Carlton J. H. Hayes – författare

How are democracy and market reforms faring in East Central Europe and the former Soviet Union? Is civil society expanding or shrinking? Are the media free or fettered by official constraints? To what degree are nations governed by the rule of law? Are human rights respected? Do taxation and trade policies, property rights reforms, banking laws, privatization, and macroeconomic policies encourage or encumber private sector development and economic growth?In Nations in Transit 2000-2001, Freedom House asked leading regional specialists and in-house experts to answer a checklist of more than 70 indicators for 27 post-Communist countries in ten key areas: political process, civil society, independent media, governance and public administration, constitutional, legislative and judicial framework, corruption, privatization, macroeconomic policy, microeconomic policy, and social sector indicators.The results are incisive, authoritative, and comprehensive country-by-country reports which assess the progress of East Central European and former Soviet countries in ridding themselves of repressive political systems and inefficient statist economies. As an added dimension, Freedom House also developed a rating system which allows for a comparative analysis of countries in terms of democratic and market reforms. Nations in Transit is an invaluable resource for government and non-governmental institutions, schools and universities, and anyone else interested in better understanding the political, economic, and legal structures and institutions that compromise the infrastructure on which the transition to open societies and markets depends.

This classic volume tells the story of nationalism, the fusion of patriotism with ethnic consciousness. It documents the emergence of nationalism in the modern world and the way that nationalism has become a substitute for religion over the past two centuries. Nationalism, for Hayes, draws its power from cultural and social factors, primarily language. Second to language are historical forces that stem from an accumulation of a people's remembered or imagined experiences.Hayes bases his observations on historic European examples. He sees nationalism as a religion, reacting against historic Christianity and the values of the Western tradition. This combination of powerful forces stresses neither charity nor the brotherhood of man. Historically it has rationalized selfishness, intolerance, and violence. The growth of nationalism, Hayes observed, brings not peace but war.As a testament to its timeless insight, Nationalism remains an informative guide despite the failure of globalization, the Internet, and international communications and connectivity to move us beyond the bonds of nationalism. Hayes's linking of the potent forces of nationalism and religion still rings true: the insurgency in Ukraine, the unrest in the Middle East, and tribal conflicts in Africa are all undergirded by nationalist sentiments.

How are democracy and market reforms faring in East Central Europe and the former Soviet Union? Is civil society expanding or shrinking? Are the media free or fettered by official constraints? To what degree are nations governed by the rule of law? Are human rights respected? Do taxation and trade policies, property rights reforms, banking laws, privatization, and macroeconomic policies encourage or encumber private sector development and economic growth?In Nations in Transit 2000-2001, Freedom House asked leading regional specialists and in-house experts to answer a checklist of more than 70 indicators for 27 post-Communist countries in ten key areas: political process, civil society, independent media, governance and public administration, constitutional, legislative and judicial framework, corruption, privatization, macroeconomic policy, microeconomic policy, and social sector indicators.The results are incisive, authoritative, and comprehensive country-by-country reports which assess the progress of East Central European and former Soviet countries in ridding themselves of repressive political systems and inefficient statist economies. As an added dimension, Freedom House also developed a rating system which allows for a comparative analysis of countries in terms of democratic and market reforms. Nations in Transit is an invaluable resource for government and non-governmental institutions, schools and universities, and anyone else interested in better understanding the political, economic, and legal structures and institutions that compromise the infrastructure on which the transition to open societies and markets depends.