Poland After Law and Justice
The defeat of hardline national-Catholic rule was welcomed with euphoria by the big-tent opposition. The outcome for the Polish left is more ambiguous.
Winter 2026
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The Spirit of Yiddish Socialism
The history of the Bund as a party came to an end long ago, but the effects of its cultural and political work live on.
Self-Determination and the War in Ukraine
We cannot know how Ukraine will develop after the war. But we know there will be horrible consequences if Russia wins.
Pyramids Everywhere
American media blamed the massive collapse of Albanian pyramid schemes in 1997 on greedy small-time investors unschooled in the free market. It could never happen here.
All Were Rebels: The Founding of the Network of East-West Women
Were we to postpone focusing on women’s interests in deference to what always gets named as more urgent—nationalist cries of crisis and cynically manipulated threat? Who gets to make history?
The 1989 Revolutions and the Roots of Illiberal Populism
The deep unfairness of the transition from communism in Central and Eastern Europe fed the illiberal populist rebellion across the region today.
Little Luck for the Left in Central and Eastern Europe
Right-wing parties, nationalists, populists, and Euroskeptics gained seats in last month’s European elections, especially in Hungary and Poland. The left, in contrast, suffered numerous defeats.
Anti-Semitism vs. Democracy in Poland
The passage this month of Poland’s notorious “Holocaust Bill” should be a warning to those who ignore the link between anti-Semitism and growing authoritarianism.
Returning to Maidan
In the early days, the Maidan protests had been something like a people’s national liberation festival. But by 2014, with war erupting in the east, euphoria and solidarity had been replaced by grief and anger.
Gender Trouble in Poland
Poland’s proposed abortion ban is part of a broader attack on women by the right-wing PiS government, which has sought to banish the word “gender” itself from the country’s vocabulary. But Polish feminists and their allies are fighting back.
Love and Death in Revolution Square
“Suffering justifies our hard and bitter life,” writes Svetlana Alexievich of Soviet life. “For us, pain is an art.”
Can You Eat Democracy?
If one thing is clear, it is that Central Europeans will not come out onto the streets solely for an abstract idea of “more democracy in Europe.” The question therefore remains: how to inspire Central Europeans to mobilize for real reform?
A Message from Prague [Open Letter to Yanis Varoufakis]
Your new pan-European movement seeks to democratize Europe. In that case, it is essential that it is joined by people from Central Europe—where xenophobia, racism, and neo-fascism are dramatically on the rise.
Will the Rise of the Far Right Mean More Human Trafficking in Europe?
By depriving immigrants of rights, governments help foster the demand for illegal trade in human lives.
A New Solidarity for the New Poland
In the post-1989 era, “there is no alternative” became not only the slogan of Poland’s economic transition but a very palpable reality. Today, as Poles celebrate #25yearsoffreedom, aggressive free-market reforms are still the order of the day, and the right is rising. So what does Poland’s post-communist generation actually have to celebrate?
