Following the historic fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of communism throughout Europe, the United States government provided over $20 billion in economic aid throughout the region between the years of 1990 and 2012, with the hope of facilitating economic and political transformations.

Concerning these transformations, Mr. Buck noted that one must take into account the situational differences within each country. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, for instance, ethnic tensions pose a significant obstacle to cooperation. In order for the economic assistance and the transitional process to a market-based economy to be effective in each society, citizens must demand accountability from their government. There must be a dual nature between good governance and economic growth in order for the aforementioned assistance to be successful. The lack of vigorous civil society, free press, demand for accountability of government officials, and the demand for the enforcement of the rule of law, hinder progress. As a result, the European Union estimates that the country closest to European Union accession in the Western Balkans is at least ten years away from achieving this goal.

Ambassador Taylor discussed various reasons as to why economic assistance packages worked for some countries as opposed to others. Before aiding these countries, we must have a solid understanding of these societies, their peoples and their cultures. When providing such large economic assistance programs, one must also consider the level of corruption in these societies. Mr. Pressley pointed out that open press and investigative journalism assist in highlighting instances of corruption.