Conference reports

Russia maintains its focus on gas

The Russian energy strategy for the next few years includes lofty goals. While other countries are investing 1.5 percent of their GDP in the energy sector, Russia is spending 5 percent. This was noted at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) Annual Conference on Russian and Eurasian Studies.

By Ninna Mörner January 10, 2011

Human trafficking is likely to increase and become even more complex

Professor Shelley was the keynote speaker at the “Human Trafficking: The Nexus Between Research and Operative Work” conference in Uppsala, Sweden on November 25, 2010. She noted that human trafficking always grows where there are large social gaps and little opportunity for poor people to improve their situation. However the organization, manifestation and methods used in the combat are culturally distinctive.

By Ninna Mörner January 7, 2011

The Future of the Eastern Partnership Policy

Last month Baltic Worlds' reporter visited two conferences being held in Poland with the aim of discussing the one and half year of EU’s Eastern Partnership Policy (EaP) and trying to generate new proposals for the future work of the EU towards Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus. The main aim of the EaP is to promote democracy and economic integration with the Union of the six countries involved in the program, which is not an easy task.

By Peter Johnsson December 17, 2010

ICCEES Eight World Congress. Gorbachev and Perestroika

ICCEES’ (International Council for Central and Eastern European Studies) Eight World Congress “Eurasia: Prospects for Wider Communication” took place in Stockholm, Sweden in July 2010. Host was the Swedish Society for the Study of Russia, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Sällskapet ). Here you may read Mikhail Gorbachev´s speech, presented at the Opening Ceremony by Pavel Palazhchenko, advisor and interpreter to Mikhail Gorbachev. Also available is an essay based on Professor Archie Browns key note lecture “Gorbachev and Perestroika: a 25th Anniversary Perspective”. The Opening Ceremony and a discussion between Archie Brown, Jack Matlock, author and US ambassador in Moscow 1987‐1991 and Pavel Palazhchenko is published as video films here.

By Ninna Mörner August 25, 2010

To the Participants of the VIII World Congress of the International Council for Central and East European Studies

Gorbachev here emphasize that the essence of glasnost was a real dialogue between authorities and society. The dialogue, he argues here, required a rejection of all forms of censorship and pressure on the mass media, the existence of rights for freedom of assembly, meetings and demonstrations, freedom of conscience, and the creation of public organisations. All this was done in the perestroika years according to Gorbachev.

By Mikhail Gorbachev August 25, 2010

Tension between those who have information and those who need it. Will REACH be helpful?

The Fourth Stakeholders’ meeting gathered more than 400 delegates from government, industry, and labor, as well as consumer, environmental, health, and animal welfare groups and non-governmental organizations. The hottest discussion focused on the issue of information sharing.

By Oksana Udovyk June 21, 2010

Do it yourself urbanism. Vertical building extensions

Working-class neighborhoods in post-communist countries have often been depicted as unable to adapt to the new economic situation. Stefan Bouzarovski has studied urban development and reached the conclusion that residents in working-class areas may, in fact, display considerable resilience and adaptability to the new housing market. One coping mechanism has been to enlarge apartments by building so-called vertical building extensions.

By Johnny Rodin May 26, 2010

Male historians in exile. Constantly relating to their background

After World War II, researchers in a number of scholarly fields, particularly literary criticism and history, have investigated the various activities of emigrant and exile groups. Leading scholars of East European history have long sought to direct their focus to the decisive importance of exiled intellectuals in 20th century East European history-writing and nation-building. It is gratifying that this research area has become the subject of a conference, “East and Central European History Writing in Exile — International Dissemination of Knowledge”, held December 3–5 at Södertörn University, arranged by CBEES, within the framework of the research theme “cultural theory”.

By Markus Huss February 24, 2010

After the “German question”: A “Russian question” in Europe remains

Södertörn University held a conference on the legacies of 1989, “Recasting the Peaceful Revolution”. The predominating perspective during the entire conference: the fall of communism was the result of popular pressure and protest from below, not of great-power politics. Much was to be celebrated the automn of 2009.

By Anders Mellbourn February 24, 2010

Women about women. Discourses on both sides of the Iron Curtain

At the exact time that voices in the Swedish public debate increasingly questioned obstacles to women’s participation in professional work on an equal footing with men, the opposite tendency could be observed in Soviet Russian debates. Here an excerpt from a paper presented at the Aleksanteri Institute’s ninth annual conference.

By Helene Carlbäck February 24, 2010