Hot Spots #1: Issues of Eastern Europe

LeeAnn Li History 10 – Gecan Due Nov. 27th

Hot Spots #2: Issues of Eastern Europe

Introduction.

Since the beginning of October, many events have unfolded in Eastern Europe. In studying newspapers, magazines, and online news sources, both American and foreign, I have been able to group these events into two main issues. The first is that of change in a country’s policies. Countries ranging from Russia to Greece to Bulgaria have been undergoing policy changes for the sake of the European Union, or EU. Other countries have been undergoing these changes in order to stave off their nation’s decline, or for political reasons. The second category is that of ethnical tension and conflict. European countries have had quite some trouble with inter-racial hatred and other problems, especially in Russia. Most of these problems involve the small, unstable countries of Eastern

Europe.

Issue I: Change in Country Policies.

Looking at the first issue, that of change in a country’s policies, an October 23rd article showed the good influence the EU’s European Court of Human Rights has had on Russia’s human rights policies. Because of the court’s rulings, Russia has halted deportation of men at risk of torture or execution in their own country, improved pretrial detention center conditions, compensated torture victims, and jailed police officers guilty of abuse.

Nevertheless, the European Court of Human Rights also wants the Russian army to modify its values and be more hesitant of using force at the risk of civilian danger, and undergo noteworthy reforms after court rulings. Although amendments such as these are still yet to come, the European Court has already spurred a stream of change beneficial to the country. As Russian human rights leader Tatyana Kasatkina said, “Our authorities have started to move faster. They understand that there is a body above our courts which can make real decisions and attract international attention to problems, so it will keep them tense and responsive” (Finn, 23 Oct. 2006).

In Bulgaria, new policies have been put into action in an attempt to shed light on their long-shrouded communist past. This is all in preparation of joining the EU on January 1st, since one of the conditions laid down was to check whether any of their prominent figures used to be spies during the Cold War. A November 17th article talked about the uproar in Bulgaria at the death of Bulgaria’s communist secret police files keeper, seemingly by suicide. This in itself would just be a sad event, but the delay in the announcement of his death and the knowledge of the policy changes that have been going on in the country awoke suspicions among the people that it was a secret

1 LeeAnn Li History 10 – Gecan Due Nov. 27th service cover-up. Bulgaria used to have one of the Cold War’s most infamous spy networks, and sifting through the now-accessible files may solve some of the most baffling mysteries of the time. One such mystery is the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II.

Slovenia meanwhile, in a November 18th article by English source The Economist, has been undergoing policy changes in preparation for their coming position of presidency in the EU. The incumbent Finland, and 2007’s

Germany and Portugal are helping the small ex-communist country. Slovenian, however, has not been a widely-used language in the EU, and EU members are now attempting to find enough interpreters in time. Slovenia’s policies and views in the economic freedom of the individual versus state-controlled economy have not been cleared up yet.

Unfortunately, besides the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa and the minister for the EU presidency Janez

Lenarcic, diplomacy is not a strong point in the Slovenian politicians. As it said in the article, “Asked how other ministers will guide 26 EU colleagues through intricate topics like farm-subsidy reform, diplomats in Ljubljana sigh and roll their eyes” (“Pocket President”, 18 Nov. 2006).

A November 22nd article discussed the implications of the Bulgarian closing of more units of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant for safety reasons, as demanded by the EU as another condition for joining. The surplus of energy at the Kozloduy power plant has made Bulgaria southeast Europe’s biggest energy supplier. The smaller output resulting from this new policy will hit many countries hard, especially Albania and Montenegro.

An October 11th article published by the English BBC News talked of Austria’s coming talks concerning new governmental policies, though not caused by any connection with the EU. Austria’s president Heinz Fischer had asked Social Democratic leader Alfred Gusenbauer to form a new, stable government, hopefully with a majority in parliament. As a result, Gusenbauer is soon to start coalition talks with the center-right People’s Party. They will try to reach compromises on issues such as tax policy, education and welfare reforms, and privatization, despite their contrasting views on these subjects.

As a last example, Serbia, in a November 19th article, is also changing its policies for reasons unrelated to the EU. In June of this year, Serbia lost its sister republic Montenegro when it gained independence, leaving Serbia land-locked with no access to the coast. This winter Serbia could also lose the province of Kosovo, a province considered by many to be the heartland of Serbia, if the United Nations decides to reward it with independence. In desperation, a new constitution was adopted this November, asserting the integral part of Kosovo to the country in an attempt to persuade Kosovo to drop its quest for independence. “As their nation relentlessly shrinks, Serbs – a

2 LeeAnn Li History 10 – Gecan Due Nov. 27th fiercely proud people accustomed to ruling the roost in the Balkans – are slipping into despair” (Kole, 19 Nov.

2006). In addition, the ultranationalist Radical Party is expected to gain power through exploitation of emotions over

Kosovo. This could spur nationalism, increasing the degree of Serbian isolation.

Issue II: Ethnical Tension and Conflict.

The second category of events, that of ethnical tension and conflict, could be seen in an October 27th article by the foreign Bulgarian news source Novinite’s Sofia Weekly. This article portrayed the issue of country policy change as well. Here, Italy, Spain, and Greece were debating on whether or not they should curb the immigration of

Romanians and Bulgarians, although many countries in Europe have already put a curb on them. A November 9th article discussed the UK’s plans for cutting back on immigrates, Romanians and Bulgarians among them. This is with consideration to the fear that the abundance of cheap labor from Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants would have negative effects on the economy, and that, as the UK fears, there would be pressure on public services and the environment, and affect “community cohesion”. In Italy alone, Romanians are already the biggest foreign community. As the three countries remain indecisive, the October article stated the importance of Italy’s decision, since “Rome’s decision on the matter could also influence Spain and Greece, the two other main destinations historically-speaking for Romanian and Bulgarian jobseekers” (“Italy…”, 27 Oct. 2006).

In Russia, the source of many inter-racial, or tribal, problems, one instance of its problems can be seen in an October 3rd article, which explained the ongoing Russia-Georgia spat. Russia has deepened its financial blockade of Georgia by closing all transport and postal communications; nothing and no one are allowed across the border.

Events such as the September Georgian arrest then release of four Russian officers, and hints of violent measures to win their breakaway regions back, have strained Russia-Georgia relations even further. The Russian government persists in thinking that Georgia is the country at fault, and thus Russia must retaliate against them. The main problem, however, is Georgia’s threatening geopolitical orientation: it has already taken steps contrary to Russia’s wishes and interests. In late September, a poll by Moscow’s Echo Moskvy radio station “found that 40% of its typically liberal audience believe that Russia’s national interests justify any hard line on Georgia” (Zarakhovich, 03

Oct. 2006). The situation between the two countries does not bode well.

Also in Russia, an October 25th article by English news source BBC talked about the animosity of Russians towards migrants from other countries. The article described a riot in the small Russian town of Kondopoga where

3 LeeAnn Li History 10 – Gecan Due Nov. 27th

Russians attacked migrants, but later blamed the migrants from the Caucasus for causing the riot. Anyone without white skin had been attacked, and a warning was given by the town that all Chechens were potential targets. “Both the migrants and Kondopoga’s white Slavic residents look to the authorities to control the situation. They say that not enough is being done to ensure law and order and guarantee the safety of citizens” (Rodgers, 25 Oct. 2006). In the meantime, the migrants live in fear of the dangerous Russian hatred, and the authorities watch from the sidelines.

Conclusion.

All these articles supported my view that the past two months’ events in Eastern Europe can be grouped into the two categories of change in a country’s policies and ethnical tension and conflict. I feel that these issues may never fully disappear, for a country must be able to change its policies in order to allow for development and improvement. As for ethnical issues, it is a sad fact of life that there will always be at least some people who have not learned to accept the inherent differences that humans are born to, who fear or mistrust anything or anyone that they are not accustomed to. This being said, it can be seen that these issues are issues that can be found throughout the events of the past, and that will be found well into the future. As the saying goes, “History repeats itself.”

4 LeeAnn Li History 10 – Gecan Due Nov. 27th

Bibliography

Austria to start coalition talks (October 11, 2006). Retrieved October 27, 2006, from the BBC News Web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6039778.stm.

Cameron wants to cut immigration. (November 9, 2006). Retrieved November 29, 2006, from the BBC News Web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6130080.stm.

Finn, Peter. (October 23, 2006). Europe’s long legal tether on Russia. Retrieved October 27, 2006, from the Washington Post Web site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2006/10/22/AR2006102201046_pf.html.

Hope, Kerin & Troev, Theodor. (November 22, 2006). Bulgarian closures threaten winter power cuts. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from MSNBC Web Site: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15839417/.

Italy, Spain Greece hesitant on Romania, Bulgaria workers. (October 27, 2006). Retrieved October 27, 2006, from the Novinite Sofia Weekly Web site: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=71781.

Kole, William J. (2006, November 19). Serbia shrinks, and sinks into dejection. Retrieved November 25, 2006, from the Washington Post Web site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2006/11/19/AR2006111900372.html.

Pocket president. (2006, November 18). The Economist, p. 51.

Rodgers, James. (October 25, 2006). Fear lingers after Russian riot. Retrieved October 27, 2006, from the BBC News Web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6084458.stm.

Winfrey, Michael. (November 17, 2006). Uproar in Bulgaria at death of secret files keeper. Retrieved November 25, 2006, from the Washington Post Web site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2006/11/17/AR2006111700572.html.

Zarakhovich, Yuri. (October 3, 2006). Why the Russia-Georgia spat could become a U.S. headache. Retrieved October 27, 2006, from The TIME Web Site: http://www.time.com/time/world/printout/0,8816,1542107,00.html.