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e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL 17 N.º 1, TD3

Thematic Dossier – Geopolitics of Anxiety: Ideology,

Identity, and (Un)Bordering in Contemporary Europe and Asia

September 2026

EDITORIAL

BONGCHUL KIM

bong625@hufs.ac.kr

Professor at the Division of International Studies and Director at the HUFS-Jean Monnet EU

Centre in Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, Korea. Prof. Kim is Ph.D in Law (King's

College London) and does teach and research various legal subjects in the fields of International

Economy and Trade, International Relation and Cooperation, Development and Polar Areas.

How to cite this editorial

Kim, Bongchul (2026). Editorial, Geopolitics of Anxiety: Ideology, Identity, and (Un)Bordering in

Contemporary Europe and Asia. Janus.net, e-journal of international relations. Thematic Dossier –

Geopolitics of Anxiety: Ideology, Identity, and (Un)Bordering in Contemporary Europe and Asia,

VOL 17 N.º 1, TD3, September 2026, pp. 3-5. https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-7251.DT0626ED.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL 17, N.º 1, TD3

Thematic Dossier – Geopolitics of Anxiety: Ideology,

Identity, and (Un)Bordering in Contemporary Europe and Asia

September 2026, pp. 3-5

Editorial – Geopolitics of Anxiety: Ideology, Identity, and (Un)Bordering in Contemporary

Europe and Asia

Bongchul Kim

GEOPOLITICS OF ANXIETY: IDEOLOGY, IDENTITY, AND

(UN)BORDERING IN CONTEMPORARY EUROPE AND ASIA

BONGCHUL KIM

This special issue presents eight articles that examine the intersections of anxiety,

ideology, identity, and processes of (un)bordering across Europe, Asia, and beyond.

While the contributions differ in disciplinary orientation and empirical focus, they are

united by a shared concern with how contemporary geopolitical transformations reshape

political communities, governance structures, and understandings of belonging in an

increasingly uncertain world.

The order of the articles follows a deliberate editorial logic. The issue begins with

conceptual and ideological questions concerning Europe and political identity, before

turning to the reconfiguration of borders through migration and emerging forms of digital

governance. It then expands to questions of international cooperation, diplomacy, and

geopolitical connectivity, before concluding with a broader reflection on the enduring

legacies of imperial power and governance beyond Europe and Asia. This progression is

intended to provide coherence across a diverse set of themes while highlighting the

multiple dimensions of contemporary geopolitical anxiety.

Moonjung Park’s “Tabucchi’s Inquietudine as the (Un)Bordering of Europe” opens the

issue by exploring literary and cultural representations of Europe through the lens of

uncertainty, identity, and bordering processes. Jeong-ae Choi’s “Ideological Shift in the

German Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and Its Implications” then examines how

contemporary political anxieties are reflected in ideological transformations within one of

Europe’s most influential populist parties.

The issue subsequently turns to questions of mobility and governance. Joonpyo Lee’s

“Reconfiguring Borders through High-Skilled Migration: Korea and Europe in Comparative

Perspective” investigates how migration challenges conventional understandings of

borders and belonging. Bongchul Kim’s “From Europe’s Rights-Based AI Regulation to

Korea’s Innovation-Oriented Framework: Diverging Philosophies in Global Digital and AI

Governance” analyzes competing approaches to digital governance and the normative

foundations of emerging technological orders.

The following contributions broaden the discussion to regional and international

cooperation. Ho Kim and Minsub Shim’s “Reconfiguring Arctic Governance: Law, Identity,

and Europe–Korea Cooperation” explores evolving governance structures in the Arctic

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL 17, N.º 1, TD3

Thematic Dossier – Geopolitics of Anxiety: Ideology,

Identity, and (Un)Bordering in Contemporary Europe and Asia

September 2026, pp. 3-5

Editorial – Geopolitics of Anxiety: Ideology, Identity, and (Un)Bordering in Contemporary

Europe and Asia

Bongchul Kim

and their implications for transregional collaboration. Tonny Dian Effendi and Hoyoon

Jung’s “South Korea’s Public Diplomacy toward Portugal: The Current State and Future

Implications” examines the role of public diplomacy in fostering mutual understanding

and international engagement. Yoomi Kim’s “The Impact of Geopolitical Distance on

Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from EU–ASEAN Relations” considers how

geopolitical perceptions influence patterns of economic interaction and cross-border

investment.

The final article, Kyeri Kim’s “Overlapping Imperialisms: Colonial and Neocolonial Logics

of Urban Governance in Kilamba, Angola,” concludes the special issue by extending the

discussion beyond Europe and Asia and highlighting the enduring influence of colonial

and neocolonial structures on contemporary governance. In doing so, it offers a critical

reflection on power, space, and inequality in a global context.

Taken together, the articles demonstrate the diversity of perspectives through which

contemporary geopolitical transformations can be understood. Bringing together

contributions from scholars working across a range of disciplines, the collection highlights

the value of examining ideology, identity, and bordering processes as interconnected

dimensions of global politics in the twenty-first century..