The complex global challenges of our time increasingly intersect across domains once considered separate. Public health crises expose weaknesses in governance; security threats now emerge from both state and non-state actors; human rights are under strain in conflict zones and authoritarian settings; and migration continues to test national capacities and collective values. This special issue of Transatlantic Policy Quarterly (TPQ)—titled Public Health, National Security, Human Rights, and Migration—brings together a diverse array of scholarly contributions that explore how states and institutions are confronting these overlapping pressures. Through interdisciplinary analysis and regional case studies, this issue offers critical insight into the evolving policy responses that define our era.
We begin with “Promoting Resilience and Prosperity in the Wider Black Sea Region and the Role of BSEC” by Ambassador Lazar Comanescu. Drawing on his extensive diplomatic experience, Ambassador Comanescu offers an insightful evaluation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) framework, highlighting its potential to foster stability, dialogue, and regional prosperity in an increasingly polarized global context.
In “Adaptive Governance in Global Business: Strategic Resilience Through Spatial, Digital, and Human Capital Integration,” Dr. Emre Karter explores the role of adaptive governance in enhancing strategic resilience across global business ecosystems. His article illustrates how spatial planning, technological capacity, and human capital integration can be harmonized to improve public-private responsiveness in an age of systemic risk.
Healthcare reform is critically examined in “Reforming Healthcare: Challenges in Public Administration and System Overhaul” by Professors Nataliia Veresniuk, Dmytro Lavrentii, Grygorii Monastyrskyi, Yaroslav Demchyshyn, and Yana Levytska. This multi-author contribution provides an institutional analysis of healthcare administration, focusing on transparency, efficiency, and the need for governance reforms to overcome systemic inertia.
Security governance takes center stage in “National Security Management: Organizational, Legal, Informational, and Human Resource Dimensions,” co-authored by Professors Alina Pomaza-Ponomarenko, Dmytro Taraduda, Oleh Kravchuk, Svitlana Moroz, Olena Akhmedova, and Stanislav Poroka. The article provides a comprehensive framework for integrated national security systems, combining legal and organizational reforms with human capacity-building in response to modern asymmetric threats.
“Peace as a Fundamental Human Right: The Progression of Its Content and Future Potential” by Professors Oleksandr Skrypniuk, Nataliya Onishchenko, Mykhailo Nonyak, and Serhii Sunegin traces the legal and normative evolution of peace as a fundamental human right. The authors argue for a renewed international legal framework that recognizes peace not only as a condition of absence of war but as an enforceable entitlement grounded in dignity, stability, and justice.
In “Promoting Community Prosperity by Overcoming Gender and Migration Challenges,” Professors Tetiana Shestakovska, Olena Mykhailovska, Oksana Liashenko, Hanna Chumakova, Nataliia Filipova, and Sergey Grivko examine how inclusive governance, gender equity, and migration-sensitive policies can enhance local development. Their research foregrounds social justice as a necessary pillar for resilient and prosperous communities.
We conclude this issue with a forward-looking perspective in “Applying Design Thinking to Help Public Servants Overcome COVID-19 Challenges” by Professors Yurii Dziurakh, Nazar Podolchak, Natalia Tsygylyk, Veronika Karkovska, Olena Bilyk, and Oleh Sokil. The authors propose a practical innovation model for the public sector, emphasizing empathy-driven solutions and cross-disciplinary approaches to governance during and after systemic crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Together, these articles showcase TPQ’s commitment to amplifying expert voices and interdisciplinary perspectives on today’s most pressing challenges. We are deeply grateful to our contributors for their invaluable insights and to Professor Zoriana Buryk, whose tireless editorial support ensured the success of this issue. We also thank our Premium Corporate Sponsor Tüpraş, as well as TEB and Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi, for their continued collaboration. As we navigate the complexity of this transformative period, TPQ remains dedicated to fostering bold ideas, informed debate, and policy innovation. We hope this issue offers our readers a valuable compass for understanding and responding to the uncertain road ahead.