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 analysed primarily through an institutional lens, with the European Commission seen as the central driver of the process. More recently, scholarly attention has shifted toward the role of individual member states and societal dynamics within candidate countries, particularly how EU conditionality shapes pro-European attitudes. Situating enlargement within International Relations (IR) theory, however, offers a different perspective. This project uses enlargement—and the phenomenon of “enlargement fatigue” respectively—as a testing ground for G. W. F. Hegel’s distinctive conception of IR, which cannot be reduced to either realist or Kantian traditions. It asks whether the obstacles to further expansion are merely contingent historical, cultural, or administrative hurdles that could be overcome through recalibrated negotiations, credible conditionality, or new incentives such as interim access to the single market. The project therefore explores whether these impediments instead point to a deeper philosophical problem inherent in IR: can durable alliances of nation-states expand without simultaneously producing new forms of othering or external adversaries? Do such alliances possess intrinsic limits to expansion, whereby each successful round paradoxically diminishes the prospects for the next?