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Pusic's Democracy and Dictatorship. Political Transition in Croatia and Southeastern Europe (1998) comprises five essays published by the author separately during the 1990s, covering the areas of the history of political ideas, descriptive theory of democracy, & the theory of democratic transition. They are written in an eclectic style mixing political essay with scientific dissertation, which impedes the reading & analysis of the whole work. Pusic also fails to clearly state her methodological approach; her methodology cannot be characterized as institutional analysis, analysis of the action of political actors, or policy analysis. The lack of a clearly defined methodological-analytic approach is the main cause of her failure to account for the diversity in transitions from communist to democratic regimes in the various countries of the former Soviet bloc. Pusic uses a variety of terms & notions that she does not define, & also has difficulties with differentiating institutional arrangements & political regimes. The description of transition processes in individual countries is inaccurate, & the interpretation of the radicalization & militarization of the Serbian movement in Croatia at the beginning of the 1990s is whimsical. The book cannot be recommended as a respectable contribution to the theory of transition. 10 References. Z. Dubiel

Croatia is the only postcommunist country in which the process of democratic transition coincided with the process of creating the state by means of a war. These three processes are in a special interaction: the transition enabled the realization of the state-building program, which triggered off the war, which, in turn, jeopardized the completion of both projects. The author illustrates the dynamics of the political changes in Croatia since the 1980s, which started with the liberalization of political life & continued with two stages of democratic transition, before & after gaining independence. The Serbian insurgency &, later, open aggression have somewhat hampered the transition & brought about the "ethnification"of politics. In closing, the author analyzes the pattern of the creation of democratic institutions, which has been, in both stages (before & after the 1990 elections), under the control of the ruling political party. 27 References. Adapted from the source document.

The author's starting point is the claim that, despite integrative tendencies, the number of national states in the world is on the increase. The opposing national interests & conflicts may be mitigated or avoided if the central concepts & issues, the ways of the accommodation of interests, & the features of the postcommunist transitions are known. The author explains the concepts & issues such as nation, ethnic group, national state, nationalism, protection of minorities, right to self-determination, decentralization, autonomy, federalism, consociational democracy, & nonterritorial autonomy. He focuses on the issues that reflect the current controversies of both global & national policies. He concludes that, among other things, the national issues are central to the process of transition & they cannot be ignored (since nations are a reality, which must be coped with); there are principles & mechanisms of the regulation of the conflicting national interests; democracy & nation-building are not incompatible but contradictory notions; democratic societies are nationally tolerant; & resolution of the national question is a prerequisite for democratic transition. Adapted from the source document.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has maintained control over the Chinese political system since the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. Although the Chinese economic system has experienced a drastic change, passing from socialist to more market-oriented economy, the CCP maintained the communist rhetoric that has been adapted to a new reality. Though the political system suffered significant modifications, it never made a U-turn towards liberal democracy. Yet, the most important reform is the transition from a country ruled by a strong leader, to what has been called a collective leadership. Accordingly, the leadership transition has been somehow institutionalized and became a complex process, which is happening in a peaceful way, avoiding major political turbulences. Deng Xiaoping, even though he could be indicated as the last absolute leader of China, promoted the reforms that eventually led to creation of collective leadership and a peaceful leadership transition. The most important aspects were the implementation of the pension system for administration and the top leadership positions, and the establishment of a maximum of two terms in office for all major positions in the country. The collective leadership prevents the possibility of a one-man show and the creation of a dictatorship. Although the system has its discrepancies, it makes PR China a predictable power in which the consensus-based decision-making process is intended to avoid struggles among various fractions and leaders in the Party. Adapted from the source document.

The paper deals with the factors that determine the scope of the participation of women in parliamentary decision making. That scope depends, on the one hand, on the self-organization of women (in the US), & on the other, on the intervention of political agencies (the state, as is the case in socialist countries, or political parties, as is the case in Western democracies). Without either, the percentage of women participating in politics is drastically reduced (which happened in the countries in transition). 1 Table, 2 Graphs, 12 References. Adapted from the source document.

The authors analyze the evolution & the strength of the political parties as actors in the processes of democratic transition & consolidation in Hungary. Their starting point is that the political parties in transitional countries are faced with the same rivals in the political arena as the parties in the West: powerful interest groups, the increasing market competition, the supranational media, & the state administration. The authors conclude that the parties in Hungary, though not as stable & as developed, are nevertheless dominant in shaping & controlling the political processes in that country. The reason for that primarily lies in the fact that the party system systematically generates very competitive elections, clear alternations of the parties in power, & a strong link between the electoral outcomes & the government composition. Being in the position to shape the contemporary political & social transformation of their countries, these political parties find themselves in an excellent position to sui generis set up party systems in their societies. 4 Tables, 51 References. Adapted from the source document.

In May 2004 the political systems of Czechia & Slovakia became part of the European Union. At the constitutional level the consolidation of both countries has significantly progressed. In both countries the intermediate system is being consolidated, with the sole exception of the unstable Slovakian party system. The attitude of informal political actors as well as the general populations is not yet consolidated. However, regression of the consolidation process appears to be unlikely in Slovakia, & barely possible in Czechia. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that in the long term the transition process in one of these countries (or even in both) will stall on a low consolidation level. 98 References. Adapted from the source document.

Comparative politics is a political science discipline that has in its evolution continuously reflected developments in the field of international politics. The author outlines the genesis of this discipline, which boomed in the 1950s within the framework of American politology & then goes on to give an account of the evolution of the fundamental research principles, the expansion of the subject matter, & the importance of the key concepts that delineate this academic discipline (political power, political system, political regime). The author analyzes the role of comparative politics in the context of other disciplines of political sciences as well as its applicative potentials. Through an analysis of the history of this discipline he points to the connection between the shift of interest in & focus on practical politics & the thematically specialized subdisciplines within comparative politological research. In conclusion, the author points out the importance & value of this discipline for Croatia (as a country in the process of democratic transition) with regard to comparative analyses of the experiences of developed democracies & countries in transition. Adapted from the source document.

The implementation of the "Washington consensus" model in less developed & transitional countries, together with the neoliberal economic development, has also implied the transition from the "bad" to the "good" governance. The concept of the "good" governance centres around the governance ideology of effectiveness & the high-quality public service delivery. The increased effectiveness & capability, however, does not necessarily ensure qualifying governance for a long-term shaping of a state's future. The governance model in transition largely determines the transitional success or failure. The "bad" governance in Croatia is a consequence of low efficacy & rampant corruption as well as of a lack of strategic & creative governance. 41 References. Adapted from the source document.

The author argues that in the debates about "democratic transition" of postsocialist societies the importance of development of state of law for the formation of democracy has not been sufficiently accounted for. The absence of state of law results in the formation of authoritarian structures of political power, which in the long run obstruct the process of democratization. Those structures include the concentration of political power in the hands of charismatic leaders, the transformation of political into economic power, the formation of clientelist structures, the development of a system of privileges & corruption, & the breakdown of the state monopoly of the means of violence, resulting in the "refeudalization" of political power. In conclusion the author describes two developmental options for the postsocialist societies: the formation of a "Latin American" type of authoritarian-populist regimes or the gradual transformation toward a Western type of state of law & liberal democracy, initiated by the pressures from the international environment & internal forces. Adapted from the source document.

The central features of the political "profile" of European women at the beginning of this decade were a diminished interest in politics, infrequent inclusion of political topics in private conversations, & decreased willingness to adopt a political option. Compared to other European countries, Croatia projects an entirely different image: a pronounced interest of women in politics, very similar to that of men! This partly proves the "law" that a rise in level of education, working outside home, & middle age are the catalysts for women's desire to enter the world of politics. The transition, the war, & the "legacy" of socialist ideology account for this massive public interest in politics & the much lessened gender differences. 14 Tables, 5 References. Adapted from the source document.

The central features of the political "profile" of European women at the beginning of this decade were a diminished interest in politics, infrequent inclusion of political topics in private conversations, & decreased willingness to adopt a political option. Compared to other European countries, Croatia projects an entirely different image: a pronounced interest of women in politics, very similar to that of men! This partly proves the "law" that a rise in level of education, working outside home, & middle age are the catalysts for women's desire to enter the world of politics. The transition, the war, & the "legacy" of socialist ideology account for this massive public interest in politics & the much lessened gender differences. 14 Tables, 5 References. Adapted from the source document.

The author views the changes in the legislation within the framework of the sweeping political changes that occurred in 1990 & 1991. The focus of the analysis of the legislative changes (a comparison of the legislation prior to the political changes with the legislation up to 2002) is the press, the freedom of the press & the media in general, & the cultural changes in the transition that left their impact on media law, ie, the conceptual right to information, the respect for privacy, the distinction between the private & the public persons & politicians, the protection of reputation & honor, & the transparency of influences in the media. 13 References. Adapted from the source document.

In the processes of democratic transition in Central & Eastern Europe, parliaments play an important role. The author examines the problems of functioning of the Croatian Sabor in the period 1990-1993. In particular, he analyzes the changes of the constitutional structure of the Sabor, the development of the postsocialist parliamentary party system, the main problems of constitutional transformation, & the policy agenda of legislation. He demonstrates that a weaker role played by the parliament in Croatia results from the imbalanced party system & unstructured character of the ruling party, a strong presidential institution, & the consequences of a deep ethnic cleavage between Croats & Serbs in Croatia. Adapted from the source document.

Politics is here defined as an activity & an area of human life that concerns power & its exercise. Though power by itself is morally neutral, it often serves as a means of enslaving other people & as such is a moral challenge for Christianity. Christianity does not give precedence to a certain political philosophy nor does it proscribe a certain form of government. However, the Christian understanding of love is a source from which many principles that serve as Christians' guidelines in politics spring: restraint, patience, readiness to compromise, recognition of one's mistakes, not yielding to hate. Christianity equally opposes anational cosmopolitanism & xenophobic nationalism & is in favor of patriotism & altruism as complementary virtues. In conclusion, the author deals with the harrowing political heritage & stresses the importance of a catharsis that should facilitate the transition to a democratic society & politics. Adapted from the source document.