W A R   I N   K O S O V O:
A Victory for the Media?

Today, the media's role in encapsulating "reality" necessarily includes the promulgation of ethnic conflict. In ex-Yugoslavia, the media served to deconstruct commonalities and helped to create that matrix of non-negotiable differences demanding that "something must be done."

Marina Blagojevic

S P E C I A L   F E A T U R E:
The Czech Republic 1992 to 1999:
From unintentional political birth to
prolonged political crisis

This is an extensive account of the first years of the young Czech Republic. Starting with the Velvet Divorce, we take you through the privatisations and privations of the Klaus years to the rudderless rise of the Social Democrats; all the events that have made the country what it is today are covered. Lock the door for a few hours, and enjoy a good read.
(WARNING: 200 Kb file!)

Andrew Stroehlein
with Jan Culik, Steven Saxonberg and Kazi Stastna

A young EMU looks toward Central Europe

M O N E T A R Y   U N I O N:
Why Do It?

With its huge dominance of European trade, the EMU zone has a significant impact on Central Europe. It is only with a clear understanding of where EMU is leading that the countries of Central Europe can prepare for their possible participation. In our second article in the series, we address how EMU came to be the essential next step in the development of Western Europe.

Rob Smith

S L I C E  O F   L I F E:
The Wine Time

After months of waiting, the time has come to pick and prune the voluptuous clusters of South Moravia's grapes, bursting with wine-making potential, that have made the area famous. While the vintners worry about the first indications of the quality and volume of the harvest, villages in the region are overcome with a more frivolous emotion. This is the time of vinobrani - the wine festival.

Jeffrey Brown

Theme of the Week Environmental Movements

CZECH REPUBLIC: A Quiet Revolution Andreas Beckmann Following the darkest days of the Klaus era, the Czech environmental movement is coming into its own.

RUSSIA: Working with Russia John Massey Stewart The West, in recognition of Russia's vast environmental problems, has poured in huge quantities of money. How much of it has been spent effectively?

ROMANIA: An der schoenen, braunen Donau Catherine Lovatt Once a thriving ecosystem, the Danube River has become a cancerous brown scar across Eastern Europe. NATO's bombing of Serbia has only made a bad situation worse. Can any of the new proposals make the Danube blue - or at least green?

HUNGARY: Where There's Muck There's Brass Gusztav Kosztolanyi Hungary's now flourishing green movement has had only a relatively small impact; the increased awareness of the need to improve the country's environmental record has more to do with a pragmatic approach to EU accession. But adapting to the EU's demands by altering the contents of the statute books is not enough to ensure change. This is well illustrated by the landfill site at Gare.

Kinoeye This week, we continue our look at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

KARLOVY VARY: A Century of Dreaming: Jan Jakub Kolski's Historia kina w Popielawach Andrew J Horton Jan Jakub Kolski has earned himself a strange reputation. His mystical and folklorish films stand apart from the general flow of Central European cinema. Critics have found him to have more in common with the "magic realism" of South American prose than with his fellow Central European film directors.

THE KINOEYE ARCHIVE Resources on Central and East European cinema.

B O O K   R E V I E W:
War in the Woods: Estonia's Struggle for Survival, 1944 -1956
By Mart Laar

Despite faults in the text and in the translation, this book is a must read and a necessity not only for Baltic enthusiasts but also for anyone generally interested in history. War in the Woods tells the story of Estonia's "Forest Brothers" - the freedom fighters that took to the woods after the second Soviet occupation, which started in 1944.

Mel Huang

S U P P L E M E N T:
The CER Book Shop:
Books about Central and Eastern Europe

Have a look at CER's list of books on the region - all available from Amazon.com. The list is divided into five subject headings: cinema, literature, politics, history and economics.

S U P P L E M E N T:
The CER Music Shop

In co-operation with Amazon.com, Central Europe Review offers you this on-line shopping supplement.

E V E N T S:
Coming Up in the UK

Details of selected Central and East European cultural events in the UK over the next few weeks.

Andrew J Horton