Week Six
Without question, this week was the most eventful--and perhaps most difficult to summarize--of my time working at The CEELI Institute thus far. I will not attempt to describe everything that I saw, heard, and experienced during CEELI's annual meeting, which took place over the course of only two and half days this past week but were packed with a firehose of information. It may take me a couple of posts to fully process what I learned and begin to do the speakers and organizers justice.
First, to set the stage, it's important to know that Prague was hotter than ever during the two days of the annual meeting. Literally. On the first day, CEELI's board met for close to eight hours, concluding with a long dinner, and the temperature was between 99 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the day (including later in the day, during the dinner). While we had air conditioning inside the Villa, it is not central a/c, and it was quite a feat to keep the room cool enough for all the bodies occupying the meeting room. We later learned that the temperature on this day was higher than any other day in the recorded history of temperatures in Prague. While I am no stranger to hot summers, since I'm from Houston and have spent most of my life in the American South, but I have to admit the heat here has been challenging even for me, since I am so accustomed to the American dependence on the latest cooling technology. But the board soldiered on without complaint during the meeting, and surprisingly, even though there was seating indoors for the dinner that night, most of the attendees out outside, aided by good food and some wine.
The heat aside, it was remarkable to see, on the second day of the annual meeting, which was open to an array of attendees beyond just the board members, the truly remarkable lineup of participants from all over the world. In particular, while CEELI works in multiple regions, including the Middle East and parts of Asia, this meeting focused on its partners in Central and Eastern Europe. Since its inception, CEELI has worked in this region, as it was founded in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall, focused on strengthening democratic institutions as Eastern European countries, including the Czech Republic, emerged from the weight of Communism. Many speakers, including CEELI's board chair and Executive Director, as well as the Solicitor General of the Czech Republic, who participated in the day's opening panel, noted that it has been 30 years since Prague's Velvet Revolution and the broader events leading to the end of Communism. Yet, as noted in panel after panel throughout the day, recent developments across Europe have left many of the speakers and participants concerned that the rule of law and democratic institutions are nearly as fragile as it was 30 years ago, when the Berlin Wall fell and the region opened for the first time in decades.
One of the most fascinating discussions came from two Polish judges, who told story after story of the ways that judges are coming under intense pressure, creating small erosions of judiciary independence. The stories themselves were interesting, painting an elaborate picture of the myriad ways that individuals can be compromised through fear tactics, threats, and surveillance, the more salient point--and the gut punch to all of us--came when the moderator noted that these changes to Poland's democratic processes and institutions happened almost overnight and only began a little over two years ago. The panelists affirmed that no one saw the current state of affairs coming, and the status quo up until two years ago was one of steady progress toward increasing transparency, judicial independence, and human rights. The reality, however, shifted so rapidly that many individuals, including these two judges, feel a sense of whiplash and are having to scramble to turn the tide.
The Poland story, of course, became part of a series of stories we heard throughout the day from voices representing Turkey, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and the US. The fragility of the conditions in many of these countries is alarming, given how much progress was made over the course of generations, beginning perhaps in the aftermath of World War I, through the horrors of World War II, then the rise of Communism and the last three decades. Yet, it was interesting to see how solidarity and common cause could emerge across countries, as panelists and participants were able to learn from one another throughout the day. Clearly, contexts can be wildly different depending on a country's history and government structure, but there was a sense of repetition in the stories told, which was simultaneously discouraging and heartening, since representatives were able to see that they are not alone.
On this note, I will close this week's post by saying that the overwhelming takeaway for me from the two days of events was a sense that circumstances are much more dire in many of these countries than I had realized. I keep up with the news religiously, and I read about other parts of the world almost more than I read about the U.S., but I have been suprised, even shocked, by the level of threats to individuals in some of these countries. Torture, arrest, and having to leave home at a moment's notice are realities for some who push back on increasingly oppressive governments. I do think that we in the U.S. have become so wrapped up in what is going on within our own borders, particularly in the last four years, that I am now seeing how much it would help to look beyond and notice global trends and the ways that we are connected to our neighbors across the world. Again, this remark is not to say that differences, including histories and cultures, do not matter. Certainly they do. But there is a temptation to forget to learn from one another, draw parallels, ask questions about what others have done in the face of institutional erosion or the threat to human rights. I came away from the CEELI annual meeting with a sense that there is a lot that is brewing around the world, including within countries that appeared quite stable only a few years ago. But I also had the sense that there is much to share, trade notes about, and discover from one another in these trying times.