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Europe: Has The West Embraced The East?

The eighth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the event that precipitated the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe and made possible the area's eventual integration with Western Europe, passed on Sunday, November 9, 1997.

This five-part series is an assessment of what Western European nations have done, and not done, collectively since the wall's fall in 1989 to bring about a single, undivided continent -- politically, economically, militarily and culturally.

It examines the work of five of Europe's most important multilateral organizations -- the Council of Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Council Of Europe--A Leading Gateway To Integration

The Council of Europe was the first of Europe's multilateral organizations to reach out to the former communist states in the East and help them to achieve swift democratic reforms. Today, 16 of its 40 member states are from the East.

NATO Expansion Changes The Political Map

A little more than a month from now, on December 16, foreign ministers of all 16 member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will sign at a meeting in Brussels the so-called Accession Protocols paving the way for the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland to become full members of the Alliance.

EU Promises Most, Delivers Least To The East

Of all of Western Europe's multilateral groups, the European Union has promised the most and delivered the least to Central and Eastern Europe in the eight years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Nor there is much prospect in the near future of the EU matching its rhetoric with a realization of the East's hopes for early membership.

How OSCE Fosters Human Rights, Security And Civil Society

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is the successor to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), also known as the Helsinki process. In the 1970s and 1980s, the standing conference brought the West and the Soviet Union and its allies together in a series of meetings to discuss human-rights abuses and military tensions in Europe.

After A Slow Start, The EBRD Builds Market Economies

Recovered from the scandal that marked its early years, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has emerged as one of the most significant institutions helping the Eastern reforming countries build market economies.

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special reports 1997