About Bulgaria In-Depth
Bulgaria In-Depth is an independent, English-language analytical publication dedicated to explaining Bulgarian politics, institutions, and society beyond the daily news headlines.
Its flagship publication, Bulgaria In-Depth – The Weekly Report, offers a comprehensive examination of Bulgaria’s most significant developments, combining political analysis, informed commentary, historical perspective, and coverage of the country’s domestic and international affairs.
Understanding Bulgaria Beyond the Headlines
Bulgaria’s political and public life can be difficult to follow, particularly for international readers. Political alliances and rivalries, institutional relationships, economic interests, historical legacies, and international influences frequently shape events in ways that are not immediately apparent from conventional news reporting.
Bulgaria In-Depth seeks to explain not only what is happening in Bulgaria, but why it is happening, what it means, and what its possible consequences might be.
Rather than treating each news story as an isolated development, the publication examines the broader political processes, competing interests, and longer-term trends that connect events and shape the country’s direction.
Its approach combines current reporting with historical context, critical examination of political institutions, and independent editorial judgment.
The Weekly Report
Published in English, The Weekly Report provides a structured assessment of Bulgaria’s major developments over the preceding week.
Each issue brings together:
An original editorial examining a significant political or societal issue, development, or broader trend.
An executive summary presenting the issue’s principal findings, assessments, and key judgments.
A ranked selection of the week’s most important news developments, accompanied by analytical commentary explaining their significance and implications.
Coverage of additional developments in areas such as governance, elections, political parties, foreign affairs, national security, economic policy, infrastructure, and society, as relevant to the week’s events.
The objective is to provide readers with a coherent picture of the forces shaping Bulgaria, rather than simply another collection of news stories.
Who Is Bulgaria In-Depth For?
Bulgaria In-Depth is intended for readers who need or want to understand the country beyond the surface of daily reporting.
These include diplomats and embassy staff, international organizations, businesses and investors, policy researchers, analysts, journalists, expatriates, and other professionals with an interest in Bulgarian affairs.
The publication is also intended for anyone seeking informed English-language analysis of Bulgaria’s political environment, institutions, and society.
Editorial Approach
Bulgaria In-Depth is independently produced and edited.
Its analysis is based on the examination of current developments, publicly available information, political and historical context, and the editor’s professional experience and judgment.
The publication aims to distinguish between reported facts, interpretation, and assessments of possible future developments. It does not claim that complex political questions have simple answers, nor that every development can be understood in isolation.
Its purpose is to provide readers with a deeper, more coherent understanding of Bulgaria and the forces shaping its public life.
About the Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Ivan Dikov is a Bulgarian journalist, editor, and writer with nearly two decades experience covering and analyzing Bulgarian politics, European affairs, international relations, history, and society.
He served for five years as editor-in-chief of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), an English-language news publication covering Bulgaria for an international audience.
He also produced weekly analytical reports on Bulgarian political and public affairs for the Vienna bureau of ARD, Germany’s public broadcasting network. In 2017, he worked as global political editor at the New York-based The Intelligencer Post, and from 2018 to 2021, he served as freelance editor-in-chief of The European Views, a Paris-based English-language publication covering EU affairs.
His professional experience also includes communications and copywriting work for UNICEF Bulgaria, as well as freelance journalism and editorial work for international media outlets.
Dikov studied political science at Dartmouth College in the United States, Sofia University, and New Bulgarian University in Bulgaria.
He is the founder of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com, an English-language publication covering archaeology, history, and cultural heritage. He is also the author of five independently published books on political and international affairs.
He founded Bulgaria In-Depth to provide independent analysis of Bulgarian politics and society, drawing on his experience in journalism, political reporting, and historical research.