Tomáš Korda defended his doctoral dissertation Hegel and Post-Communism at Charles University in 2022. A revised version of the dissertation is forthcoming as a monograph with Bloomsbury Publishing. His research applies G. W. F. Hegel’s critique of Spinozism to the philosophy of Karl Marx, with the aim of demonstrating the continued relevance of Hegelian thought in the post-communist era. Drawing on Hegelian concepts, he addresses contemporary issues such as the ecological crisis, post-communism, and war. Adopting this indirect interpretative approach—rather than presenting Hegel’s ideas directly—he seeks to reveal their contemporary significance more effectively. He is currently developing a Hegelian theory of international relations.
TOPIC
Title: EU’s Enlargement as a Philosophical Problem of International Relations
Abstract
EU enlargement has long been analyzed through an institutional lens, with the European Commission viewed as the primary driver. Recently, scholarly attention has shifted toward the role of individual member states and societal dynamics within candidate countries, specifically how EU conditionality shapes pro-European attitudes. However, situating enlargement within International Relations (IR) theory remains a significant gap. This project addresses this lacuna by using enlargement—and the phenomenon of “enlargement fatigue”—as a testing ground for G.W.F. Hegel’s distinctive conception of IR, which is reducible to neither the Realist nor Kantian traditions. The research inquires whether the obstacles to further expansion are merely contingent historical, cultural, or administrative hurdles remediable through “recalibrated” negotiations and democratic reforms. Instead, it asks if these hindrances point to a deeper philosophical problem inherent to IR: can durable alliances of nation-states expand without simultaneously producing an external “other” or adversary? Do such alliances possess intrinsic limits to expansion, where each successful round paradoxically diminishes the prospects for the next?