Wider Europe, Spring 2011

The Transition to Authoritarianism
excerpt: "Post-election violence in Belarus in December, Ukraine’s political reversals, and the persistence of autocratic rule throughout the region underscores the unfulfilled democratic expectations of the post-Soviet states. The policies of several consecutive U.S. administrations toward these countries reveal an insufficient understanding of their political development and may even endanger their independence without promoting durable democracies....."
 

Crisis of Democracy in Albania
excerpt: "Albania is rocking from a successive political crisis that is endangering the country’s social stability. This time it is not the collapse of pyramid schemes and state institutions that is the cause of potential mayhem, but the bifurcation and polarization of the political space......"
 

Renewed Turmoil in the Western Balkans
excerpt: "The year 2010 had brought great promises for the Western Balkans: Croatia and Serbia reconciled and seemed determined to move the broader region closer to European institutions; Belgrade promised to hold practical talks with Prishtina following encouragement from the United Nations; and the strong electoral results of the multiethnic Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Bosnia-Herzegovina evidently signaled a desire to overcome nationalist disputes. And yet, conditions seem to have deteriorated over recent months, as Balkan politics has become the art of postponing decisions until they explode in your face......"