My current research is driven by three major themes. 'Contexts of security' is probably the label that captures best the mix of theoretical andempirical issues that has driven my research for the last decade or so. I draw on hermeneutics and narrative theory to study the relationship between concepts and politics of security in different historical or regional settings. My work on securitization, alliances, energy security and regions develops this contextual framework of analysis.
My research on contemporary security issues addresses a second major theme. I am especially interested in the relationship between the discourses of identity and strategic necessity that have marked post-Cold War European security. This topic brings together my work on NATO, regional security integration in the Black Sea region, US foreign policy in Eastern Europe, and Romanian foreign and security policy.
Finally, the most recent strand of my research concerns the constitution of International Relations (theory) as a domain of knowledge, with particular emphasis on the interaction between IR and other knowledge domains, such as popular culture, mass media and public policy.