which is based on the research conducted in the frame of the RAD MONITOR project. The second part contains a list of policy recommendations that specifically pertain to indicators and tools for the prevention and monitoring of far-right and Islamist radicalization, and their relevance for the Greek context.

You can read here here the article written by Dr Dia Anagnostou on the refugee crisis. This commentary was published in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini newspaper on 2 April 2017.

You can read here the article written by George Tzogopoulos on the visit of US Secretary State Rex Tillerson to Japan, South Korea and China. The article was published on 1 April 2017 in To Vima.

The new book: The Greek civil society and the economic crisis authored by ELIAMEP Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor at the University of Athens, Dimitri P. Sotiropoulos, has been published. You can find more information about the book here (in Greek).

President of ELIAMEP, Professor Loukas Tsoukalis wrote an article in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini on the future of the EU. This article was published on 25 March 2017 and is available here (in Greek).

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) with the support of Raycap organises a Conference on “Greece and Europe in a changing world: Challenges and prospects”.  The Conference will take place on Saturday 1st April 2017 at the Municipal Conservatory of Drama (218A Verginas str., Drama).

You can click  here to register or contact Ms. Nina Papaioannou (Tel.: 210 7257 111, nina@eliamep.gr)

The content is available in Greek.

On Friday 10 March 2017, ELIAMEP’s South-East Europe Programme hosted a roundtable discussion on the relations between Greece and Bulgaria.

Dr. Ioannis Armakolas, Head of the South-East Programme together with Yorgos Christidis, Assistant Professor at the University of Macedonia, presented findings of the Programme’s latest report entitled “Greek-Bulgarian Relations: Present State and Future Challenges”. The report provides an overview of many key aspects of relations between the two countries, including political and diplomatic issues, the economy, energy and infrastructure, public opinion attitudes and media representations, disputes over heritage issues etc.. The presentation of the report was followed by a lively round-table discussion, chaired by the ELIAMEP’s Director General Thanos Dokos, among attendees from the diplomacy, the academia and Greek media. Participants discussed the report’s findings, assessed Greece’s current relations Bulgaria as well as how bilateral relations might be further improved in the future.

The report is available εδώ.

The European Research Council (ERC) is celebrating its first 10 years and we would like to share in this by presenting the achievements and milestones of Grassrootsmobilise, the first ERC-funded social science research programme in Greece, hosted by ELIAMEP.

GRASSROOTSMOBILISE MILESTONES

• Public Lecture on ‘Religion, National Identity and Human Rights’ by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Heiner Bielefeldt
• Publication of ‘Directions in religious pluralism in Europe: Mobilizations in the Shadow of the European Court of Human Rights Religious Freedom Jurisprudence’ by Effie Fokas
• Presentation at University of Padua ‘Religions and Human Rights’ Conference with a panel on ‘The Legal Status of Religious Minorities: Exploring the Impact of the European Court of Human Rights’
• Preliminary reports on the legal status of religious minorities in the shadow of the ECtHR
• Panel presentation on ‘Mobilizations around Religion and Education in the Shadow of the European Court of Human Rights’ at the EASR (European Association for the Study of Religions) Conference on ‘Relocating Religion’
• Panel presentation on ‘Freedom(s) of Religion and the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights’ at the ICLARS (International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies) Annual Conference
• Publication of ‘Comparative Susceptibility and Differential Effects on the Two European Courts: A Study of Grasstops Mobilizations around Religion’ by Effie Fokas

Directions in Religious Pluralism in Europe Examining Grassroots Mobilisations in the Shadow of European Court of Human Rights Religious Freedom Jurisprudence (Grassrootsmobilise) explores the mobilisation of grassroots level actors in the wake of ECtHR religious freedom cases in order to determine the nature and extent of European juridical influence on religious pluralism at the local and national level. In the light of scholarly debates questioning the direct effects of courts, Grassrootsmobilise studies developments that take place ‘in the shadow of the courts’. It examines the extent to and ways in which court decisions define the opportunity structures and discursive frameworks within which citizens act. What is the aftermath of the Court’s religion jurisprudence in terms of its impact on social actors? What rights consciousnesses might be developing, and to what potential effects, concerning religion-related rights at the national and local level?

Grassrootsmobilise necessarily employs a bottom-up, methodologically innovative and multidisciplinary approach to address these questions. Qualitative fieldwork is employed by a team of postdoctoral researchers in 4 country case studies, including in-depth interview research with religious (minority and majority) actors, representatives of secular, religious, and other ideological NGOs, cause lawyers and judges, and state representatives managing religion-related policies.

Following a mapping process to identify particularly salient issue areas, the team has focused its research on a) mobilisations taking place ‘in the shadow’ of the ECtHR around religious education and the legal status of religious minorities and b) one specific ECtHR case against each country studied, in order to understand the mobilisation processes leading to and in the aftermath of the cases. Both tracks represent heretofore unstudied areas.

The above is supplemented by quantitative and qualitative research on references to the ECtHR religion-related case law in national print media and within national courts. The national courts study comprises a 3-stage process, the first two entailing quantitative studies and the 3rd a qualitative study of 5 salient local and national level cases, including interviews with relevant judges and lawyer and an analysis of the plaintiffs’ submissions to the court.

To complete the picture of how mobilisations may impact upon religious pluralism in Europe, the Principal Investigator (PI) studies ‘grasstops’ (transnational and supranational) mobilisations around the ECtHR on matters related to religion: she has conducted in-depth interviews with former and current ECtHR judges; representatives of NGOs which lobby around religion-related issues at the European level; and cause lawyers handling religion-related cases in the ECtHR.

To date, research results have been disseminated through a variety of methods: Grassrootsmobilise has been presented by the PI at international conferences, in summer school courses and at university research seminars; the PI has published a journal article building on the GRM project proposal, and another based on her grasstops mobilisations research; GRM research in the domain of religion and education was presented at the 2016 EASR Conference and has been accepted for publication as a special issue of a journal; our research related to the legal status of religious minorities was presented at an international conference on Religion and Human Rights, the researchers are preparing book chapters on the topic for a volume edited by the PI, and they will contribute related papers to a special issue of a journal emanating from the said conference; our research on ECtHR references in national courts was presented at the ICLARS conference in September 2016; finally further research was presented by individual researchers at the EUREL and ESA Conferences, the International Workshop at the Carlos III University of Madrid, at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and at the LSE Hellenic Observatory. Our website disseminates much of our research data to both an academic and non-academic audience, and our quarterly newsletter reaches a 500-strong list of stakeholders and researchers.

The content is available in Greek.

On 10 March 2017, ELIAMEP’s South-East Europe Programme hosted a roundtable discussion on the relations between Greece and Bulgaria. Dr. Ioannis Armakolas, Head of the South-East Programme together with Yorgos Christidis, Assistant Professor at the University of Macedonia, presented findings of the Programme’s latest report entitled “Greek-Bulgarian Relations: Present State and Future Challenges”. The report provides an overview of many key aspects of relations between the two countries, including political and diplomatic issues, the economy, energy and infrastructure, public opinion attitudes and media representations, disputes over heritage issues etc. The presentation of the report was followed by a lively round-table discussion, chaired by the ELIAMEP’s Director General Thanos Dokos, among attendees from the diplomacy, the academia and Greek media. Participants discussed the report’s findings, assessed Greece’s current relations Bulgaria as well as how bilateral relations might be further improved in the future. The report is available here.

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) invites pre-applications from researchers who wish to spend 12-24 months at ELIAMEP as part of the “Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship” Programme (MSCA-IF-2017), funded by the European Commission. Researchers accepted for this scheme will devote their time to conducting research, preparing publications, engaging in knowledge transfer, and developing their professional networks.

Applicants must have a doctoral degree or at least four years’ full-time research experience by the time of the call deadline. Applicants can be of any nationality but they must not have spent more than 12 months in the last 3 years in Greece (mobility rule).

Fellowships take form of European Fellowships or Global Fellowships.

– European Fellowships are open to researchers either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe. The researcher must comply with the rules of mobility.

– Global Fellowships are based on a secondment to a third country and a mandatory 12 month return period to a European host. The researcher must comply with the rules of mobility in the country where the Global Fellowship secondment takes place, not for the country of the return phase.

ELIAMEP welcomes project proposals from all areas of social sciences and the humanities. However, priority will be given to those projects that fit best with ELIAMEP’s existing research interests and orientations and gain the support of at least one ELIAMEP senior researcher. The project proposal will be submitted jointly by the researcher and ELIAMEP.

ELIAMEP has an extensive and prestigious record of hosting international doctoral and postdoctoral fellows. Over the last years, it was host organisation in three Intra-European Marie Curie fellows, all of whom have made significant advances in their careers. Currently, ELIAMEP hosts the REPLICIAS project (Architectural replicas in the scramble for the past: Politics of identity in Istanbul, Athens, Skopje), funded by the 2016 call of the “Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship” Programme.

Researchers who wish to cooperate with ELIAMEP for the submission of a proposal should check that they fulfill the respective eligibility criteria and then send an expression of interest, consisting of a short CV and a two-page summary presentation of their research proposal, to development@eliamep.gr .

Proposals will be pre-selected on the basis of internal evaluation and the availability of suitable supervision. Candidates will be informed of the results of the pre-selection well before the call deadline.

Expressions of interest may be submitted to ELIAMEP up to 10 June 2017.

 The new study of the South-East Europe Programme is entitled ‘Greek-Bulgarian relations: Present state and future challenges’. The authors of the report are Yorgos Christidis, Ioannis Armakolas and Panagiotis Pachalidis. The study offers an overview of relations between the two countries for the period after the end of the Cold War. Among the issues tackled in the report are diplomatic relations and bilateral problems and disputes, economic relations, energy and infrastructure questions as well as social attitudes and media representations. The auhors of the study stress that relations between Greece and Bulgaria can be considered a Balkan ‘success story’ and a factor of stability for the wider region. In a period when instability and uncertainty in the Balkans are on the rise, Greece and Bulgaria should strengthen their multiple relations. The report ‘Greek-Bulgarian relations: Present state and future challenges’ was made possible through generous funding from thge company Xanthakis SA

In Southeastern Europe, architectural heritage has often been recruited to the service of politics. Shared layers of history (for example the Hellenistic, Roman and Ottoman eras among others) have been split among competing historiographies and, in a period marked by crisis, rising nationalism and ‘East-West’ dilemmas, remain in the core of heated debates. Anchored on on-going projects in three cities in the region, this research explores the ways heritage is claimed through its physical reproduction, a topic barely researched until now.

Replicas of all sizes – ranging from the urban scale down to the artefact – get involved in political and economic agendas and often ignite reactions from various social, political and national groups inside and outside the countries where they are located. In some cases this corresponds to a recurring wave of revivalism, resulting to large replica buildings installed in the heart of the city, such as in Istanbul (where the reconstruction of the barracks on Taksim square led to the Gezi riots in 2013) or in Skopje (‘Skopje 2014’ project). In other occasions the production of copies is politicised on a smaller scale, such as in the case of the copy of “Alexander’s Sarcophagus” at the Skopje Archaeological Museum or the copies of the missing Parthenon Sculptures at the New Acropolis Museum.

The research evolves around three questions, which bring forward interdisciplinary and transnational dimensions for inquiry: How does the relationship of the replica with its original become politicized, lost or, at times, irrelevant? How does ‘replica architecture’ intersect with questions of national identity and economic policy, formulating new national narratives? Moreover, in a region of strongly defined borders, how do such reconstructions connect to each other, addressing local and international audiences?

The case studies, despite demonstrating important specificities, also inform wider discussions on spatial politics, and highlight parallel developments and important connections between neighbouring national agendas. By examining side by side the politics of (reproduced) cultural heritage in Istanbul, Athens and Skopje, one can uncover and better understand competitions and alliances, cultural exchanges and shared agonies, the struggle with financial crises, attempts to coordinate with Europe and the drawing of borders between Islam and Christianity.

Through interviews with involved actors, and the analysis of the architectural and political discourse surrounding these projects, the research will unpack instances of politicisation of heritage in the above-mentioned geography, while inviting into dialogue the disciplines of architecture, history, art history, museology, art conservation, and political sciences.

The project is coordinated and implemented by Dr Kalliopi Amygdalou and supervised by Professor Thanos Veremis and Associate Professor Ioannis N. Grigoriadis.

For further information please contact Dr Amygdalou at   amygdalou@eliamep.gr

Acronym: REPLICIAS

Duration of the programme: 1/3/2017 -28/2/2019

This project has received funding from the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions [European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme] under grant agreement No [748634]

The principal objective of ELIAMEP Asian Studies Programme is to closely monitor developments in Asia. Taking into account the shift of the US interest from the Middle East to the Asian Continent and the economic and political rise of China, such as research program can contribute to a better understanding of politics and international relations in Asia as well as to an assessement of the strategy of the important players. The main activities of ELIAMEP Asian Studies Programme will be the publication of relevant papers and the organisation of debates to facilitate public dialogue.

Although this field has not been particularly developed in Greece, ELIAMEP establishes its Asian Studies Programme having already taken some steps towards this direction. These include the following events:

• Roundatble Discussion with a delegation from Pacific Consulting Group, 9 December 2016
• Roundatable Discussion with a delegation from China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), 2 June 2016
• Roundtable Discussion with the Ambassador of Australia to Greece, John Griffin, ‘Why Asia is of growing importance for Europe’, 31 May 2016
• Roundtable Discussion with Professor Τomonori Yoskikazi (The National Institute for Defense), ‘Japan’s foreign policy’, 30 May 2016
• Roundtable Discussion with Dr. Yen Chen–shen (Institute of International Relations), ‘Taiwan’s political situation’, 14 May 2016
• Roundtable Discussion with Dr Frans-Paul van der Putten (Clingendael Institute): ‘The New Silk Road and Greece’s role’ 4 April 2016
• Public Discussion: ‘The New Silk Road and China’s foreign policy’, 30 March 2016
• Public Discussion: ‘Maritime Security – Differences between Europe and Asia’, 15 January 2016.
• Roundtable Discussion: ‘Security Issues in Europe’s Southern Neighborhood and in Southeast Asia: A Comparative Analysis’, 30 November 2015

Also ELIAMEP paticipated in the first ‘EU-China Think Thank Dialogue’, which took place in Beijing on 6 and 7 April 2016. It has also participated in ‘New Med’ research network launched by Ιstituto Affari Internazionali. In collaboration with Torino World Affairs Institute they co-organised the conference: ‘China in the Mediterranean’ in Torino in 17 and 18 February 2016.

Relevant Publications

• George Tzogopoulos, ‘Sino-American Relations under Trump’, CIFE, January 2017
• George Tzogopoulos, ‘Greece: Perspectives on Eurasian Integration’, chapter in the book Absorb and conquer: An EU approach to Russian and Chinese integration in Eurasia, ECFR, June 2016
• George Tzogopoulos, ‘From China to Greece – on track for the New Silk Road – Whither Sino-Greek relations?’ , CIFE, March 2016
• George Tzogopoulos, ‘China and Juncker’s Investment Plan’, ELIAMEP Briefing Note, Νovember 2015
• George Tzogopoulos, ‘The Piraeus Port and Sino-Greek Relations’, ELIAMEP Briefing Note, Νovember 2015
• Thanos Dokos, ‘The Geopolitical Implications of Sino-Greek Relations’, Clingendael Institute, May 2013

Programme Coordinators: Dr Thanos Dokos (ELIAMEP Director General) and Dr George Tzogopoulos

Associate Professor  at the University of Athens and  Senior Research Fellow at ELIAMEP Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos wrote an article about poverty and inequality in the Sunday edition of To Vima newspaper. The article was published on 12 March 2017 and is available here (in Greek).