The new age is the epoch of knowledge and information, of pondering and spiritual exchange. The old dreams for the absolute reach of reality are contained in it, as well as for reinforcing and replacing physical labor with mechanical, for the automatization of functions and mechanization of thought. Moreover, new reality is being created.

              However, there survive old elements in this world as well, including relationships and values. Some old-fashioned ways of attitude and remote assumptions for existence seem to be strengthening. The battle between the old and the new is not finished although it has started a long time ago and seems to have managed to resolve some issues.

              All this is exhilarating the scientific awareness and giving material for activity that is erecting intellectual tension. Science is interested in new and lagging phenomena, expressing the ambition to discover their rules, committing itself to investing its augmented powers and capacities in completing the explaining of the old and puzzling the solutions for explaining the new ones.

              We are not aside from these intellectual trends. In spite of the personnel poverty and lack of most up-dated technological equipment, we have interesting knowledge achievements, and although some useful ideas, links with the world and colleagues are lagging behind, yet they are still functioning. The Macedonian scientists are not the least active part of our movement and progress. With their knowledge, they can help a lot to the general awareness and politics in designing the situations and questions and in finding solutions for the problems.

              A series of such questions are related to the Balkans. Our space of living is in turmoil, tradition collides with innovations, and incertitude replaces infirmity. Geography and history are yelling and stammering at the same time. As much as we are proud of, we are equally frightened on our peninsula because what we know for sure is quivering and relativism is becoming a standard formula. Confidence is replaced by skepticism - as so many times in the Balkans so far, from Ancient times till today.

              We must plunge into the essence and events in the Balkans in order to open this question in a scientific way. The knowledge from various spheres can give a serious contribution to the design of our common existence that is of interest for many scientists from other parts in the world, with whom the epistemological exchange should become a part of our everyday life.

              This is the purpose why Prof. Mirjana Maleska, Ph.D., has initiated the new electronic journal on political and social sciences. With new computing means, contributions from the entire world, fruitful scientific exchange, revision and scientific knowledge from all the neighboring and many distant countries, let us give our contribution to touching the sense, the problems, and puzzles of the Balkans and the world.

Kiril TEMKOV,
President of the Advisory Board