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News Articles

A Victory for EU Diplomacy in BelarusApril 20, 2012Mounting pressure from Brussels scores a victory against the Lukashenko regime.What the EU should do to end state terror in BelarusMarch 22, 2012

True to his image as Europe's last dictator, Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko has just added two more crimes to a long list of repressions against his own people.

Will Europe Lose its East?March 20, 2012

Largely unnoticed by European politics and publics, a new division looms in the East of the continent.

A Useful Clash With BelarusMarch 01, 2012

Many in Belarus and abroad are scratching their heads and asking what prompted Lukashenko to go ballistic. Whatever the reason, Europe should take advantage of the opportunity Lukashenko has handed it and push for change.

Europe’s far-right problemJuly 26, 2011

As the immediate shock and mourning from the Oslo attacks subside, many ask for the possible reasons behind the attack. Their search, in Norway and across Europe, has quickly zoomed in on an issue that challenges the entire continent: the rise of the far right.

Belarus: No more Maneuvering between the EU and RussiaJune 13, 2011The December 19, 2010 presidential elections in Belarus have, more than any other recent event, put the complicated position of the country between the EU and Russia in the spotlight. The poll hardly differed, in process and result, from earlier elections in 2001 and 2006.Lukashenka – What are the prospects for spring in Belarus?June 09, 2011Captivated by the upheavals facing Arab autocrats, few in the West have noticed the troubles of another dictator, this time on Europe's very doorstep -- Belarus' Alexander Lukashenka.Time to hit Lukashenko where it hurtsJanuary 31, 2011Following December’s fraudulent election, a brutal crackdown has only added further misery to Belarus’s beleaguered democratic opposition, civil society and media. In response, EU ministers were on Monday expected to back a new travel ban and asset freeze against Alexander Lukashenko, the country’s dictator, and more than 150 of his henchmen.Reversing Course on BelarusJanuary 10, 2011E.U. policy toward Belarus is in tatters. Two years of engagement with Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, direct cooperation in the framework of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership program, and gentle pressure to allow some space for democrats in the country came to naught on Dec. 19, when the police crushed a courageous mass protest against fraudulent elections.“Never waste a good crisis”: The 2008 economic downturn and post-communist civil societyAugust 17, 2010As some of the dust stirred up by the economic recession finally begins to settle across Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, it is becoming clear that the region, and its civil societies, have come to an important impasse.
Europa-Handbuch: BelarusDecember 06, 2006In the current political landscape of Europe, Belarus is a rare outsider. Although the country became a direct neighbor of the European Union in 2004 - by way of that entity's eastward enlargement - Belarus is politically, economically and socially far cry from European normality.Passing the EurotestDecember 01, 2003For eight Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, 2003 was a year of popular votes on EU accession.1 A series of referendums presented a formidable challenge to governments and civil society. In most cases, if results were to be binding, they had to have not only a majority of votes in support of EU membership but also a majority of citizens participating. Governments of several candidate countries, including Slovakia, therefore decided to tap into thecapacity of the civic sector to mobilize the public. This was not the first time that Slovak NGOs had mobilized citizens to vote: it happened in 1998 and 2002. What was different in 2003 was that the funding for these efforts came from government rather than foreign donors.In Trusts We Trust?June 01, 2003In recent years, the term trust has made a notable entry into the discourse of the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). On the one hand, it has been observed that transition countries are characterized by low levels of trust in society. As a result, interest has arisen in those aspects of democratic life that are beyond institutions, such as culture, values and trust. On the other hand, and seemingly unrelated, the term has signalled a new form of philanthropic institution. The recent emergence of several such entities indicates a new trend in American support for civil society and democracy in the region.

Publications

Focus on Ukraine: More than a Neighbor: Why Ukraine MattersJanuary 05, 2010With expectations disappointed among Ukrainians, and impatience widespread in the West, it may be tempting to disregard the January 17, 2010 presidential election as just another in an endless series of polls that have done little to advance Ukraine in recent years. That verdict, however, would be as premature as it would be irresponsible.Ukraine After the Orange RevolutionMay 02, 2005Ukraine's recent Orange Revolution opens an enormous opportunity to reinvigorate the democratic reform process in that country and to bring it closer to European and transatlantic structures. A new book just released by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, jointly with the Heinrich Boell Foundation of Germany, brings together renowned experts from Ukraine, Europe, and the United States to look more closely and systematically into the steps needed to take advantage of this opportunity both domestically and internationally.