This week marks a milestone for the Bulgaria International Journalism Fellowship (BIJF)—a key program of the Center for Information, Democracy and Citizenship (CIDC). The fellowship has just released its inaugural article in Foreign Policy magazine, one of the world’s most respected outlets for international analysis. The article, authored by our editorial team, introduces Bulgaria not simply as a small EU member state but as a strategic frontline in today’s global contest over democracy, digital influence, and disinformation. It is a perspective rarely seen in global media—one rooted in local knowledge and backed by rigorous reporting.
In recent years, Bulgaria has emerged as a uniquely complex case study in global geopolitics. It is simultaneously a recipient of multi-billion-dollar U.S. military aid—including its largest post-communist procurement, the $2.7 billion F-16 deal—and a host to Chinese-funded logistics projects. It is also, according to CIDC research, among the top ten targets of Russian disinformation in Europe. Despite these dynamics—or perhaps because of them—Bulgaria often falls off the radar of major Western policy and media conversations. The country is not a usual fixture in discussions of global power politics, yet its strategic balancing act reflects many of the core dilemmas facing democracies today.
This is precisely why we launched the Bulgaria International Journalism Fellowship in the first place: to support independent local journalists in telling Bulgaria’s democratic story with clarity, nuance, and global reach. With the generous support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, the fellowship provides senior journalists with tools and editorial mentorship to break into the international media space.
This is just the beginning of the editorial output from the fellowship. In the coming months, our inaugural BIJF senior fellows, Joanna Elmy and Spas Spasov, will publish longform investigations and reported features that bring deeper insights into the political, social, and cultural transformations shaping Bulgaria and the region. At CIDC, our mission is to support informed public debate through education, research, and storytelling. The BIJF is one of our flagship initiatives—and this publication in Foreign Policy underscores why journalism from the so-called “periphery” is, in fact, central to understanding today’s world.
In this inaugural article, the team explores how Bulgaria has become a testing ground for some of the most pressing challenges of our time—from hybrid warfare to digital regulation to contested identity. They highlight contradictions: a robust civil society coexisting with fragile media independence; a tech-friendly tax regime alongside cultural conservatism; and a society equally proud of its literary breakthroughs and its football legends. Perhaps most importantly, the article challenges the idea that “small” countries lie outside the scope of global relevance. As our team writes, the problem is not whether Bulgaria’s story matters—it clearly does. The challenge is whether global decision-makers will recognize this importance in time.
