The Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) has recently published a working paper entitled Nurturing Atlanticists in Central Europe: Case of Slovakia and Poland. The publication is an output of the one-year project Nurturing Atlanticists in Central Eastern Europe: the Role of Media, Education, and Public Diplomacy   which was made possible by the grant from the German Marshall Fund of the United States and was carried out in cooperation between Institute for Public Affairs, Bratislava and Institute of Public Affairs, Warsaw. This publication summarizes the findings of the project and publishes the main contributions of the international conference held in Bratislava, December 6, 2007.

The main objective of the publication is to analyze the current status of transatlantic agenda in Slovakia and Poland, as it is reflected in the work of policymakers, civic activists, business representatives and other actors. It examines also the role of media, education and public diplomacy in informing and engaging broader public in the issues of transatlantic relationship, in mediating the value background of transatlantic collaboration, as well as in promoting various modes of concrete cooperation. The authors identify good and bad practices in these areas and provide a reasonable perspective for improvements. Moreover, the country studies analyses the trends in public opinion.

The working paper has been edited and co-authored by Oľga Gyárfášová, program director at the Institute for Public Affairs. The list of authors includes Martin Bútora, Honorary President of the Institute for Public Affairs in Bratislava; Lawrence R. Silverman, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia (2005 – 2008); and the polish experts: Anna Horolets, vice-director of the Institute of Political Sciences; Piotr Kazmierkiewicz, expert and researcher at the Institute of Public Affairs; Beata Roguska and Michał Wenzel – analysts with the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS), Warsaw.

Download: Nurturing Atlanticists in Central Europe: Case of Slovakia and Poland [PDF, 1 365 KB]