Welcome to the interdisciplinary roundtable on the topic “Reform Processes in Eurasia: Pathways to Democracy and Autocracy”!

The Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) at Södertörn University, in co-operation with the Department of Public Administration at Södertörn University, the research platform Russia, Ukraine and the Caucasus Regional Research (RUCARR) at Malmö University and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs (Washington, DC) are planning to organize an interdisciplinary roundtable on the topic “Reform Processes in Eurasia: Pathways to Democracy and Autocracy”, which will take place on Tuesday 9 May 2023 at 13:00 at Södertörn University, CBEES, MA 796, with possibility of online participation (link below).

Over thirty years after the collapse of the USSR, the countries of post-communist and post-Soviet Eurasia have taken different paths. Where some states, such as the Baltic republics, have democratized and integrated with the EU, others have overthrown authoritarian governments and sought integration with Europe (Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) or remained authoritarian (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Central Asia).

Shifts in the attitudes of society and elites, decentralization of power and public governance, depoliticization of the judiciary with strict regulation of the rule of law and commitment to respect for human rights and freedoms remain difficult to achieve. The process of reform in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are multifaceted, a combination of domestic developments, transnational reform initiatives in the context of integration with the EU.

Sweden's presidency of the EU, which already started in January 2023 and will continue until June 2023, coincides with the war in Ukraine and with a difficult period of confrontation with the imperialist and hegemonic ambitions of authoritarian Russia. In general, Sweden, which was one of the actors in the EU strategy within the framework of the Northern Dimension policy, is interested in the implementation of the Eastern Partnership and intends to support Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine in their commitment and pursuit of democratic reforms and values, as well as respect for human rights.

Meanwhile, both domestic and transnational factors condition many countries in the region towards authoritarianism. This workshop will place emphasis on the ways in which governments seek out, adopt and adapt policies and models from abroad, including both democratic and authoritarian practices. Some governments have gravitated towards the EU, developing new policies in their efforts to integrate. Others have emulated different models. As an “authoritarian gravity center” which aims to establish loyal authoritarian regimes along the perimeter of its borders, Russia has played a role in supporting authoritarian regimes in the region. Russia supports regime consolidation through interstate political, economic and military organizations, for example, the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS), Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) or Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). For example, the IPA CIS, mainly carries out activities for legislative and policy harmonization.

The roundtable will provide a unique platform for leading experts and researchers from various fields of the social sciences to discuss the issues of reform, democratization and authoritarian consolidation.