From the Editor

After the European Council meeting last week it could be said that the European Union (EU) is going through a difficult period.
The course of Brexit is indefinite and the rise of France through attempts by its president to lead the European scene confirm that the union is shaken, with the coming year decisive for its future.

Adjusting the response to the new challenges and threats within a permanent global dynamic in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and coordinating and supporting member states’ efforts to understand the dimension of the ensuing economic, social and political crisis are top priorities for the United Nations.

Moldova’s recent presidential election has been widely stereotyped by international media as a geopolitical contest between a democratic West and Vladimir Putin’s Russia. But in fact, that presumption has been disproved by all players, internal and external, in their respective messages about the just-concluded electoral race.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian signed, over a video conference, on November 9, an armistice agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Mediated by Russia between the two belligerents, this armistice dramatically changes the situation on the ground, establishing “new realities” for many years to come.

The US presidential election continues to be the most important indicator of the trajectory of international relations for a period that depends on both the political colour of the winner and on his personality, as proven by Donald Trump’s mandate. One of the questions that observers, analysts, experts and leaders in various domains – including political decision-makers from several countries around the globe – have tried to answer, before learning the name of the future president of the USA, was to what extent a reset of the geopolitical hour would take place, and if this is the case, what will it imply?

In an unstable geopolitical context, with increasingly strong and visible tensions on the international arena, the European Union’s reform process places particular emphasis on the Black Sea area.

While we are just a few hours before the final results of the US presidential election between Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Republican nominee Donald Trump, observers can state views on the implications of the election of each of the candidates in the Middle East and which of its countries will be happy and which will be in trouble.

This article deals with the concept of multilateralism, its basic meaning, coordinates and constructive functions, but also its limitations and constraints that – both theoretically and pragmatically – the idea of multilateralism faces in its attempt to pose the question to which there is no a consensual answer so far: does multilateralism provide the ideal paradigm for the construct, security and functioning of the future world order?

From the Editor