Events
Kosovo: Continuity And Double Standards
August 1998 - Since February 1998, about 700 people have been killed in clashes between separatist ethnic Albanian guerrillas and internal security forces in the Serbian province of Kosovo. Western reaction to the crisis, however, has been confused.
55. National Identity and Cultural Self Definition: Modern and Postmodern Romanian Artistic Expression
The scope of this analysis is to discuss the extent of change of post-communist
Romania’s cultural society in its self-definition, with its reclaimed national independence and its greater exposure to Western ideas, as well as the extent to which it parallels inter-war national identity developments. Some of the issues addressed include the following: How have globalization and modernization affected Romanian artistic expression in the post-1989 period? To what extent is contemporary Romanian artistic expression using the language of modernity to perpetuate old symbols of national identity?
195. Quelling Unification Fears: Post-War Kosovo and Albania
February 2000 - The year 1999 was a very traumatic year for the six million Albanians in the Balkans. Thanks to NATO's intervention and after long years of bad luck, national tragedy, and economic misery, the future looks relatively bright. Despite daunting challenges, Albanians in Kosova are finally free of Serbian repression and can now begin building a new, more stable future. In Albania, there are some signs of recovery from the 1997 economically-induced government crash, although politically, it is still pervaded by a lack of cohesion and direction.
New book by European Studies Program Director Christian Ostermann Reviewed on German Radio
Der Warschauer Pakt - Von der Gründung bis zum Zusammenbruch (1955 - 1991), the new book by WES Director Christian Ostermann with Torsten Diedrich and Winfried Heinemann, was recently reviewed on German Radio.
275. East Central Europe between Paris and Washington
For some, Poland's emergence as a leading partner in the US-led campaign to rebuild Iraq came as a surprise. After all, so much effort has been spent on reforms, concessions and negotiations in preparation for EU accession, that it seemed to many that Poland, the Baltic States, Romania, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic were antagonizing precisely those countries they had been courting for years by supporting the US-led coalition. In response to the confusion, I would like to offer a historical-cultural explanation for those puzzled by this new world order.