Research
My research sits at the intersection of geopolitics, strategic foresight, and applied policy analysis. With 26 years of academic and field experience, I contribute to both public discourse and decision-grade intelligence — through published writing, academic collaborations, and bespoke research commissions.
I am the creator of the DragonBear framework — a proprietary analytical lens for tracking the strategic convergence between China and Russia and its implications for the global order.
Core Research Domains
Global System & World Order
Structural shifts in the international order, great-power competition, and the transition from unipolarity to multipolarity.
DragonBear & Cold War 2.0
The evolving strategic convergence between China and Russia and its systemic implications for the global order — analysed through the proprietary DragonBear framework.
Middle Powers & the Global South
The rise of swing states and middle powers — India, Turkey, Gulf states, ASEAN — and their growing agency in shaping the global balance.
Strategic Foresight & Scenario Planning
Applied foresight methodology for anticipating geopolitical disruption, including trend analysis and horizon scanning.
Bespoke Research
Beyond published work, I conduct bespoke research mandates for corporate clients, government agencies, institutional decision-makers, and investment professionals who require rigorous, decision-ready intelligence on the forces reshaping the global order. Mandates span the full spectrum of systemic change, from market-entry risk assessments and regulatory horizon scans to scenario exercises, strategic briefing papers, and sector-specific risk exposure analysis. My analytical framework integrates geostrategy, geoeconomics, and systemic risk methodology to deliver intelligence that is both structurally grounded and operationally relevant.
Published Contributions
Substack — Velina Tchakarova
Long-form geopolitical analysis, scenario-based intelligence, and weekly briefings on Cold War 2.0, the DragonBear, and the global order in transition.
Der Pragmaticus
Contributions to Austria's leading scientific magazine exploring critical global topics.
Die Materie
Monthly geopolitical analysis and commentary on complex global developments.
Attaqa Energy Platform
Weekly columns on global energy geopolitics for one of the largest Arabic-language energy platforms.
Book Publications
Global System Rupture — The Fourth Systemic Crisis and Its Architecture
Major report on the architecture of the fourth systemic crisis and the structural rupture of the global order.
Read Publication The Republic Journal — 2025A Grand Strategy for Europe in the New Cold War
Essay outlining a strategic framework for Europe in the era of Cold War 2.0.
Read Publication GLOBSEC — 2025Demography: The Hidden Strategic Factor for Europe's Democracy, Competitiveness, and Security
Analysis of demographic transformation as a strategic factor for Europe's resilience, growth, and security architecture.
Read Publication Incrementum — 2025In Gold We Trust 2025
Annual flagship report on gold, monetary order, and macro-geopolitical risk — featuring Velina Tchakarova's geopolitical analysis.
Read Publication Baku Dialogues — Winter 2024–2025The New Geopolitical Scramble for Corridors
Essay on the strategic competition for trade, energy, and connectivity corridors. Baku Dialogues, Vol. 8, No. 2.
Read Publication Goldegg Verlag — 2024Wahl 2024 — Kickl, Krisen, Kanzlerkasten (Book Chapter)
Book chapter — 'Russia and Austria: Moscow's long shadow on Viennese politics' — co-edited by Barbara Tóth and Thomas Hofer.
Read Publication 2024The Making of a Global Bharat
Book contribution on India's emergence as a leading middle power and a defining force in the global order.
Read Publication European Liberal Forum — 2023Putin's Europe (Book Chapter)
Book chapter on Russia's geoeconomic and geopolitical warfare and its influence in Europe.
Read Publication 2023The Power of Future Machines: Essays on Artificial Intelligence (Book Chapter)
Book chapter on the geopolitical and strategic implications of artificial intelligence.
Read Publication Velina Tchakarova — 2022A Collection of Geopolitical Essays 2020–2022
Curated volume of geopolitical essays spanning the early shifts of the post-pandemic global order.
Read Publication 2017Veränderung. Der Wandel als Konstante unserer Zeit. (Book Contribution)
Book contribution exploring transformation and change as a structural constant of our time.
Read PublicationAcademic & Institutional Affiliations
Velina currently serves on the European Security Forum Network, Finland, the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Forum Alpbach, Austria, and the Advisory Board of Eastern Circles, a Paris-based geoeconomics think tank focused on Eastern Europe and Ukraine. She holds a visiting fellowship at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), India's premier independent global think tank. She is a board member of the Strategic and Security Policy Advisory Board of the Science Commission at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defense, participates as a board member in the Vienna Economic Forum, and serves on the peer review board of the Defence Horizon Journal.
Explore Our Publications
Discover our curated collection of geopolitical publications, offering critical analyses and in-depth reports on global affairs.
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Interested in Research Collaboration?
Whether you need a bespoke research commission, a strategic briefing paper, or are exploring opportunities for academic collaboration — I welcome the conversation.