It is not altogether surprising that the thirtieth anniversary of the collapse of communism has prompted many to question the choices made during post-communist transitions in the Central and Eastern Europe. In many places, Soviet-style planning was replaced by cronyism and mafia regimes, while other countries saw ethnic strife and war. And even the most successful post-communist societies, such as Poland, have been lately turning their backs on liberal democracy.In a powerful essay in The Guardian, Ivan Krastev and Stephen Holmes argue that transitions prompted an inevitable backlash in the form of today’s authoritarian populism under which “political opposition is …read more
Source:: The American Interest
