Which Way Forward for Europe’s Hybrid Regimes ? (The German Marshall Fund of the United States)
https://blog.gmfus.org/2013/05/02/which-way-forward-for-europes-hybrid-regimes/
While the fall of the Berlin Wall was hailed as the end of non-democratic regimes around the world, many of the Soviet successor states that embarked on the democratization path are still stuck in a grey zone between democracy and authoritarianism two decades later. Some progress has been made in such countries as Georgia, Moldova, or Ukraine, but there are few cases of unequivocal democratic consolidation. In Europe’s eastern neighborhood, liberal and illiberal norms, institutions, and actors coexist, interact, and clash in ways that preclude democratic consolidation. These countries are a useful reminder that illiberal elements do not simply fade away after regime change occurs — in fact, they can prove quite resilient.