Cross-Regional Ethnopolitics in Central and Eastern Europe: Lessons from the Western Balkans and the Baltic States (Central and Eastern European Perspectives on International Relations)

This book bridges the gap between academic researchers and policymaking experts working on the Western Balkans and those dealing with the Baltic States. Within the frame of a comparative and cross-regional approach, Vassilis Petsinis generates new insights in subjects as diverse as: how geopolitics shape the management of ethnic relations; the variants of Euroscepticism; opposition to immigration and LGBTQI rights; the patterns of multi-ethnic cohabitation; as well as the endeavour by parties of the populist and radical right to embed their platforms into the longer trajectories of ethno-nationalism in the countries and societies studied (Estonia and Latvia from the Baltic States; Croatia and Serbia from the Western Balkans). This work also assesses the extent to which the centrality of ethnic cleavages can be contested, temporarily effaced, or ultimately transformed by the increasing significance of the economy (social welfare and transparency) in multi-ethnic societies. The book adds a sound contribution towards updating and upgrading the study of ethnopolitics not solely across Central and Eastern Europe, but as a whole. Vassilis Petsinis is Senior Research Fellow in Comparative Politics at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu, Estonia. Acknowledgements Praise for Cross-Regional Ethnopolitics in Central and Eastern Europe Contents About the Author Acronyms List of Tables 1 Introduction Navigating Through Crises: A Cross-Regional Focus and Main Objectives of This Book Outline and Content of Chapters Literary Overview: Setting the Conceptual and Analytical Frames Euroscepticism, Minority Rights, and Identity Politics: The Cases of Croatia and Serbia Institutional Politics, Party Politics, and Ethnopolitics: The Cases of Estonia and Latvia Geopolitics, Ethnopolitics, and the EU: The Cases of Latvia and Serbia Geopolitics, Ethnopolitics, and the EU: The Cases of Estonia and Croatia Bibliography and Other Sources 2 Literary Overview: Setting the Conceptual and Analytical Frames Introduction Transitional Processes and Their Legacies in the Former Yugoslavia and the Baltic States: Why Ethnopolitics Matter Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Ethnopolitics: Then and Now The Ethno-Symbolic Approach: The Nation as a Socio-Psychological Phenomenon Between Triadic and Quadratic Configurations of Ethnopolitics From the Theory to Practice in Central and Eastern Europe: The 1990s From the Theory to Practice in Central and Eastern Europe: Contemporary Cases Nativism, Euroscepticism, and Populism: Conceptual Definitions Nativism Euroscepticism Populism Radical Versus Extremist Right-Wing Parties New Actors Enter the Scene: The Necessity to Update and Upgrade Bibliography and Other Sources 3 Euroscepticism, Minority Rights, and Identity Politics: The Cases of Croatia and Serbia Introduction Euroscepticism in Central and Eastern Europe: A Retrospective and Contextual Overview Euroscepticism in Croatia and Serbia: Main Actors and Primary Areas of Concern Minority Rights in Croatia and Serbia: Between European Persuasion and Domestic Practice Croatia Serbia Euroscepticism and the Management of Ethnic Relations in Croatia and Serbia Croatia Serbia Geopolitical Concerns and Euroscepticism in Croatia and Serbia Croatia Serbia Gender-related Issues and Euroscepticism in Croatia and Serbia Croatia Serbia The Migration Crisis and Euroscepticism in Croatia and Serbia Croatia Serbia In Lieu of a Conclusion Bibliography and Other Sources 4 Institutional Politics, Party Politics, and Ethnopolitics: The Cases of Estonia and Latvia Introduction Narratives of ‘Alien Rule’, ‘Colonisation’, and ‘Decolonisation’ in Estonia and Latvia: A Conceptual and Contextual Overview EKRE and NA: Ideological Foundations, Trajectories of Evolution, and Primary Areas of Concern The Bauska Declaration (2013): Establishing Ideological Pillars EKRE: Formation and Early Stages EKRE’s Core Principles: A Populist and Radical Right-Wing Party That Operates in Estonia NA: Formation Process and Early Stages The NA’s Core Principles: A National Conservative Party That Operates in Latvia The Latvian and Estonian Party-Systems: Continuity Versus ‘Situational Adaptability’ A State of Continuity in Latvia A State of ‘Situational Adaptability’ in Estonia Oscillating Between the Present and the Past: EKRE and the NA on Nativism and Anti-Immigration EKRE and the Migration Crisis (2015–2016): Grass-Roots Mobilisation, Anti-Establishment Rhetoric, and Euroscepticism The Nativism of EKRE: Framing the Present Inside the Context of the Past The NA and the Migration Crisis (2015–2016): Navigating the Halls of Power The Nativism of the NA: Framing the Present Inside the Context of the Past In Lieu of a Conclusion Bibliography and Other Sources 5 Geopolitics, Ethnopolitics, and the EU: The Cases of Latvia and Serbia Introduction The Management of Ethnic Relations in Latvia and Serbia: Constitutional and Legal Arrangements Contrasting Legacies from the Communist Era Serbia: A Multilevel Infrastructure Latvia: A Centralised Legal Framework The Management of Ethnic Relations in Serbia and Latvia: Between Domestic Ethnopolitics and Regional Geopolitics Systemic Transformation Versus a Pattern of Continuity Geopolitics and Ethnopolitics: Readjustment Versus Maintenance The Engagement of the EU as an External Actor: Enabling Versus Disabling Circumstances The Management of Ethnic Relations in Latvia and Serbia: The Dimension of Party Politics Contesting the EU and Minority Rights: A Retrospective Overview Party Politics, European Politics, and Ethnopolitics: The View from Within the Halls of Power The Management of Ethnic Relations in Latvia and Serbia: Realities ‘on the Ground’ Geopolitics, Ethnopolitics, and the EU: What the People Think Ethnopolitics on the Grass-Roots Level: Regional and Sociocultural Dimensions In Lieu of a Conclusion Bibliography and Other Sources 6 Geopolitics, Ethnopolitics, and the EU: The Cases of Estonia and Croatia Introduction The Sphere of Domestic Politics: Ethnos Versus Demos in Estonia and Croatia (1990s) Croatia and Estonia as Independent States: Constitutional and Legal Realities National Survival, Narratives of ‘Self Versus Other’, and Their Political Repercussions The Interaction Between Domestic and External Actors in the 1990s States, Ethnic Minorities, External Homelands, and the EU in Estonia and Croatia Estonia: A More Pragmatic Stance Systemic Transformation Versus the Persistence of National Survival: The Cases of Croatia and Estonia in the 2000s Croatia’s Change of Course and Its Significance Recycling Institutional Legacies from the Yugoslav Era and Cooperating with the EU Estonia: A Few Steps Forward Contemporary Estonian Nationalism: The Functions of Restoration and Decolonisation The Emphasis on National Survival Halts More Substantial Developments in Estonia Between Breakthroughs and Backslidings (the 2010s) Estonia: Towards a More Inclusive Version of the Ethnic Democracy Model The ‘EKRE Phenomenon’ and Its Repercussions on the Management of Ethnic Relations in Estonia Contesting the State Legislation on Minority Rights in Croatia: Emergence of a Multilevel Nexus Assessing the Risks: Placing Estonia and Croatia into a Comparative Context Patterns of Ethnic Relations in Estonia and Croatia: The Sociocultural Dimension Intercultural Realities and Regional Politics in Croatia: The Case of Istria Estonia: Soviet Legacies and the Shift Towards Integration In Lieu of a Conclusion Bibliography and Other Sources 7 Final Remarks, Conclusions, and Trajectories for Further Research Intersections Between Regional Geopolitics and Domestic Ethnopolitics Intersections Among Ethno-Nationalism, Nativism, and (Right-Wing) Populism Intersections Between Ethno-Nationalism and Euroscepticism Ethnopolitics ‘On the Ground’: The Sociocultural Dimension Trajectories for Further Research Bibliography Index