September 30 (9:00am) - October 1, 2005 (4:00pm)

Public Events Room
Eggers Hall 220
Maxwell School of Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

What influence has the EU had on post-communist countries in Europe? Is democratization in Ukraine driven by internal or external factors? What do East Central European elites think about European integration? How is the project of Russian state building responding to international influences? What role has the international community played in postwar reconstruction of the Balkans?

This conference brings together leading North American and some European scholars of former communist countries in Europe and Eurasia to discuss a growing research theme: the role of transnational actors such as the European Union, World Bank, IMF, USAID, and transnational NGOs in post-communist politics – and the response of domestic political actors and institutions to their influences.

The conference is open to the public and is designed to initiate a new research network for faculty and graduate students in upstate NY, southern Canada, and the broader Northeast. Graduate students and faculty studying post-communist countries should contact the conference organizer, Prof. Mitchell A. Orenstein, maorenst@syr.edu, to request further information.