Democracy Assistance from the Third Wave: Polish Engagement in Belarus and Ukraine

Contents

DEMYSTIFYING CROSS-BORDER NETWORKS 7 Acknowledgments ix Introduction xi List of Abbreviations xxvii 1. Belarus’s and Ukraine’s Quests for Democracy 1 2. Polish Governmental Aid Programs 33 3. The Solidarity Movement’s Lasting Legacy: Polish NGOs’ Engagement in Democracy Assistance 64 4. Demystifying Cross-Border Networks: Polish NGOs’ Civil Society Assistance in Belarus and Ukraine 94 5. Why Polish Democracy Assistance Matters 121 6. Implications for Theory and Practice 153 Appendix 1. Interviews Conducted 163 Appendix 2. Interview Questions 165 Appendix 3. Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Assistance Data 170 Appendix 4. NED Data on Cross-Border Work 171 Appendix 5. Typical Polish NGO Project Summaries 172 Notes 173 References 211 Index 243 Contents DEMYSTIFYING CROSS-BORDER NETWORKS viii DEMYSTIFYING CROSS-BORDER NETWORKS ix Acknowledgments ix I owe a tremendous debt to Barbara Chotiner, because this work could not have been written without her support and encouragement from the beginning . She allowed me the space to shape my own path of professional development without ever imposing a particular perspective. She also offered tremendous assistance when I applied for the University of Alabama Graduate Council Research Fellowship, without which the process of writing this book would have been more arduous. I appreciate her constant feedback and support amid her hectic schedule of teaching as well as advising a large number of undergraduate and graduate students. I have learned from her, both as a scholar and as a teacher, and I hope I will be able to emulate her academic excellence in the future. I would especially like to thank Terry Royed, who, as the director of graduate studies at the University of Alabama, showed me a lot of kindness, support, and understanding from the very beginning. I also would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to Harvey Kline, who inspired me to explore the topic of democratization. He also showed me that warmth and humanity make academia a friendlier environment . Douglas Gibler exposed me to recent international relations literature on democratization that improved my work and led me to new ideas, and Karl DeRouen introduced me to a new area of study that inspired my postdoctoral research. I would also like to thank Marysia Galbraith , who played an important role in preparing me for my research trip to Poland and advising me with regard to the institutional review board (IRB) process. I also would like to thank the Capstone International Center, the Department of Political Science, the Graduate School, and the Graduate Student Association at the University of Alabama for generous financial support for my fieldwork in Poland and in the United States. In my postdoctoral work, I was fortunate to have been embedded in two very stimulating intellectual environments—the University of Konstanz and the University of Mannheim. I thank Gerald Schneider, from the University of Konstanz, who supported me in my endeavors and who helped me establish myself in the discipline in Europe. I also thank Sabine Carey, x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS from the University of Mannheim, who has been an invaluable source of advice. Moreover, I would like to thank all of my colleagues at Alabama, Konstanz, and Mannheim for being great models of support and collegiality and for supplying generous portions of wit and humor amid broader discussions of my research and career goals. Obviously, this project would not have come to fruition without the input of many civil society activists. I thank each of the many representatives of Polish nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs who agreed to be interviewed for this study. They shared their valuable time and insights, and they generously equipped me with a suitcase full of valuable materials. Thank you also to representatives from the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, DC, who provided me with data that greatly strengthened my arguments in this study. I must also thank anonymous reviewers for comments that helped me improve the manuscript. Finally, I could not go far without the love and support of my family and a wide array of friends. Thank you to my parents for teaching me the importance of education and hard work and for demonstrating the value of such in their own lives. Thank you for supporting me in all my endeavors and for encouraging me to climb the academic ladder. I should mention my brothers for their interests in my project and our discussions about life and the future. Many thanks also...