New Eastern Europe Magazine 1-2/2021: January-March Back Issue

We start this new year with a lot of questions, some hope and certainly plenty of reflections. The previous year, 2020, will for sure remain in our memory as the year of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Yet we also all know that beyond the public health crisis, the region of Central and Eastern Europe continued to confront political challenges as well. Most visibly, this is seen in Belarus. However, the recent elections in Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova indicate significant changes too.

These developments have compelled our authors and interviewees to posit the question on the current state and direction of democracy in the region and the world at large. Do they symbolise optimism for a turn away from illiberal practices? Such seems to be the case of Lithuania and Moldova. Or will authoritarian rulers use the illusion of elections to consolidate even greater power – as this year’s Duma elections in Russia will certainly demonstrate.

Likewise, the election of Joe Biden as president in the United States signifies a political shift that reverberates well beyond domestic American politics. The new administration has already suggested an ambitious agenda for its foreign policy which includes a strong emphasis on transatlantic relations and a renewed focus on human rights in many parts of the world. That is why in this issue, our authors also reflect on what a Biden presidency might mean to some key parts of our region, including Russia, Ukraine and Central Europe.