WHEN RECIPIENTS BECOME DONORS: POLISH DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE IN BELARUS AND UKRAINE by PAULINA MARIA POSPIESZNA A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Political Science in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA 2010 Copyright Paulina Maria Pospieszna 2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT The dissertation is a first attempt to explore democracy assistance efforts provided by a young democracy that was a recipient of similar aid in the past. The study investigates approaches to democracy assistance, reasons for a young democracy’s engagement, methods and effectiveness of efforts to promote democratic ideas and practices in recipient countries. Specifically, the research examines how government and social actors in a young democracy conceptualize democracy assistance and how their view on democracy aid is different from approaches used by Western donors. Then, why and how a former recipient country goes about assisting other states in their struggles for democracy are investigated. Finally, the research is motivated by the question of how democracy assistance efforts by a young donor can be evaluated in terms of their potential to diffuse democracy to other recipient countries. This project demonstrates several main findings based on comparative case studies of Polish democracy assistance to Ukraine and Belarus. These conclusions contribute to the theory and practice of democracy assistance. First, the Polish approach to democracy assistance takes into account the political situation of recipient country and is carefully crafted when directed to authoritarian and democratic regimes in terms of types of assistance, choice of domestic partners, and strategies used in the programs. This assistance also seems to avoid pitfalls described in the literature on democracy assistance. Second, this dissertation reinforces the importance of civil society as a sender and recipient of democracy assistance. This study unveils the key role of Polish NGOs in shaping the state’s democracy assistance and their unique ability to reach civil society groups in recipient Belarus and Ukraine. ii Third, this research reveals a great deal about the features of cross-border work as a method of democracy assistance to exert an impact on civil society groups. Polish NGOs engage in close collaborative work with foreign civil society groups. By demonstrating the democratizing potential of cross-border projects, the dissertation shows that this form of assistance may contribute to the overall diffusion of democracy in the region, thus strengthening the role of regional actors in promoting democratic values and practices. iii DEDICATION To my Parents, Marcin and Maksymilian with love and gratitude. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ACAP American Committee for Aid to Poland ACILS American Center for International Labor Solidarity AFL-CIO American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations AFPC American Foreign Policy Council BEZ Belarusian Environmental Party BKDP Belarusian Congerss of Democratic Trade Unions BRSM Belarusian Republican Youth Union CASE Center for Social and Economic Research CDC Citizens Democracy Corps CDiA Center for Documentation and Analysis CEE Central and Eastern Europe CERF Central Emergency Response Fund CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CIPE Center for International Private Enterprise CIR Center of International Relations CIS Commonwealth of Independent States CPI Corruption Perceptions Index CSSA Training Center for Local Administration DAC Development Assistance Committee v DFID Department for International Development DG Directorates-General in the European Commission DMK St. Maximilian Kolbe House for Meetings and Reconciliation DSE Democratic Society East Foundation EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EEA European Economic Areas EEDC East European Democratic Center EHU European Humanities University EIDHR European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights ENP European Neighborhood Policy ENPI European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument EPD European Partnership for Democracy ESF European Social Fund EU European Union EUROSTEP European Solidarity towards Equal Participation of People EWI East West Institute FED Education for Democracy Foundation FH Freedom House FSLD Foundation in Support of Local Democracy GEF Global Environment Facility GONGOs Government organized NGOs IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IDA International Development Association vi IDEE Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe IFC International Finance Corporation IFES International Foundation for Electoral Systems IMF International Monetary Fund IPA Institute of Public Affairs IRI International Republican Institute IRF International Renaissance Foundation ISO Quality Management Systems KGB Committee of State Security KOR Workers’ Defense Committee KPN Confederation for an Independent Poland KPSN Committee for National Self-Determination MEDA Mediterranean Development Assistance MFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs MIGA Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization NED National Endowment for Democracy NGOs Non-governmental organizations NZS Independent Students’ Association ODA Official Development Assistance OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OFOP Polish National Federation of NGOs OKOR All-Poland Farmers' Resistance Committee vii OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe OSI Open Society Institute PAFF Polish-American Freedom Foundation PASOS Policy Association for an Open Society PAUCI Polish-Ukrainian Cooperation Foundation/ Poland-America-Ukraine Cooperation Initiative PCA Partnership for Cooperation Agreement PCDC Polish-Canadian Development Co-operation Program PGCF Polish-German Cooperation Foundation PHARE Poland and Hungary Assistance for Restructuring their Economies PPN Polish Independence Pact PSSI Prague Security Studies Institute RBF Rockefeller Brothers Fund RITA Region in Transition ROPCiO Movement for the Defense of Human and Civil Rights SDPU Socialist Democratic Party of Ukraine SEED Support for East European Democracy SEED SIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency SKN Social Committee for Science SPU Socialist Party of Ukraine STP Study Tours to Poland TACIS Technical Assistance for the Commonwealth of Independent States TKN Society for Academic Courses viii UCIPR Ukrainian Center for Independent Research UDF United Democratic Forces UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Program UPS United Parcel Service US United States USAID United States Agency for International Development WFD Westminster Foundation for Democracy WFP World Food Program WIP Freedom and Peace WTO World Trade Organization YMCA Young Men's Christian Association ZPB Union of Poles in Belarus ZG Zagranica Group ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe a tremendous debt to my advisor, Dr. Barbara Chotiner. This dissertation could not have been written without her support and encouragement from the beginning, when the idea of this study came to me during a directed reading course with her. Dr. Chotiner allowed me the space to develop my own path of professional development without ever imposing a particular perspective. It takes considerable talent to grant students freedom and positive reinforcement while still leading them to understand where the project is going and knowing when to push their work. Dr. Chotiner offered me tremendous assistance in my application process for the University of Alabama Graduate Council Research Fellowship for the 2008-2009 academic year, without which the process of writing my dissertation would have been more arduous. I appreciate her constant feedback and support amidst her hectic schedule including teaching as well as advising a large number of undergraduate students as well as her own dissertation students. I have learned from Dr. Chotiner, both as a scholar and as a teacher, and I hope I will be able to demonstrate similar virtues in the future. The completion of a dissertation marks the beginning of a professional career, but it also is an ending to the long path of graduate school. Thus, it causes reflection on the contributions of many people who made this path endurable for me. I would like to thank especially Dr. Terry Royed, who, as the Director of Graduate Studies, showed a lot of kindness, support and understanding for my persistence from the very beginning of my interest in the PhD program. I will never forget her kind e-mail informing me that the department granted me an assistantship. Later, as my teaching advisor, she helped me to improve my teaching skills. She also inspired me x as a scholar, and I am grateful for her tremendously helpful feedback and suggestions on the first version of this dissertation. I would like to distinguish Dr. Douglas Gibler, who exposed me to recent international relations literature on democratization that improved my project and lead to new ideas. I should also like to thank Dr. Harvey Kline, whose course inspired me to explore the topic of democratization. He also showed me that warmth and humanity make academia a friendlier environment. I would also like to thank Dr. Marysia Galbraith who offered me incredible assistance throughout many stages of this project. She played an important role in helping me prepare for my research trip to Poland, and advising me with the IRB process. She also took care of my physical health during a long