Csergő, Zsuzsa, Eglitis, Daina S. & Pickering, Paula M. (eds), Central & East European Politics. Changes and Challenges. 5th edition. Lanham, MD & London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2022, xii + 629pp., £48.00/$63.00 p/b.

Abstract

The study of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has rarely been as relevant as today. Both recent events, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and more long-term trends, including democratic backsliding in Poland and Hungary as well as unresolved ethnic and territorial conflicts in the Balkans, underscore the need to engage with the region as well as with its historical, social and political developments. However, while many textbooks on European politics have extended their coverage to include CEE (in particular those countries that joined the EU), only few have the ambition to cover the region in depth. Over the last two decades, only two specialised English-language textbooks have emerged that aim to equip students with the necessary knowledge to engage in further research on the region of which the book under review is one. Given the rapidly shifting political landscape of CEE, the publication of a revised and updated version of “Central & East European Politics” is therefore a particularly welcome occasion. Now in its fifth edition and under new editorship, the book has undoubtedly maintained the high standard of its predecessors and remains the most comprehensive and informative introductory text on Central and Eastern Europe available in English.