Democracy on Trial – 1(II)/2012

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The first issue in 2012 of New Eastern Europe, a quarterly journal covering political, social and cultural issues of Eastern and Central Europe, presents an analysis of the most important events facing the region.

Polish journalist Piotr Pogorzelski exposes the setting behind the Tymoshenko case in Ukraine and notes that “this is certainly not the end of Tymoshenko’s adventures in the courtroom”. Alexei Tulbure, Executive Director of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly of Moldova, unveils the illusions of the seemingly successful accomplishments of the Moldovan government in integrating the country with the European Union. Polish journalist Jarosław Marczuk presents a story from Georgia where three photojournalists were arrested and later tried on espionage charges.

British analyst and Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations, Andrew Wilson, argues that the most recent strategic mistakes of Belarus president, Alexander Lukashenko, are clear signs that his “Belarusian model” is on the verge of collapse.

The analysis section also contains: an essay by Basil Kerski, Director of the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk, and his interpretation of the meaning of Solidarity in today’s Europe; a provocative piece by Shana Penn of the Taube Foundation of Jewish Culture which discusses why the current Holocaust tours to Poland need to change their agenda; and a perceptive reflection by Ana Maria Sandu, a Romanian writer and journalist, on the life complexities of women in Romania today. This issue also presents a personal memoir of Ukrainian dissident, Vyacheslav Chornovil, written by Myroslav Marynovych, Vice Rector of the Catholic University in Lviv, and the story behind the art of Polish-based, Lithuanian-born artist, Stasys Eidrigevicius.

The issue also includes interviews with Hans-Gert Pöttering, former president of the European Parliament, Kakha Gogolashvili, the Director of EU Studies at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, and Bogdan Borusewicz, Speaker of the Polish Senate.

Reviews of books by Władysław Bartoszewski, Andrew Wilson, Luke Harding, Oliver Bullough and many others can also be found in the issue.

For more information about and subscription to New Eastern Europe, as well as online-only texts, please visit us at www.neweasterneurope.eu or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

We recommend:

The Unmasking of Yulia Tymoshenko, by Piotr Pogorzelski

Ukraine's Game of Risk, by Paweł Wołowski 

Future of EU-Russia Relations – Just a dream? by Fraser Cameron