There have been numerous significant developments for TPQ since 2022. Our recent rebranding as Transatlantic Policy Quarterly not only reflects our expanded focus on international issues with broad implications for European and American politics, but also incorporates a new vision for the future. Our most recent issues focused on various aspects of the broader challenges and possibilities presented by this new vision, and we gratefully received numerous contributions from our eminent authors. Although we have published some of these articles in previous issues, it was necessary to give the floor to other authors whose Opinion articles also made an outstanding contribution. Keeping this in mind, we have prepared this special issue, the primary objective of which is to give a collection of such remarkable works, including those that have been previously published digitally.

"The concept of border security is explored from a legal perspective. First, inter-state threats and deterrence in a Baltic Sea region context are analysed, above all for the purpose of examining whether border security is used in connection with the use of force and threats between states. The conclusion is drawn that as a rule the term border security is not used in these contexts. 'Border security' is now found in legal documents in the EU, and in UN Security Council resolutions. The objectives of EU border security rules and the UN Security Council application of border control and border security are examined. Inter alia the security contexts are different, but border control and the goal of border security at both EU and global levels in the end entail processes of similar character, concerning individuals crossing borders. It is argued that the use of 'border security' in the practice of the UN Security Council has changed over the years. It now concerns individuals (and goods) crossing international borders. The EU is an example of an advanced border security system, based on supranational rules. A number of circumstances can be seen as alleviating EU member states' concerns over having relinquished sovereignty in this regard to the EU. It is highlighted that a lasting definition of security, or of security dimensions, is not achievable, since the political and scientific concepts of security changes when the political contexts change.".