Features

Features offer in-depth accounts of issues related to the region without prior peer-review process.

In crisis Riga turns left

Latvia’s deep economic down-turn has brought about a historical political change. A left-wing party has won an election and come to power in Riga. The local party is dominated by ethnic Russian politicians.

By Arne Bengtsson February 19, 2010

Brain-Drain. Or Brain-Gain?

Many migrate from poor regions of Europe to the richer regions. In the richer regions, there is a need for workers to fill low-paid jobs on the black market.

By Anna Danielsson February 19, 2010

Bridge over the Narva River

Narva is the EU’s port to Russia. Here, Swedes, Germans, Russians, and Estonians have had their interests. Today, the official language is Estonian and it is difficult for the Russian minority to obtain citizenship.

By Arne Bengtsson February 19, 2010

Shipwreckin’ in the Baltic

The Baltic Sea is difficult to navigate, through the ages many vessels have been wrecked. Marine archaeologists tell us about discoveries of ships and the difficulties involved in preserving the wrecks on land.

By Ann-Louise Martin February 19, 2010

EHU A Light in the Darkness of Belarus

European Humanities University, EHU, is a Belarusian university in exile that educates Belarusians in an academic environment that encourages the development of independent views. Students run the risk of arrest and interrogation by the Belarusian police. Some can no longer return to Belarus during school breaks.

By Peter Lodenius February 19, 2010

An economic explanation of 1989. When debt-ridden elites left the scene

In the fall of 2009, Uncivil Society: 1989 and the Implosion of the Communist Establishment by Stephen Kotkin was published. The book offers a new interpretation of the causes behind the Eastern European collapse of 1989, utilizing structural and economic explanations.

By AnuMai Kõll February 19, 2010

Separate worlds

Of Lithuania’s 220,000 Jews, 94 percent were killed during the Holocaust. But few in Lithuania want to talk about crimes other than those committed by the Soviets against the Lithuanian minority. Today, slogans such as “Juden Raus” can again be heard on the streets of Vilnius.

By Arne Bengtsson February 18, 2010

Transplants and Organ Trafficking

The body as a commodity that can be sold, or its parts bought. Organ donation as an altruistic act. Which factors determine the approach to organ trade?

By Ann-Louise Martin February 18, 2010