Vol 1, No 16, 11 October 1999
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| A smug number two |
A U S T R I A:
Trouble on the Island of the Blessed
The success of Joerg Haider is often explained by the failure of the Austrians to face up to their role as Hitler's "willing executioners" like their German counterparts more successfully have done. But the fact that more than one quarter of Austrian voters cast their votes last Sunday for the blatantly extremist Freedom Party is only superficially connected with this.
Magali Perrault
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| Tudjman shows his fists |
C R O A T I A:
At the Second Crossroads
The process of democratic transition in Croatia has been more complex than in the other countries of post-Communist Europe. It started in one state but was carried out in another; it began in peace and continued in war. However, the framework of the political transformation has, to a great extent, been a state of "neither war nor peace."
Sasa Cvijetic
T E N Y E A R S O N:
Democracy's Disappointment
Current Czech democracy suffers from a variety of shortcomings, including a weak civic society, no tradition of involvement in public life and clientelism. Nevertheless, as this second article in our two-part series makes clear, there are some relevant civic initiatives and political actions which provide hope.
Pavel Tychtl
M O N E T A R Y U N I O N:
After the First Wave
Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in Europe looks set to happen in several waves. Interestingly, if the EMU membership of Denmark, Sweden and the UK are delayed beyond 2002, then they may find themselves in one of the Central European EMU waves.
Robert Smith
ENVIRONMENT:
Working with Russia (part 5)
John Massey Stewart
The investment into solving Russia's vast environmental problems has been notable. But has the money been spent wisely?
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Theme of the Week
Health
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HEALTH:
Operation Successful,
Patient Dead
Gusztav Kosztolanyi
According to a recent survey, patient satisfaction with hospital care seems to be in line with the EU average. But scratch the surface and you'll quickly reveal the crisis in the Hungarian healthcare. |
HEALTH:
A Meek Protest
Jan Culik
On Wednesday 6 October, Czech doctors went on strike for better pay and conditions, demanding that the government enter a debate with them about
the state of the Czech health service. The strike was very mild, so much so that most patients hardly noticed. |
CER's Regular Columns:
THE AMBER COAST:
Modern-day Pirates
Mel Huang
Estonia is awash with pirates. The modern-day pirates of music, video and software dominate the market, and the problem deserves international action every bit as much as high-sea piracy. |
MIORITA:
Ten Years after What?
Catherine Lovatt
The beginning of the Romanian academic year saw President Emil Constantinescu controversially declare that the collapse of Communism "meant no revolution." |
BALKAN ENCOUNTER:
The Dance of Jael
Sam Vaknin
People feel cheated by their post-Communist systems. Envy is the central emotion. |
KALEIDOSCOPE:
Panoramic Hindsight
Vaclav Pinkava
People who do learn from history are condemned to watch others repeat it. |
CULIK'S CZECH REPUBLIC:
The Educated Poor
Jan Culik
The decline in the living standards of university educated people in the Czech Republic has been sharp in the 1990s. This has had and will continue to have profoundly negative social consequences. |
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Kinoeye
This week, Kinoeye examines the most recent film by the acclaimed Polish actor and director, Jerzy Stuhr, Tydzien z zycia mezczyzny (A Week in a Life of a Man, 1999).
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REVIEW:
What a Piece of Work is a Man!
Artur Kosinski
Stuhr, one of Krzysztof Kieslowski's favourite actors, directs himself in the leading role once again in his third film, a study of how the facade of success is riddled with the cracks of human fallibility. |
STUHR ON STUHR:
I Made a Film About Weakness...
Lukasz Maciejewski
At the Kazimierz Dolny film festival, Stuhr spoke to the press about his latest film, its making and how his films stand relative to Kieslowski's. |
THE KINOEYE ARCHIVE
Resources on Central and East European cinema.
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Books and Literature
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.
M u s i c
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.
O n D i s p l a y
EVENTS:
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
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L e t t e r s to C E R
DEAR CER:
History, Historiography and Myth
Martin D Brown
After reading the last issue of Central Europe Review on the theme of the uses of history, I felt that I had to respond to some of the issues addressed. The two articles on this subject, "Reckoning and Reconciliation" by Joanna Rohozinska and "Making History" by Andrew J Horton, both tackled the tricky subject of popular perceptions of the past, but both articles contained shortcomings. |
