Yugoslavia have separated. Europe faces a new politics as new regimes have come to power across Eastern Europe, most with at least a superficial commitment to democracy. In many places, though, nationalism is rampant and is also on the rise in some West European countries, partly in response to the growing numbers of refugees from the ex communist East. Europe faces a new economics as the post communist governments in Eastern Europe are all replacing central planning with the market as the biggest privatization drive in history is under way. The cost of transition is
proving high, though, as most of Eastern Europe is suffering from slump, with rapidly rising unemployment, high inflation, and a collapse of markets in the now disbanded Comecon trading block. The eastern slump is hurting Western Europe as well. There is a new power structure in Europe as Germany, Turkey, and Ukraine emerge as countries with greatly enhanced influence in post Soviet Europe. Unfortunately, the shift has also brought about a new European disorder. The disintegration of the Soviet empire also meant the disappearance of the post Second World War order arranged at Yalta and Potsdam, to be replaced by a plethora of uncertainties.
The post-Soviet climate is thus not as peaceful or progressive as many might hope. For decades, the Soviet Union was the primary enemy of the West, and the idea was prevalent that if the West could overcome the Soviet threat, the world would be a safer and more peaceful and economically successful place. The reality has been somewhat different. The disintegration of the Soviet empire has naturally created a sense of euphoria in the West, but it has also contributed to the development of a good deal of confusion and uncertainty. What has followed has been a series of vague plans, instant disagreements, and confusion. The security system in Europe was unjust but stable, and both policies and budgets were geared to fig...