Alex Newman
Literature
Mrs.Gould
5-3-18
It is difficult to tell from Belgrade’s swanky new restaurants, that about a quarter of Serbs live at risk of poverty, according to World Bank and Serbian Statistical Office. The past thirty years have transformed Serbia from a relatively egalitarian society with a functioning social support network, to an increasingly stratified society where the benefits disproportionately flow towards the wealthy. This stratification is increasingly shaping Serbia’s political scene and putting an enormous strain on our fledgling democracy. While those who went through the transition unscathed or wealthier are content with the untamed “invisible hand” sorting out Serbia’s fortunes, those who did not benefit mourn …show more content…
The functioning of Serbian Political parties as employment bureaus also means that their power to control lives has disproportionately grown in impoverished areas. Although some in Serbian liberal circles have blamed the “Serbian mentality” for the lack of functioning democratic institutions, risking poverty for the sake of ideals is a valiant but often impossible choice if you have dependents to feed. To make things even worse, democratic liberals in Serbia have had,at best, a mixed record in terms of communicating with the wider public and clearly demonstrating the Benefits of a functioning democratic system to an average person. Given that the liberals are already facing an uphill struggle the pro government media regularly describes them as out of touch “Enemies of the people” poking fun at those who are much worse off does not win any hearts.In 1965, the British writer Patrick Seale published his classic “The Struggle for Syria: 1945-1958.” His history of the Syrian Republic’s first 13 years depicted a fragile, weak state, torn by domestic conflicts and buffeted by more powerful
Literature
Mrs.Gould
5-3-18
It is difficult to tell from Belgrade’s swanky new restaurants, that about a quarter of Serbs live at risk of poverty, according to World Bank and Serbian Statistical Office. The past thirty years have transformed Serbia from a relatively egalitarian society with a functioning social support network, to an increasingly stratified society where the benefits disproportionately flow towards the wealthy. This stratification is increasingly shaping Serbia’s political scene and putting an enormous strain on our fledgling democracy. While those who went through the transition unscathed or wealthier are content with the untamed “invisible hand” sorting out Serbia’s fortunes, those who did not benefit mourn …show more content…
The functioning of Serbian Political parties as employment bureaus also means that their power to control lives has disproportionately grown in impoverished areas. Although some in Serbian liberal circles have blamed the “Serbian mentality” for the lack of functioning democratic institutions, risking poverty for the sake of ideals is a valiant but often impossible choice if you have dependents to feed. To make things even worse, democratic liberals in Serbia have had,at best, a mixed record in terms of communicating with the wider public and clearly demonstrating the Benefits of a functioning democratic system to an average person. Given that the liberals are already facing an uphill struggle the pro government media regularly describes them as out of touch “Enemies of the people” poking fun at those who are much worse off does not win any hearts.In 1965, the British writer Patrick Seale published his classic “The Struggle for Syria: 1945-1958.” His history of the Syrian Republic’s first 13 years depicted a fragile, weak state, torn by domestic conflicts and buffeted by more powerful