The EU’s growing partnership with Central Asia raises questions about democracy, human rights, and gender equality. This issue explores these challenges through the work of an international academic group, with a focus on citizens’ perspectives and prospects for democratic change.

In his analysis of infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, Francisco Martínez examines how possible catastrophes become present obligations, and asks how citizens can retain authority over decisions made in the name of their protection.

In his analysis of Carl Schmitt’s attack on democracy, Christopher Adair-Toteff argues for the contemporary relevance of Hans Kelsen’s robust defense of liberal democracy.

In remembering his dear friend and colleague, Jeffrey Goldfarb highlights the importance of Robin Wagner-Pacifici’s writing on social conflict, collective memory, and social events.

As a writer, Slavenka Drakulić sought to evoke the life of the single individual in a way that made empathy possible, writes her friend Marci Shore.