Introduction

Abstract

The June 2023 issue of our journal brings together our valuable readers with six different articles. In this issue, there are two research articles, one focusing on the continent of Europe and one on the Asian continent, two opinion articles focusing on the migration issue, which is one of the most important agenda items of Turkey and indeed the world, and two book reviews. The first research paper, authored by John Conrad Masabo, examines the potential repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future of European Union (EU) integration and its global impact. Exploring different views on whether the EU can become the most influential power in the post-COVID-19 world, the author suggests that while this possibility exists, there are significant hurdles that the EU must overcome before achieving such status. Merve Özten Yıldız, the author of the second research article, which aims to reveal how India is trying to construct a South Asian identity with Indo-Pacific discourses, examines the rise of India as the second most influential power in Asia. In his article, the author analyzes the official and practical discourse of India to understand its role in shaping regional identity and its growing influence on the international scene. The first review essay, authored by Müzeyyen Okyay, focuses on the issue of migration. The author dealt with the refugee and migrant problem, which has recently become the primary agenda item in EU-Turkey relations. In this study, the situation of people who have to migrate from their homeland, which is a common problem of Turkey and the EU and requires joint efforts to solve, has been examined within the framework of local laws and international agreements, and the effects of migration on the relations between Turkey and the EU have been analyzed. The second review essay belongs to Ufuk Tok. In this article, Tok examines the uncertainties that arose in Afghanistan following the US withdrawal and the Taliban takeover in August 2021. The author, who has the expectation that the integration of the country under the rule of the Taliban with the contemporary world will not be easy and quick, but will be gradual, also analyzes the effect of the long-lasting war on irregular migration from Afghanistan to the west and explores the possibilities of preventing the migration movement towards Turkey. The first review in the publication review section belongs to Selin Çınar. Çınar presents a comprehensive review of the compilation book The Routledge Handbook of Ideology and International Relations, edited by Jonathan Leader Maynard and Mark L. Haased and published in 2022. The second publication evaluation was made by Ahmet Emin Yıldız and is on the book titled Post-Cold War China-India Relations, written by Nezir Oğuş, the first edition of which was published in 2021. We would like to thank all the authors who have contributed to this issue of our journal by sending their works, and all the referees who have put effort in the evaluation process of these works; we hope that the continuing interest in our journal from the national and international academic community will continue.