Slovakia can act as example to others.(Interview)

(From The Slovak Spectator)

WESS Mitchell came in contact with central-European issues when he was a child, as his Texas-based family would visit areas of that state during their summer holidays that had large communities of Czech immigrants. At university his first studies focused on Germany but later his strong interest in central Europe made this region his primary area of academic interest.

The Slovak Spectator spoke with Mitchell, currently the president and co-founder of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), a think tank in Washington DC, while he was in Bratislava for the GLOBSEC forum in mid April about the role of the third sector in a democratic society as well as the role of Slovakia in the international community.

The Slovak Spectator (TSS): Why do you think the role of NGOs and the third sector at conferences and international forums is so important?

Wess Mitchell (WM): In democratic societies, unlike totalitarian ones, we have frequent, peaceful, democratic changes of governments. One of …