Linus Hoeller, Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism Historical overview of the region’s democratization and backsliding When the “communist” dictatorships of Eastern Europe fell, one by one, in 1989 – and, with the exception of Romania, in a remarkably peaceful fashion – western euphoria was great. These countries and their people, newly “liberated” from their…
Category: Europe
Written by Linus Hoeller Lesen Sie diesen Artikel auf Deutsch Lea este artículo en Español 2020 has already been a year marked by incredible societal change, induced by the Covid-19 pandemic, the accompanying economic downturn and other factors, such as the renewed global reckoning with racism and colonial histories. Europe was by no means spared…
By Linus Hoeller Title image: a man looks at a list of PiS scandals on display outside the presidential palace in the week leading up to the election. (Linus Hoeller / The World Uncensored) Update June 29th, 07 UTC: Polling stations closed at 9 pm Sunday evening, after which an exit poll was released, showing…
Diesen Artikel auf Deutsch lesen The emergence and subsequent global spread of a novel type of coronavirus in the first half of 2020 abruptly put the brakes on our globalized society. Borders went up, planes stayed down, and people all over the world stayed home. As a result of lockdowns, our usually mobile world suddenly…
¡Lea este artículo en Español aquí! Europe has become the epicenter for COVID-19, the respiratory disease sweeping the world and completely uprooting established ways of life in early 2020. In full panic mode and racing to contain the outbreak, most countries have imposed harsh restrictions on movement both within their borders and across them. The…
Few factors have as much of an influence on an incoming undergraduates’ decision of which university to attend as higher education rankings. For many prospective students, prestige and reputation play some of the biggest roles in their college decision. Applying to all Ivy League schools, or all “top 10” or “top 20” schools has become…
Several European countries are heading to the polls in the weeks and months to come. With populism on an unprecedented level throughout the continent, these elections are well worth watching. Has Europe reached “peak populism” yet, or will voters cast their ballots in favor of extreme political views in even higher numbers than before? We…
US press freedom is now considered “problematic” according to a key index. Here’s why.
Europe is the “freest” continent according to most indices and rankings, including Freedom House’s new 2019 “Freedom in the World” report. Though two countries – Serbia and, as the only EU country, Hungary – were downgraded from “free” to “partly free” this year (mainly for government-sanctioned intimidation and legal steps against opposition), the overwhelming majority…
Eastern Europe has caught up with the west in terms of democracy and economy. But central Asia hasn’t, despite both coming out of the same Soviet system. Why is that?