Contenu du sommaire

Sandor Richter, Central Europe: the Economic Transition Central Europe has had a makeover in the last 20 years. The gap between the level of development in Central and Western Europe has undoubtedly shrunk. Inequalities and unemployment have risen, but not as drastically as was anticipated. Entry into the EU has been a major factor in this, and the transition from planned economy to market economy will be completed by 2013 – when restrictions on equality of treatment between older and newer members of the European Union will be lifted.

Georges Mink, Politics in Poland: it's a Mixed Bag Is Poland – a pioneer in putting an end to communism – lagging behind its neighbors when it comes to democracy? Through negotiating a step-by-step transition in which ex-communists played a part, did Poland surrender the opportunity for a clean break? Governmental instability in the last 15 years bears witness to this ongoing debate. What does emerge though is that the country's fundamental choices – economic liberalization and the European option – have de facto been confirmed by all the successive governments.

Matthieu Chillaud, The Baltic States: a Model in Terms of Integration? So-called star pupils in the transition, the Baltic states have waited for their integration into the Atlantic Alliance and the European Union for longer than they would have liked. Now well and truly a part of the Euro-Atlantic community, the Baltic states are concerned about the consequences of ultra-liberal economic policies pushed to extremes. Another question mark is their diplomatic influence with regard to the issues in Georgia and Ukraine and, consequently, with regard to the relations between the West and Moscow.

Jean-Antoine Giansily and Éliane Mossé, Has There Been a Slovakian Miracle? Slovakia was long held to be the slow learner in the transition because of its difficult start in 1993. Yet, since its independence and to everyone's surprise, Slovakia has successfully put in place the institutions necessary to the life of a nation; what is more, economically speaking, Slovakia is a real success story (foreign investment is rising while inflation and unemployment are on the decline). These achievements were crowned, in early 2009, by Slovakia's inclusion in the single European currency.

Krzysztof Soloch, Central European Countries Torn Between European Solidarity and Atlantic Preference Central European countries are now fully integrated into the Euro-Atlantic institutions. Yet this integration caused much controversy in the 1990s. Indeed, post-Cold War paradigms can be interpreted very differently in Western and in Central Europe – referring as they did to starkly contrasting pasts. In spite of growing integration within the EU, some problems hence remain unsolved – namely relations between the EU and NATO, as well as relations with Eastern Europe.

Olivier Louis, The Indian Economy, or How to Keep a World-Wide Crisis at Bay For 35 years, India's development followed a socialist and planned pattern. The liberal reforms which were introduced in the late 1980s have not since been questioned. These reforms, as well as the very nature of India's development, seem to have adequately equipped the country to resist the global crisis. Nevertheless, India still has serious issues to tackle in terms of agriculture, environmental protection and educational reforms.

Gilles Boquérat, India and Its Neighboring Countries: the Painstaking Shift From Confrontation to Cooperation As part of its development, India has officially stated that it wishes to initiate cooperative relations with its neighboring countries. But India's regional reinvestment may prove somewhat problematic. Firstly with Pakistan: indeed, there has been no fundamental shift in the relationship between both countries and it remains strained. With other countries – first and foremost China – the diplomatic heritage is complex. As for regional economic integration, it seems to be at a standstill.

Max-Jean Zins, India: the Coalitions Era The Congress Party's landslide victory at the 2009 general election should not overshadow the changes that have come about since the earlier stages of its political dominance. Its political stronghold has decreased even though it has benefited from the majority rule electoral system. The Congress Party must now enter coalitions. In a wider sense, the party system itself has evolved, as has the nature of the Indian political elite.

Raphaël Gutmann, The Mayawati Paradox: Identity Manipulation and Indian Normality Dalit – a.k.a. “untouchable” – Kumari Mayawati embodies her caste's emancipation: the leader of the BSP Party, she also heads Uttar Pradesh. She is all at once revered for her courage and criticized for her megalomania, her authoritarianism, and even her venality. Despite her party's relative failure at the latest general elections, she will no doubt play a part in the radical changes Indian society is undergoing, as well as in the gradual emancipation of the outcast groups.

Vivien A. Schmidt, “Region-State”, a New Identity for the European Union? The current conflicting views concerning the future of the European Union presumably require a double departure from the current setup: a departure from the rule of unanimity and from the idea of uniformity. Such fundamental changes would allow the EU to move towards the creation of a true region-state in which differentiated cooperation would be strengthened. This also presupposes a democratization of the European institutions, as well as the development of economic policies that are specific to the European Union.

Marco Overhaus, Bosnia-Herzegovina: the Limits of the European Way of Crisis Management The European Union tried to implement the means for a global approach in Bosnia-Herzegovina: civil intervention tools, military and police operations... Results are inconclusive. Though Bosnia-Herzegovina is overall stable, the country's divisions have hindered significant structural reforms. And, in spite of its efforts, the European Union has yet to demonstrate its capacity to handle a complex and relatively unstable situation.

Céline Pajon, Maritime Cooperation Between India and Japan: Asia Reasserts Itself Through the Sea Japan and India have tightened their bonds in recent years. This budding relationship has been sealed by a maritime cooperation aimed at protecting naval routes and at asserting both countries' presence. However, this cooperation is stunted by a number of factors – especially because of Japanese constitutional limitations – and remains largely influenced by China and the US.

Rashid Khalidi, What Can the Palestinians Do? The current crisis of the Palestinian political system can be traced far back. In essence, the Palestinians have repeatedly failed to adapt their strategy to the different moments of their changing relationship with Israel. Meanwhile, Israel has ceaselessly pursued and reinforced a policy of colonization – the latter belying the very idea of Palestinian autonomy. Between the Oslo failure, the current obstruction from the Israeli side, and the Palestinians' divisions, even the two-state solution may disappear.

Pierre Razoux, New Deal in the Middle East? The United States' proclaimed intention to bridge the gap with the Arab and Muslim world is a turning point in the Middle East. Israel finds itself further isolated by this decision, as Benjamin Netanyahu's latest visit to Washington has shown. As new regional structures are emerging, the three main players in a forefront position are Syria, Turkey and Iran, whose evolution should be closely followed after the presidential election.