The rise of illiberal civil society in the former Soviet Union?

Summary:

This publication examines the growing influence of illiberal, anti-Western and socially conservative civil society groups, popular movements and political forces in five post-Soviet states: Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova.

It finds that illiberal social attitudes remain prevalent across the region, particularly in relation to LGBTI rights, and they are increasingly used as the focus of political and public mobilisation within these societies, particularly against EU-backed equalities legislation. While there have been attempts to create illiberal civil society groups that mirror liberal NGOs or think-tanks, they remain significantly less influential than the organisations linked to the dominant religions in these countries such as the Orthodox Church, or political factions with influence over state resources.

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