Who We Are

IDEE co-directors Irena Lasota (right) and Eric Chenoweth (middle) join Mihail Berov and Dimi Panitza of the Free and Democratic Bulgaria Foundation in reviewing its advocacy, publishinig, and social programs.

Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe (IDEE)

The Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe (IDEE) was formed in 1985 as a continuation of the Committee in Support of Solidarity, founded in December 1981 to assist Solidarity in Poland after the imposition of a state of war. In 25 years, IDEE has implemented more than $25 million in both publicly and privately financed programs, including key assistance to opposition groups at the forefront of the 1989-91 revolutions that brought the fall of communism in the region. From 1989, IDEE’s programs have reached all 29 post-communist countries and Cuba and provided help to more than 3,000 publications, civic organizations, and opposition movements.

Directors 

IDEE’s co-founders and principal directors are Irena Lasota and  ric Chenoweth, who have worked together for 30 years in the human rights and democracy movements.

Irena Lasota has been President of IDEE since its founding in 1985 and co-director since 1994. From 1981 to 1987, she was President of the Committee in Support of Solidarity, leading one of the most comprehensive information, assistance, human rights, and international solidarity campaigns in NGO history. As president and director of the Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe for 25 years, Ms. Lasosta provided direct support to the opposition movements in Eastern Europe that brought about the 1989-91 revolutions and the fall of communism and has developed, overseen, and implemented hundreds of assistance, training, and development programs for democratic activists, human rights groups, civic organizations, independent media, trade unions, women, and youth in twenty-seven countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union as well as Cuba. Many of these programs have become models for other Western foundations and NGOs, including small grant competitions, media support programs, women’s training programs, and international solidarity initiatives, most significantly the Centers for Pluralism. Ms.Lasota was Editor-at-Large for Uncaptive Minds (1988-97); the editor of Konfrontacje, a series of books on international affairs in Polish (1986-90); co-editor of El Camino del Solidaridad (1987-88); guest editor of World Affairs; author of numerous articles in Western and Eastern European publications; a freelance journalist for Radio Free Europe; an adjunct professor at Fordham University; among many other accomplishments.

Eric Chenoweth was director of IDEE from 1985 to 1987 and has been its co-director since 1994 overseeing fundraising, publications, and special programs. From 1997-2002, he directed IDEE’s Civic Bridges program in Yugoslavia, which helped civic movements to organize under the Milosevic dictatorship, and promoted civil society and democracy in other republics of former Yugoslavia. From 1981–88, Mr. Chenoweth was Executive Director of the Committee in Support of Solidarity developing its fundraising, advocacy, human rights, information, and other activities. From 1988 to 1997, he edited Uncaptive Minds, a journal of independent opinion and analysis featuring democratic activists, thinkers, and journalists in the region. From 1987 to 1991, Mr. Chenoweth worked in the International Affairs Department of the American Federation for Teachers, where he directed the Education for Democracy/International project and from 1991 to 1993 in the International Affairs Department of the AFL-CIO (1992-93) before returning to work full time for IDEE. Since 2005, Mr. Chenoweth has also worked as a consultant for the Albert Shanker Institute, working on a variety of projects, including as principle author of the DemocracyWeb, which includes 12 chapters on basic principles of democracy and 36 country studies. Mr. Chenoweth has written widely on Eastern Europe and democracy issues and edited  the Free Society Papers, developed as a tool for teaching basic concepts of democracy.