Transformation of diplomatic elites in post-communist societies

Abstract

"This article addresses the transformation of the diplomatic elite in the post-communist period, based on the results of the comprehensive survey. The analysis demonstrated that in the majority of the countries surveyed diplomats were drawn disproportionately from a very exclusive segment of society: the urban intelligentsia. Furthermore, the picture of a diplomat from a post-communist country is similar to that of a diplomat from any western country. In other words, the diplomats in post-communist countries are recruited from the same strata from which the diplomats in countries experiencing political stability would normally be recruited. In those few countries where a break up with the regime prevented the majority of the urban elite from being considered reliable by new regime, preference was given to persons with rural background, overwhelmingly men." (author's abstract)