The Cable

Poland was recently the poster child of success among post-Communist countries of the former Soviet bloc. In a region rife with corruption and murky ties with Russia, Poland had very little of either and its economy was essentially unaffected by the global financial crisis of 2008. But with the rise of the right-wing populist wave sweeping Europe, Poland's election of the Law and Justice Party in 2015 has thrown into question the country's previous commitment to open society and the rule of law. That may seem baffling: immigration is negligible and GDP per person has nearly tripled since 1990. Joining the podcast to discuss the seeming paradox is Leszek Balcerowicz, the former finance minister who was the main architect of Poland's so-called "shock therapy" in the 1990s.

Join host Gregory Feifer as he discusses the little-known former Soviet republic of Moldova, one of the important battlegrounds in the mounting confrontation between Russia and the West. Joining Greg are Jonathan Katz of the German Marshall Fund, Corina Rebega of the Center for European Policy Analysis, and Valeriu Pasha of Watchdog.MD.

Elections next week will be a key determining factor for whether the country can push ahead with democratic reform or slide back into Moscow's corrupt orbit.

The stakes are large. Moldova is a so-called "grey zone," where money laundering, trafficking and other crime is rife. If Western democracies don't do enough to support their interests and ideals on Europe's periphery, what will it say about their influence and the strength of the transatlantic alliance?

The post-Cold War era in Central Europe is coming to an end. Democratic reform, socioeconomic development and Western integration once taken for granted are being replaced by uncertainty amid resurgent nationalism and the rise of illiberal politics that are hollowing out democracy and the rule of law. And how it all plays out will be central to the future of the European Union and the transatlantic alliance.

That's the argument of Joerg Forbrig and Wojciech Przybylski, the authors of an important new report called Central European Futures. After many discussions with scholars, journalists, civil society members and others, they distill five different scenarios for the region along with recommendations.

Joerg and Wojciech join Greg to discuss their conclusions and the what they mean for Central Europe, the rest of the continent and the transatlantic alliance.

The Cable is a production of the Transatlantic Democracy Working Group and the Institute of Current World Affairs in Washington. In the inaugural episode, Greg discusses the working group's mission with its leaders: Addressing threats to European democracy and the transatlantic relationship—with a particular focus on backsliding countries in Central Europe—in what may be a pivotal year ahead. Launched in April 2018, the bipartisan Transatlantic Democracy Working Group (TDWG) includes more than 65 former senior government officials, national security experts and others committed to the protection of democratic institutions and principles in defense of collective security. The group is led by Director Susan Corke, featured in this interview along with founding steering committee co-chairs Jeff Gedmin and Norm Eisen.

With democratic erosion mounting in key NATO and EU countries, TDWG and The Cable seek to prioritize a core value of the transatlantic alliance: that our democratic foundation is our security.