Suchergebnisse

This book focuses on social transformations as one of the central topics in the social sciences. The study of European social transformations is very valuable in the context of universal discussions within social sciences: explaining invariable, universal attributes of societies and examining changing attributes. The book consists of 20 chapters on European social transformations, written from the perspectives of distinguished scholars from such disciplines as economics, political science, educational science, geography, media and communication studies, public management and administration, social psychology and sociology. The temporal and spatial range of the book is wide, including such global changes as time-space compression, focusing particularly on change processes in Europe during the last two decades. The book consists of four main parts, beginning with an overview of the theoretical and methodological approaches, and then focusing separately on post-communist transformations, institutional drivers of social transformations in the European Union, and European transformations in the context of global processes. The book presents current theoretical, empirical and methodological approaches that complement the scientific literature on social transformations. This book is both an invaluable resource for scholars and an indispensable teaching tool for use in the classroom and will be of interest to students, academics, and policy-makers studying how this diverse region has changed over recent years.

International institutions often operate in a range of concentric circles. The activities and pronouncements of their leaders generally grab the biggest headlines. Meanwhile, their staffs, offices, and departments work tirelessly behind the scenes, but they also project important ripples through work with broader communities, civil society, and the public. Lastly, the effort that these institutions put in over the long term might see instruments come into place that help to build international legal order for future generations.
The three articles proposed in this special issue echo this model as it relates to one particular international institution, the High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) at the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

During the 1990s, the Baltic states were considered a potential hotspot of ethnic tension and possible conflict, primarily because of sizeable Russian-speaking populations that had become minorities after the collapse of the Soviet Union. By the 2000s, some of this friction began to subside, as more integrative policies were adopted and accommodative attitudes developed. Today, the three countries still face some of these core minority challenges, including Lithuania's notable Polish minority. However, new minority groups have also emerged as a result of European integration and globalization, thus continually changing the majority-minority configuration in these countries.

As the Baltic states commemorated the centenary of their first appearance as independent states in 2018, their celebrations were mixed with feelings of ambiguity about the road travelled since then. Although today we often see Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as 'post-communist' countries, their experience with communism was actually much harsher than in Central Europe, since, for nearly fifty years, the three countries were forcibly a part of the Soviet Union. This has made their journey back into the European community all that more remarkable, and it has also served to keep these countries somewhat more resistant to the dangers of democratic backsliding. After all, their continued independence and well-being are intricately dependent on keeping the European liberal order intact. Nevertheless, the winds of populism have also begun to buffet these three countries, meaning that they have been struggling to keep their balancing act going. This article reviews the development of the Baltic states over the last 20 years, both in terms of domestic politics and EU accession and membership. It profiles the way in which the three countries have been trying to keep their faith in democracy and liberalism alive amidst ever more turbulent political and economic times.

"Die baltischen Staaten werden oft als Beispiel für einen progressiven und zukunftsorientierten potskommunistischen Transformationsprozess genannt. Allerdings mussten sich auch diese drei Staaten in großem Maße der Vergangenheitsbewältigung widmen, was zum Teil zu spürbaren gesellschaftlichen Spannungen und gelegentlich sogar zur Lähmung des politischen Systems führte. Das Ausmaß des vergangenen Unrechts, mit dem sich die Länder auseinander setzen müssen, ist in der Tat umfassend: stalinistischer Terror und Deportationen sowohl 1941 als auch in den späten 1940er Jahren, weitere politische Repressionen nach 1956, Enteignungen und Eigentumsrückgabe, Staatsbürgerschaftskonflikte, Streitigkeiten über die historische Vergangenheit sowie internationale Konflikte mit Russland über die Interpretation vergangener Ereignisse. All diese Themen werden in der Literatur unter dem Begriff 'retrospective justice' zusammengefasst, was auch unterschiedliche Forderungen nach Gerechtigkeit im Rahmen der Vergangenheitsbewältigung umfasst. Dieses Kapitel wird sich vorrangig mit den Lustrationsprozessen befassen, also mit jener Form der Vergangenheitsbewältigung, in der es um den Umgang mit ehemaligen sowjetischen Sicherheitsdienstmitarbeitern oder hochrangigen Mitgliedern der Kommunistischen Partei geht. Die baltischen Staaten haben im Laufe der Jahre unterschiedliche Ansätze verfolgt. Im Folgenden werden vier Lustrationsansätze betrachtet, die in Estland, Lettland und Litauen zu unterschiedlichen Zeitpunkten verfolgt wurden. Die Bandbreite reicht dabei von freiwillig-symbolischen Maßnahmen bis zur strafrechtlichen Verfolgung. Zudem wird gezeigt, dass der gesamte Bereich der Vergangenheitspolitik (engl. 'transitional justice') zunehmend umstrittener wurde, sodass einzelne Fälle sogar bis vor den Europäischen Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte (EGMR) gelangten. Obwohl seit dem Beginn der Unabhängigkeit der baltischen Staaten bereits 20 Jahre vergangen sind, dauert die Suche nach Personen mit Verwicklungen zum sowjetischen Sicherheitsapparat und deren Bestrafung immer noch an. Dies trifft vor allem auf Litauen zu, das zugleich auch die härtesten Maßnahmen anwandte. In Estland ist im Gegensatz dazu die Debatte weitgehend abgeklungen, obwohl einzelne Verfahren noch nicht zum Abschluss gebracht wurden." (Textauszug)