Democratization, Nationalism and Eco-Politics: The Slovak-Hungarian Conflict Over the Gabikovo-Nagymaros Dam System on the Danube

Abstract

This essay concerns Czechoslovakia’s (later, Slovakia’s) and Hungary’s disagreement between 1988-2000 over a joint hydroelectric dam system on the river Danube. The conflict threatened bilateral relations and the overall stability of the East Central European region especially during the early 1990s. The case represents a major international environmental, political and legal dispute between two newly democratizing countries in the East Central European region. This paper offers a systematic framework for the analysis and interpretation of the roots, causes, strategic actors and outcomes of the conflict. The following factors leading to the conflict are analyzed: the different scenarios and pace of democratization in the two countries; the emergence and role of independent ecological movements, NGOs, and their perception of environmental threats; the lack of a regional conflict resolution mechanism; the nationalist framing and political uses of the issue by post-communist elites; the underdevelopment of civil society; the low level of transborder communication; and the dependence of scientific institutions and think tanks on the state in both countries.