In its 17th year of publication, Uluslararası Suçlar ve Tarih / International Crimes and History (UST/ICH) is set to release its 24th issue. Consistent with its editorial legacy, the journal has introduced numerous innovations to its publishing platform over the preceding four years, a trend that will persist in the current year. Specifically, the 24th issue will feature a special section and augment the thematic focus of that section with additional articles. Through this approach, UST/ICH aims to make a substantial contribution to specific academic literature with each issue.

Owing to global trends like De-Dollarization, De-Francolonization, and the characterization of Germany as the contemporary "sick man of Europe," major western powers are exhibiting increased assertiveness in their international stances. Such shifts have influenced their foreign policies leading them to employ more destabilizing mechanisms against other states to sustain their global influence. The present issue of the journal will address selected dimensions of these phenomena.

The 24th issue of the UST/ICH consists of one commentary, one special section with three articles, and two research articles.

The commentary penned by Ambassador (R) Oğuz Demiralp is titled “Disarmament and Arms Control Law,” In his commentary, Demiralp focuses on the evolution of armament processes and arms control.

The 24th issue of the UST/ICH will include a special section entitled  “International Law and Identity.” In the prevailing global context, major powers like Germany, France, and the United States are employing sociological variables, including identity, as tools to destabilize individual states and, at times, entire regions. These influential international actors readily attempt to correlate these sociological factors with international law when advantageous. This section aims to contribute to the existing scholarship by examining both historical and theoretical efforts in this domain and will encompass three articles.

In the special section, the first research article, by Yusuf Dinçel titled, “So-Called Syria ‘Genocide’ Allegations In The Guise Of Syriac Uprisings” employs British and League of Nations archival documents to impartially examine the historical rebellions by Nestorian and Syriac groups against the Ottoman Empire and later, Türkiye, contextualizing these uprisings within broader public disorder exacerbated by World War I and exploring their contemporary relevance in international discourse on so-called "genocide" claims.

The second research article titled “Machiavelli’s Conceptualization Of Hegemony And Power In Relation With International Legal Thought” by Merve Önenli Güven deals with conceptualizations of power and hegemony. The article scrutinizes Machiavelli's conceptualizations of power and hegemony, as articulated in "The Prince" and "Discourses," evaluating their influence on the formation of international legal thought and their potential utility in establishing an acceptable international legal order.

The third research article titled “The Life Cycle of the Genocide Ban Norm: Actors, Motivations and Mechanisms” by Bilal Süslü employs Finnemore and Sikkink's norm life cycle framework—comprising emergence, cascade, and internalization stages—to analyze the transformation of the genocide ban from an idea to an internationally recognized legal principle, thereby exploring its congruence with global norm formation processes in the realm of human rights.

To some degree, the two articles serve as a continuation of the previous special section, exploring the post-Cold War efforts by certain European Union countries, notably Germany, aimed at destabilizing the Balkan region through identity alteration. These articles will, in part, enrich existing scholarship by highlighting the errors committed by European Union powers in their Balkan interventions.

The first research article is entitled “Imperial and Hegemonic Interregnum” by Ivan Ivanov. The article examines the crisis in Western political hegemony during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, utilizing the concept of "interregnum" to describe transitional periods from unipolar to multipolar global configurations, and interrogates whether recurrent cycles of interregnum offer insights into current geopolitical shifts, with particular focus on Western civilization's self-perception and adaptability in the context of globalization.

The second research article titled “The EU - Balkans Enlargement Process Deadlock: The Role of Perceptions, Stabilitocracy, and Recommendations” written by Zoran Ivanov examines the dynamics of EU enlargement policy towards the Balkans, analyzing historical interactions that have shaped mutual perceptions and hindered accession, while also scrutinizing the region's political elites' compliance with EU criteria and offering recommendations for reinvigorating the stalled enlargement process.

We hope you will enjoy the 24th issue of the journal and extend our best wishes for the coming period and year.

Mustafa Oğuz Demiralp, (January 22, 1952, İstanbul), Turkish diplomat, Ambassador (R). Graduated from the Lycée Saint-Joseph, French High School in İstanbul on July 1971 and the Middle Eastern Technical University on January 1976. He served as Special Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (1997-2000); Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) (2000-2002), Vice President of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Council, Chairman of the WTO Trade and Investment Working Group, Chairman of the WTO Trade and Environment Committee; Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the European Union (EU) (2002-2005); Ambassador/Secretary General for EU Affairs (2005-2009); Ambassador to Bern (2009-2010); Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN Geneva Office (2010-2013) and Ambassador to Mexico (2014-2017). Speaks English and French. He is married and has two children.

Contact: ouzdemiralp@yahoo.com

Merve Önenli Güven got her bachelor’s degree from International Relations department of Bilkent University in 2003. She took her master’s degree with her thesis “Mirror Images of Terrorist Incidents in the News: News Coverage and Problem-Solving Attitudes Towards Conflicts” from Conflict Analysis and Resolution department of Sabanci University in 2005. Önenli Güven had 16 years work experience in the fields of public, academia, and non-governmental organizations. She obtained her PhD with her thesis “Construction and Re-Construction of Cultural Codes through Political Violence: The Case of Kurdish Nationalism” from the department of Political Science and Public Administration of the Middle East Technical University in 2021. Her research areas focus on social psychology and political psychology based on radicalization, conflict analysis and resolution, terrorism, and counter terrorism. Önenli Güven has been continuing her studies as an independent researcher.

Contact: merveonenli@yahoo.com

Yusuf Dinçel got his bachelor’s degree from from International Relations department of Ankara University. He took his master’s degree with his thesis “ ‘Small Ally’ In the Grip of Great Powers: Nestorians During and After the First World War” from International Relations department of TOBB University of Economics and Technology. Yusuf Dinçel has been continuing his PhD in International Relations at Hacettepe University. He worked as an analyst on security issues at the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey. He is currently working as a research assistant in the field of International Security at the Turkish National Police Academy. His research areas focus on intelligence, history of intelligence, and Middle East.

Contact: yusuf.dincel@pa.edu.tr

Bilal SÜSLÜ was born in Ankara. He completed his bachelor's degree at Ege University, Faculty of Communication, Department of Journalism in 2011. In 2013, he received his master's degree from Ege University Graduate School of Social Sciences Journalism program with the thesis titled "Examination of moral panic production of the media during the process of shaping the social perception with cases", and in 2019 from the Ege University Graduate School of Social Sciences Radio, Television and Cinema program he received his doctorate degree with the thesis titled "The formation process of the genocide ban norm within the framework of normative paradigm and the analysis of The New York Times news" . He continues his academic studies at Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Faculty of Communication, Department of New Media and Communication as an Assistant Professor. SÜSLÜ gives lectures on "Communication Theories", "Intercultural Communication", "Cultural Studies and Media" and "Digital Culture" at undergraduate and graduate levels. His research interests include media representations, moral panics, film analysis, anthropocene studies, social media, and artificial intelligence issues. Contact: bilalsuslu@beun.edu.tr

Ivan Ivanov is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the department of Political Science at International Balkan University in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. He took his master’s degree with a thesis “De-sovereignty and New Stoicism at the department of Political Science at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. In 2017 he did a field research at Fudan University in Shanghai related to the concept of smart cities. He obtained his Phd from BAU University in Istanbul in 2019 with a thesis “Political West and its Interregnum”. In 2012 he co-founded the “Institute for Civil Development and Political Analysis ResPublica”. In 2013 he was elected as a board member of Institute Confucius in Skopje. In 2019 he took the position of chairman of the executive board of the “International Center Alliance of Civilisations” (ICAC). His research interests are related to the fields of the role of civil society, political theories, contemporary political philosophy, geopolitics in South-East Europe and Peace building. Contact: ivan.ivanov@ibu.edu.mk

Dr. Zoran Ivanov is an assistant professor at TOBB Economics and Technology University in Ankara. He graduated from Military Academy in Skopje, R. Macedonia. His education continued in Command and General Staff College, where he graduated with a Master’s of Military Arts and Science in security studies. In 2014 he got his Ph.D. from the Institute of National History in Balkan security studies. He served in the Macedonian Army from 1999 until 2019 on different positions and deployments. In 2010, he was transferred to work within the government in the defense and security field. He was in a leadership position for over 18 years, leading military and government large and midsize organizations through restructuring and reorganizations in the field of security and intelligence. His primary expertise is terrorism, hybrid warfare, security, leading changes, and national security policy. In parallel, he was visiting lecturer and keynote speaker in a few domestic and foreign Universities and other international schools and centers. Dr. Ivanov has numerous publications and is co-author of many articles in many professional Journals and Magazines.

Contact: zivanov@etu.edu.tr