While the European Union muddles through a period of deep crisis, trying to balance the demands of financial markets and national electorates, historically minded analysts cast around for comparable scenarios in the recent past. Some look to the south and the disintegration of Yugoslavia during the 1990s.

While the death of Yugoslavia was part suicide and part murder, it was to a great degree the lack of (economic) solidarity that broke the country. The northern republic of Slovenia, for example, began to fear that its financial contributions to the former Yugoslavia’s shared public funds were being squandered by less developed republics and corrupt government spending. Is something similar happening in Europe today? If so, can we draw some lessons from the past that might help the future of the common European project?

PARTICIPANTS: Aleš Debeljak (Professor of Cultural Studies, University of Ljubljana), Anton Pelinka (Professor of Political Science, Central European University, Budapest, IFK_Guest of the Director)

Podium in Englischer Sprache

Eine Kooperation des IFK mit Slowenisches Kulturinformationszentrum SKICA