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The Powerless Are Tired: 1989\u20132019<\/h1>\n
This issue provides not only a retrospective look at the last 30 years but also reflects on the current challenges for the Visegrad group that found its purpose in the dismantling of liberal democracy, unfortunately for all its citizens. Read the brand new Aspen Review.<\/strong> Thirty years after 1989 one might argue that rather than empowering liberalism in Eastern Europe, weakened liberalism and societies vulnerable to populist agitation are on the rise in the region.\u00a0Read more about\u00a0The Long Shadow of 1989<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Ma\u0142gorzata Fidelis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The recent rise of right-wing authoritarian populism calls for a critical re-assessment of the dominant narrative of capitalism\u2019s triumph and inevitable \u201cdemocratization\u201d generated by the collapse of communism\u2014Ma\u0142gorzata Fidelis<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n And if you think the main issue today is to stop the highest government authorities from introducing authoritarian elements into our system and from turning to the East, towards Russia and China, you have to read the interview with a\u00a0Czech politician, philosopher, dissident and signatory of Charter 77 who\u00a0significantly influenced the years around 1989:\u00a0Daniel Kroupa<\/strong>. He says that such belief motivates into action even those who are not particularly interested in politics. Enjoy the\u00a0Lessons from Patoc\u030cka.<\/a><\/p>\n Nobody in Russia thought about Eastern Europe as a Soviet colony. This explains why public opinion in Moscow took the so-called loss of Central Europe with a remarkable equanimity says Vladislav Zubok<\/strong> in the interview To Realize You Lose an Empire, You Have to Be a Conscious Imperialist.<\/a><\/p>\n The year 1989 was an epoch-making event, but for most Western Europeans it meant only the final collapse of inefficient political and economic systems on the periphery of the continent\u2014Basil Kerski<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The year 1989 was the birth of political Europe in which we live today. Thirty years ago, revolutions started by ordinary citizens not only led to the collapse of communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe but also, and above all, changed the face of the entire continent. Basil Kerski<\/strong> explains his thoughts on the Epoch-making Change<\/a> \u2013 read his reflections on the significance of the revolutionary year 1989.<\/p>\n And there is much more in The Powerless Are Tired<\/strong> cover stories:\u00a0Our\u00a0AYLP<\/a>\u00a0alumnus Wojciech Przybylski\u00a0<\/strong>describes The Real Tragedy of Central Europe<\/a>,\u00a0Larry Wolff\u00a0<\/strong>the\u00a0Everyday Ecstasy: Remembering 1989 in Sober Perspective and Double Exposure<\/a>\u00a0and the MEP\u00a0Gy\u00f6rgy Sch\u00f6pflin<\/strong> the\u00a0Europe after Thirty Years, as a Long Chapter of Misperceptions?<\/a><\/p>\n Pew Research Center, a US non-partisan \u2018fact tank\u2019, released a report in October \u201cEuropean Public Opinion Three Decades after the Fall of Communism\u201d based on a survey in 17 European countries. Aspen Central Europe interviewed Jacob Poushter, one of the main researchers behind the report. Read about\u00a0Redefining the East-West Divide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Interested in media?\u00a0Aspen brought more than 40 professionals, researchers, experts and practitioners from various areas of society with the most diverse perspectives possible to Prague to discuss\u00a0the current state of disinformation and its possible future development. One of the speakers was also the CEO of\u00a0RFE\/RL Jamie Fly\u00a0<\/strong>and we interviewed him about how Radio Free Europe Comes Back to Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria<\/a>. You can also read a report on the discussion and the\u00a0Disinfo Competition \u2013 Taming the Trolls and Algorithms<\/a>.<\/p>\n While disinformation in the digital world erodes the roots of democracy more than ever before, it has become more important to understand the role of digital technology and AI, to be used to face disinformation effectively and defend democratic principles\u2014Jenda \u017d\u00e1\u010dek<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n But we focussed also on other topics such as\u00a0Beijing\u2019s Bet on Expansion<\/a> by\u00a0Fu Jun<\/strong>, the\u00a0Political Turn in Contemporary Polish Art<\/a> by\u00a0Jan Sowa\u00a0<\/strong>or a review about the book\u00a0Border: a Journey to the Edge of Europe<\/a>, originally writen by Kapka Kassabova<\/strong>. And if you like even more politics, read about\u00a0The Unstoppable Rise of Czech Oligarchs<\/a> by\u00a0David Tramba<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Still don’t have enough? Read the whole articles at the\u00a0Aspen.Review<\/a>\u00a0website, download the eBook version or get a hard copy at one of our\u00a0events<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nDisinfo Competition
\n\u2014Taming the Trolls and Algorithms<\/h1>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.aspeninstitutece.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/aspen-media\/2019\/11\/cover_image_social_aspen_review_1200x6286-1024x536.jpg\")
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