Transitions Online
Where East Meets West
www.transitions-online.org
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In "No Easy Cure," the In Focus feature package for October,Transitions
Online examines the difficulties and dangers faced by Balkan
reconstruction. Compiled from some of Southeastern Europe's leading
journalists and experts, "No Easy Cure" features the following articles:

Don't Shoot the Messenger
by Ljiljana Smajlovic
http://www.transitions-online.org/oct99/dontsh.html

Yugoslavia's community of NGOs and independent media are feeling the heat
for their anti-war stance during the bombing. In private meetings,
international funders have accused Serbian media and NGOs of forsaking
their integrity by not risking wartime crackdowns to publish anti-Milosevic
articles. But the journalists and analysts Ljiljana Smajlovic interviews
say they have no regrets -- and they share a sneaking suspicion that the
West is simply looking for someone to blame.

A Dead End to Reform
by James Lyon
http://www.transitions-online.org/oct99/adeadend.html

After five years of throwing money into Bosnia's corrupt, inefficient, and
fundamentally flawed infrastructure, the West's honeymoon with Balkan
reconstruction is losing its luster. This time around, proponents of the
Stability Pact are claiming they've got no illusions. But after James Lyon,
director of the International Crisis Group's Sarajevo office, finishes
itemizing the inherent problems in the West's reconstruction efforts in
Bosnia, there's little left to demonstrate that trying to rebuild Kosovo
will be any different.

The Price of Acquiescence
by Bianca Guruita
http://www.transitions-online.org/oct99/theprice.html

Months after the Romanian government scrambled to side with the West during
the bombing, no aid is in sight, the economy's losses are mounting by the
minute, and frustrated companies -- after being glaringly omitted from
reconstruction plans -- are ducking the government altogether and scoring
business deals in the Balkans on their own. Even the promise of NATO
accession is wearing thin for Romanians.

Fighting the Fear in Yugoslavia
by Boris Begovic
http://www.transitions-online.org/oct99/fight.html

Fear and its manipulation by politicians has been the biggest stumbling
block to economic and political reform in the Balkans. Over the years, the
region's populists and demagogues have effectively manipulated these fears
in order to prevent reforms. No one has proved better at this than Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic. Boris Begovic, a Belgrade-based economist,
details the necessary measures for institutional and economic reform and
argues that the elimination of this fear is crucial to the reconstruction
process.

The Great Divide
by Tomas Miglierina
http://www.transitions-online.org/oct99/thegreat.html

Rural areas were never treated well in socialist Yugoslavia. It was in the
cities -- the home of the proletariat -- where development marched at a
quicker pace. Bosnian reconstruction was no different. Aid workers --
reluctant to venture into remote villages, which were safe havens for
troublemakers or indicted war criminals -- concentrated their efforts in
the towns and cities. But if early indicators are anything to go by, the
United Nations Mission in Kosovo and other international agencies may not
repeat the same mistake.

Cashing in on Cooperation
by Christopher Karadjov
http://www.transitions-online.org/oct99/cashing.html

For Velizar Sabchev, the war in Kosovo was a blessing. His firm, Sabsta 67,
has been supplying window glass to home-builders in the Kosovo town of Pec
since late July. Sabchev's success as an entrepreneur in post-war
Yugoslavia reflects a trend to cash in on the reconstruction of the region.
During the bombing, governmental approval ratings took a nose-dive, and
popular support for Bulgarian NATO membership dropped to 40 percent. But
politicians and ordinary citizens alike now believe Bulgaria should be
rewarded handsomely for its unwavering support for NATO's strikes against a
neighboring Slavic country. And although there is no clear idea what the
fair price for such a commitment should be, the general mood is that
Bulgaria is closer to the West than it was before the Kosovo crisis.

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Using a network of local correspondents, Transitions Online publishes a
monthly selection of articles focusing on a particular theme with a broad
regional impact. We also regularly post opinion pieces, media articles, and
other feature stories. In the coming months, our coverage will expand to
include a Week in Review section and our Analytical Forum, which will
publicize academic and public research, creating an online community of
experts.

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