The Energy of Delusion

Posted by John on Apr 12, 2015 in Blog, Eastern Europe, Featured, Uncategorized |
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0 comments The literary scholar Viktor Shklovsky once attributed Tolstoy’s success as a novelist to the “energy of delusion.” The Russian writer was committed to constant trials and experimentation. He had a seemingly endless capacity to put himself in the position of what the Russians like to call a “holy fool” and look at the world as if through a child’s eyes. Journalists also frequently...
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Building the Women’s Movement

Posted by John on Jan 18, 2015 in Blog, Eastern Europe, Featured, Uncategorized |
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2 comments In retrospect, it seems obvious: Polish women didn’t really have a seat at the table during the transformation 25 years ago. The Solidarity trade union movement was dominated by men. During the Martial Law period, women stepped into critical positions when the government arrested the top (male) leaders, but their contributions were largely unrecognized. Only one female representative...
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Guilt as Destiny

Posted by John on Dec 13, 2014 in Blog, Eastern Europe, Featured, Uncategorized |
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0 comments Diaspora communities played a major role in feeding the fires of conflict in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. As Paul Hockenos detailed in his book Homeland Calling, émigré communities of Serbs, Croats, Kosovars and others supported nationalist leaders, funded guerrilla armies, returned to fight in the wars and serve in the new governments, and even generated some of the more extreme ideas that...
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Shaking Up Politics

Posted by John on Nov 17, 2014 in Blog, Eastern Europe, Featured, Uncategorized |
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0 comments Most countries in East-Central Europe have seen the development of two main parties, one liberal and one conservative. In some cases, the former Communist parties – like the Bulgarian Socialist Party – have occupied the liberal position. In other cases, former liberal parties – like Fidesz in Hungary – have moved across the political spectrum to secure the conservative position. In...
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Rescuing Rural Schools

Posted by John on Oct 21, 2014 in Blog, Eastern Europe, Featured, Uncategorized |
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0 comments In the early 1990s, Poland began an overhaul of its political system that transferred considerable authority to local authorities, including ownership and management of the public schools. Local governments were suddenly responsible for paying for education from local funds. In many of the smaller, less densely populated areas, there wasn’t enough money to keep the schools going. As a result,...
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