Wilson Center Experts
Harris Mylonas
European Studies
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University
Related Content for this Expert
The Politics of Nation-Building: Making Co-Nationals, Refugees and Minorities
May 07, 2013 // 3:00pm — 4:30pm
What drives a state's choice to assimilate, accommodate, or exclude ethnic groups within its territory? In this pathbreaking work on the international politics of nation-building, Harris Mylonas argues that a state's nation-building policies toward non-core groups - any aggregation of individuals perceived as an unassimilated ethnic group by the ruling elite of a state - are influenced by both its foreign policy goals and its relations with the external patrons of these groups. more
Andreas Papandreou: The Making of a Greek Democrat and Political Maverick
December 03, 2012 // 12:00pm — 1:30pm
Greece in the 1960s produced one of Europe's arguably most controversial post-WWII politicians. Andreas Papandreou’s maverick politics grew out of his conflict laden re-engagement with Greece in the 1960s. In this biography of Andreas Papandreou, the author Stan Draenos chronicles the events, struggles and ideas that defined the man's dramatic, intrigue-filled transformation from Kennedy-era modernizer to Cold War maverick. more
The End of Multiculturalism in Europe? Migrants, Refugees and their Integration
May 24, 2012 // 9:00am — 3:00pm
In spite of the economic need for migrant labor and a tradition of embracing multi-culturalism, European electorates and their representatives in government have moved away from the more liberal and inclusive policies of the past. Some European leaders have even pronounced the “end of multiculturalism.” more
The Working Group on the Western Balkans: Setting an Agenda for Transatlantic Cooperation
November 29, 2011 // 10:00am — 3:00pm
The EU and the US agree that the long-term goal for the Western Balkans is European integration. For a variety of reasons, however, progress on this goal has stalled. This series aims at launching a discussion on the hurdles to enlargement in the Western Balkans, the tools available to various international actors in the region, and how these resources might best be applied to reach the goal of integration most efficiently. These meetings, therefore, address issues that are at the core of the making the Transatlantic relationship work. more
The Working Group on the Western Balkans: Setting an Agenda for Transatlantic Cooperation
November 29, 2011 // 10:00am — 3:00pm
The EU and the US agree that the long-term goal for the Western Balkans is European integration. For a variety of reasons, however, progress on this goal has stalled. This series aims at launching a discussion on the hurdles to enlargement in the Western Balkans, the tools available to various international actors in the region, and how these resources might best be applied to reach the goal of integration most efficiently. These meetings, therefore, address issues that are at the core of the making the Transatlantic relationship work. more
Islam at the EU Border: Muslim Minorities in Greece and Bulgaria
February 23, 2010 // 1:00pm — 2:30pm
Over the last 20 years, Bulgaria and Greece have pursued variable and divergent policies toward their Muslim minorities. During a brief period near the end of the Communist regime, Bulgaria forced Turks to assimilate. This policy was abandoned by the democratic government that took power in the 1990s. At the same time, Greece recognized its Muslim minority and facilitated the "Turkification" of its Muslim citizens throughout the 1980s, but then abandoned that policy by blocking minority rights in the 1990s. Harris Mylonas suggested that these policy shifts are commonly explained by assumptions or models that link minority treatment, regime type, ideology and leadership personalities. Rejecting these hypotheses, Mylonas argued that the structure of the international system was the most salient indicator influencing the treatment of Muslim minorities in both countries. more
Assimilation, Accommodation, and Exclusion in the Balkans: Serbian Nation-Building Policies Toward Kosovo Albanians, 1912-1940
October 27, 2010 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
In the process of nation-building, states attempt to make the state and the demographic nation overlap. In this process, national minorities become a problem and European nation states have a checkered past in terms of dealing with them, with variable policies reflecting ethnic antipathy at one moment and cooperation at another. Conventional wisdom holds that ethnic antipathy is the result of cultural distance or "age-old ethnic hatreds." However, according to Harris Mylonas, these theories neither predict outcomes nor account for variation in minority policy over time. His research focuses on the relationship between minority treatment and interstate relations, in an effort to gain a broader understanding the complexity of state-building and minority policies in Europe. more
The Politics of Nation-Building: Making Co-Nationals, Refugees and Minorities
May 07, 2013 // 3:00pm — 4:30pm
What drives a state's choice to assimilate, accommodate, or exclude ethnic groups within its territory? In this pathbreaking work on the international politics of nation-building, Harris Mylonas argues that a state's nation-building policies toward non-core groups - any aggregation of individuals perceived as an unassimilated ethnic group by the ruling elite of a state - are influenced by both its foreign policy goals and its relations with the external patrons of these groups.
Andreas Papandreou: The Making of a Greek Democrat and Political Maverick
December 03, 2012 // 12:00pm — 1:30pm
Greece in the 1960s produced one of Europe's arguably most controversial post-WWII politicians. Andreas Papandreou’s maverick politics grew out of his conflict laden re-engagement with Greece in the 1960s. In this biography of Andreas Papandreou, the author Stan Draenos chronicles the events, struggles and ideas that defined the man's dramatic, intrigue-filled transformation from Kennedy-era modernizer to Cold War maverick.
The End of Multiculturalism in Europe? Migrants, Refugees and their Integration
May 24, 2012 // 9:00am — 3:00pm
In spite of the economic need for migrant labor and a tradition of embracing multi-culturalism, European electorates and their representatives in government have moved away from the more liberal and inclusive policies of the past. Some European leaders have even pronounced the “end of multiculturalism.”
The Working Group on the Western Balkans: Setting an Agenda for Transatlantic Cooperation
November 29, 2011 // 10:00am — 3:00pm
The EU and the US agree that the long-term goal for the Western Balkans is European integration. For a variety of reasons, however, progress on this goal has stalled. This series aims at launching a discussion on the hurdles to enlargement in the Western Balkans, the tools available to various international actors in the region, and how these resources might best be applied to reach the goal of integration most efficiently. These meetings, therefore, address issues that are at the core of the making the Transatlantic relationship work.
The Working Group on the Western Balkans: Setting an Agenda for Transatlantic Cooperation
November 29, 2011 // 10:00am — 3:00pm
The EU and the US agree that the long-term goal for the Western Balkans is European integration. For a variety of reasons, however, progress on this goal has stalled. This series aims at launching a discussion on the hurdles to enlargement in the Western Balkans, the tools available to various international actors in the region, and how these resources might best be applied to reach the goal of integration most efficiently. These meetings, therefore, address issues that are at the core of the making the Transatlantic relationship work.
Islam at the EU Border: Muslim Minorities in Greece and Bulgaria
February 23, 2010 // 1:00pm — 2:30pm
Over the last 20 years, Bulgaria and Greece have pursued variable and divergent policies toward their Muslim minorities. During a brief period near the end of the Communist regime, Bulgaria forced Turks to assimilate. This policy was abandoned by the democratic government that took power in the 1990s. At the same time, Greece recognized its Muslim minority and facilitated the "Turkification" of its Muslim citizens throughout the 1980s, but then abandoned that policy by blocking minority rights in the 1990s. Harris Mylonas suggested that these policy shifts are commonly explained by assumptions or models that link minority treatment, regime type, ideology and leadership personalities. Rejecting these hypotheses, Mylonas argued that the structure of the international system was the most salient indicator influencing the treatment of Muslim minorities in both countries.
Assimilation, Accommodation, and Exclusion in the Balkans: Serbian Nation-Building Policies Toward Kosovo Albanians, 1912-1940
October 27, 2010 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
In the process of nation-building, states attempt to make the state and the demographic nation overlap. In this process, national minorities become a problem and European nation states have a checkered past in terms of dealing with them, with variable policies reflecting ethnic antipathy at one moment and cooperation at another. Conventional wisdom holds that ethnic antipathy is the result of cultural distance or "age-old ethnic hatreds." However, according to Harris Mylonas, these theories neither predict outcomes nor account for variation in minority policy over time. His research focuses on the relationship between minority treatment and interstate relations, in an effort to gain a broader understanding the complexity of state-building and minority policies in Europe.