Eastern Europe Events
Reaching Out at a Time of Economic Crisis: External Anchors and Internal Dynamics in the Western Balkans
October 21, 2009 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
European Studies
The celebration of two anniversaries that are being held in Europe this—the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago and the first EU enlargement to postcommunist Europe five years ago—is being tempered by a deep and widespread economic recession. This recession has been disproportionately felt in the Western Balkans, Jens Bastian argued, which has obscured the path these countries are working hard to follow into the EU.
Shaping Lithuania's White House: From the Former Communist Party Leader Algirdas Brazauskas to the Newly-Elected Baltic "Iron Lady" Dalia Grybauskaite
October 19, 2009 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
European Studies
Translating Ivan Cankar in the 21st Century: Historical and Literary Perspectives on Slovene Political and Social Evolution
October 07, 2009 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
European Studies
Serbian Foreign Policy and the Possibility of Cooperation within the Western Balkan Region
October 02, 2009 // 10:00am — 11:00am
European Studies
Recent surveys indicate that public support for the Serbian Progressive Party (SPP), which split from the Serb Radical Party last fall, has grown steadily, and is now at the heels of the Democratic Party, which leads the current government. SPP Party leader Aleksandar Vucic, explained the young party's foreign policy strategy at a Wilson Center noon discussion.
Grave Translations: The Unearthly Map of Vilnius
September 30, 2009 // 12:00pm — 1:30pm
European Studies
Director's Forum: The Enlargement of the European Union
September 22, 2009 // 10:00am — 11:00am
European Studies
EU enlargement has been celebrated as the European Union's most successful foreign policy. The peaceful transformation in postcommunist Europe is a tribute not only to the peoples and leaders of those 10 countries, but also to the umbrella provided by the European Union. Dr. Michael Leigh, who has served as director-general for enlargement since 2006, highlighted the successes of the enlargement process to date as well as the main challenges to come.
Offsite Event: Film Screening and Discussion: Where Does Europe End?
June 11, 2009 // 3:30pm — 5:30pm
European Studies
Where Europe Ends, a 50-minute documentary directed by Alina Mungiu-Pippidi and her team, shows the condition of Europeans living beyond the Eastern border of the European Union since Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007.
Hijacked Justice: Dealing With the Past in the Balkans
June 10, 2009 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
European Studies
The highly publicized arrest of indicted Bosnian war criminal, Radovan Karadzic, last year in Serbia was seen by many as a triumph of soft power. It was seen as proof that linking Serbia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to progress toward EU accession was the only way in which Serbia's leaders would be compelled to participate in transitional justice initiatives. Yet, despite Karadzic's transfer to The Hague and recent evidence of the government's finding other indictees, Jelena Subotic argues that transitional justice initiatives taken in Serbia have been largely a sham and have been hijacked by politics.
Symposium: Evaluating the Effects of EU Accession: Lessons for Southeast Europe
June 09, 2009 // 1:00pm — 5:00pm
European Studies
The countries of Central and East Europe have been profoundly affected by the EU accession process. Indeed, no single state or international institution has had as great an impact on domestic change as the EU has had in postcommunist Europe. Eight countries from the region have now been EU members for five years, and further enlargement to the Western Balkans is a shared goal of the United States and the EU. As this process continues, it is important to assess the impact EU accession and membership has made on these countries' politics, markets, societies, and international relations.