Regime change in the Yugoslav successor states : divergent paths toward a new Europe /

The aim of Boduszynski's study is to explain similarities and differences in post-Communist transitions in the former Yugoslav states. His argument is that the Yugoslav successor states initially followed divergent paths of transition in the first decade because they started from very different points associated with long-term disparities in economic development. However, in the second post-Communist decade, their paths have begun to converge, mainly due to strong pressure from the West and its desire to transfer democratic norms to the Balkans, as well as the desire by the new states to join European institutions that can provide economic support and military security. In taking this position, Boduszynski (Foreign Service, US Department of State) is challenging the broadly prevailing orthodoxy that post-Communist transitions in the Balkans have been driven primarily by cultural and ethnic factors. He provides a framework for comparative analysis by building on existing literature on regime type and criteria for assessing democratization. He tests his theory utilizing four case studies: Croatia (simulated democracy); Slovenia (substantive democracy); Macedonia (illegitimate democracy); and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (populist authoritarianism), which includes Serbia, Kosovo, and Montenegro. The bulk of the material and analysis focuses on the decade of the 1990s. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. D. V. Schwartz University of Toronto