The Balkan Political Culture – The Problem of Democratization

The Balkan political culture is the biggest problem in the democratization of South Eastern Europe. The basic characteristics of this culture, such as hostility, distrust, alienation and lack of consensus, are the main obstacles to democratization in this part of the world. The Balkan political culture was created as an expression of a specific development of the region through the history. High level of poverty also slows the internalization of democratic values and norms. However, these two main characteristics are not the only problem in the process of democratization of the Balkans. According to Lucian Pye political leaders also have an impact on the democratization in transitional countries. The most important question is: Are political leaders oriented to private interests or national development? The answer to this question is important for the development of democracy, Pye believes. Unfortunately, a number of corruption scandals in the Balkan states confirms that the private interest is above the general one. For these reasons Southeastern Europe can hardly achieve the development of the countries in Central Europe that were also communist states.