Lukes Lectures at Conference on Central European Politics
Igor Lukes, Professor of International Relations and History at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, spoke recently at a conference about the 30th anniversary of the independent Czech Republic at the University of Toronto.
Lukes discussed Central Europe in broad terms during the conference, tracing countries’ growth and development throughout the past 30 years. Central Europe, though a largely secure area, has been recently experiencing democratic backsliding throughout the region. Primarily, Poland and Hungary, two of the largest states in Central Europe, have especially shifted to more authoritarian styles of government and provided experts with a cause for concern.
The conference also addressed the successes and failures of the Czech Republic throughout political turmoil and navigating the challenges of young statehood. After 1993, the Czechoslovak Federation was dissolved and the Czech Republic became a sovereign nation. It diplomatically modernized relatively quickly, with acceptance to NATO several years later and rapprochement with Germany. Since then, amid tense relations with its neighbor Slovakia, the Czech Republic has continued to grow and develop into one of the most stable countries in Central Europe.
More information on the conference is located here.
Igor Lukes is a past winner of the 1997 Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2020 winner of the Gitner Prize for Faculty Excellence at the Pardee School. He writes primarily about Central Europe. His work has won the support of various other institutions, including Fulbright, Fulbright-Hays, the Woodrow Wilson Center, IREX, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Read more about Professor Lukes on his faculty profile.