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Vol 2 - No 2 - 2002 // Assistance for Democratization
Promoting Democracy in the Balkans
When it comes to the Balkans, democratization is seldom a topic. In a region plagued by ethnic conflict and state-building problems, often in some combination with one another, the usual paradigm of democratic transformation may seem far-fetched at best. For a polity to democratize, it should first be acknowledged as one by its entire population and granted the same recognition by the international ‘powers’, the historical contributors, due to their conflicting interests and relentless intervention, to what we call today ‘Balkans’. To meet these two conditions simultaneously was proved an exceptional historical occurrence in South-Eastern Europe. As Barrington- Moore jr. once put it, small Eastern European countries should not even be included in discussions on social and political change, as ‘the decisive causes of their politics lie outside their own boundaries.” In one form or another, and despite occasional years of respite, it is fair to say that Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia became finally able to decide on their own course only after 1990, and then only carrying essential legacies which were not altogether their own doing, such as borders. What we have witnessed ever since is an attempt to reshape the basic foundations these states are built upon, namely their political identities and cultures, so considerably more than just ‘democratization’. To assist this twofold transformation is no simple business. Many theories and preconceptions had to be revised in the process. Some conclusions of the first decade in democracy promotion in South-Eastern Europe can be read in this collection of papers. They were presented at SAR’s international conference co-organized with New Europe College on May 6, 2002. The conference was supported by many generous sponsors, listed below. We thank them and all the participants for making this event happen. Special thanks are owed to editor of Journal of Democracy, Larry Diamond, who chose Romania as his fist East European stop.
published in Word from the Editor
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ABSTRACT
Some conclusions of the first decade in democracy promotion in South-Eastern Europe can be read in this collection of papers. They were presented at SAR’s international conference co-organized with New Europe College on May 6, 2002. The conference was supported by many generous sponsors, listed below. We thank them and all the participants for making... »
FOCUS
After more than a decade of study of postcommunist transitions the contention that there are profound differences between “Balkan” and “Central-European” countries has attained the status of an unassailable truth. And yet, comparative studies that purport to describe and explain these differences are often littered with simplistic clichés, disturbing stereotypes and analytical “black... »
In the last decade the post-communist world was subject to various attempts to build institutions, largely by implanting with little adaptation imports from the Western world. Most of the time, these well-intended efforts have failed, as we can see in the case of Russia. It is about time the international assistance shifted its focus from... »
Some lessons have been learned – or should have been – by the providers of assistance for democratization in the post-communist world. First, while the international community was instrumental in ensuring the elections are free and fair, party building was a disappointing affair. In spite of the large amounts of resources invested, for example, in... »
After the special UN administration was instituted in Bosnia and Kossovo, the international community, political researchers and local citizens have been faced with a very serious problem, having both theoretical and practical consequences for the process of democracy building: government by decree. The magnitude of crises and the high number of issues that had to... »
The latest wave of democratization brought many disputes between the specialists. The criteria for a “consolidated democracy” especially after a decade since the fall of communist regimes, are those liberal democracy deals with: rule of law, economic reforms and ethnic and religious conflicts. The states from Eastern Europe, as Bulgaria and Romania, are dealing with... »
The only way to offer universality for one’s scientific judgement is to use other disciplines that can contribute to that judgement – or, at least, this seems to be the latest consensus among scholars. Economics is a complex domain which cannot function well without the help of other sciences. Cultural variables are relevant for the... »
PAPERS
The fall of authoritarian regimes in South America, Eastern Europe and other parts of the world was not followed by open and articulated debates on the recent past, for fear they would destabilize the societies and postpone the healing of old wounds. Instead, the societies preferred the policy of oblivion – not unlike the Western... »
Scholars on both sides of the Atlantic are increasingly interested in explaining volatility in popular support for the European Union’s eastward enlargement. While a rich body of research documents attitudinal trends in existing member states, remarkably less effort has been devoted to integrating what we know about citizen preferences in candidate states into the mainstream... »
The only way to offer universality for one’s scientific judgement is to use other disciplines that can contribute to that judgement – or, at least, this seems to be the latest consensus among scholars. Economics is a complex domain which cannot function well without the help of other sciences. Cultural variables are relevant for the... »
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