The Bulgarian Connection

Sixteen years after the fall of its Communist government, Bulgaria is still struggling with what to do with its secret archives. They may finally see the light of day: Bulgaria's main political parties have finally agreed to open the archives of the once feared secret service of Todor Zhivkov's regime, the Durzhavna Sigurnost (state security). ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

Sixteen years after the fall of its Communist government, Bulgaria is still struggling with what to do with its secret archives. They may finally see the light of day:

Sixteen years after the fall of its Communist government, Bulgaria is still struggling with what to do with its secret archives. They may finally see the light of day:

Bulgaria's main political parties have finally agreed to open the archives of the once feared secret service of Todor Zhivkov's regime, the Durzhavna Sigurnost (state security). Parliament last week made its first move to permit public access to the millions of files that the secret services assiduously collected by an army of anonymous spies and collaborators.

The Bulgarian secret services were linked to some of the Cold War's nastiest moments, including the shooting of Pope John Paul II and the killing of a dissident in London (with a poisoned umbrella). Keep an eye out for revelations.

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

More from Foreign Policy

Vladimir Putin speaks during the Preliminary Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia at The Konstantin Palace on July 25, 2015 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Vladimir Putin speaks during the Preliminary Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia at The Konstantin Palace on July 25, 2015 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

What Putin Got Right

The Russian president got many things wrong about invading Ukraine—but not everything.

Dmitry Medvedev (center in the group of officials), an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is now deputy chairman of the country's security council, visits the Omsktransmash (Omsk transport machine factory) in the southern Siberian city of Omsk.
Dmitry Medvedev (center in the group of officials), an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is now deputy chairman of the country's security council, visits the Omsktransmash (Omsk transport machine factory) in the southern Siberian city of Omsk.

Russia Has Already Lost in the Long Run

Even if Moscow holds onto territory, the war has wrecked its future.

Sri Lankan construction workers along a road in Colombo.
Sri Lankan construction workers along a road in Colombo.

China’s Belt and Road to Nowhere

Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy is a “shadow of its former self.”

Dalton speaks while sitting at a table alongside other U.S. officials.
Dalton speaks while sitting at a table alongside other U.S. officials.

The U.S. Overreacted to the Chinese Spy Balloon. That Scares Me.

So unused to being challenged, the United States has become so filled with anxiety over China that sober responses are becoming nearly impossible.