Radu-Alexandru Cucută (PhD NUPSPA) is Lecturer in Strategic Studies and  African Studies in the Department of International Relations and European Integration within the National School for Political and Administrative Studies. His research interests include theories of international relations and theories of revolution. His most recent publication, “Leading the World: Hegemonic Models in Contemporary Global Politics”, SGEM Conference on Political Sciences, Law, Finance, Economics and Tourism (conference proceedings), Albena, Bulgaria, 2014 (co-author, Radu-Sebastian Ungureanu) focuses on the meanings and the interplay among four different contemporary hegemonic models.

Transitions in the Developing World

The Developing World has been and remains one of the most important paradoxes of International Relations. On the one hand, its importance in economic, social and political terms cannot be overemphasized, especially In a globalized environment. Concepts that have dominated and structured our understanding of International Relations throughout the Cold War and Post-Cold War have been the result of research focused on developing countries, as well as of the fertile empirical trove offered by an extremely diverse cultural and social environment. On the other hand, the Developing World remains one of the topics often affected by essentialist arguments and oversimplified explanations/ The program aims to discuss not only the most relevant events and trends, but also tackle the important theoretical issues at hand: inequality, development, humanitarian aid, the Global South, the responsibility to protect, the consequences of decolonization, people, weapons and drug trafficking, good governance, migration, and terrorism. The program will also feature interviews and presentations of leading researchers and specialists on the dynamics of the region.