After the break between Tito and Stalin in 1948, Yugoslavia became the most open and Western-oriented among communist countries. But eventually ethnic intolerance led to the country's dissolution. In contrast, Hungary was at the forefront of the transitions in Central and Eastern Europe. During the peaceful revolution of 1988-89, the democratic opposition laid the groundwork for parliamentary democracy and negotiated the conditions and guarantees of constitutional change with the ruling Communist party.

Former Minister of Justice of Yugoslavia and internationally-recognised scholar, Professor Tibor Varady joined Hungarian author Mr Gyula Kodolányi in a discussion about the emerging democracies and economies of Eastern Europe. Focusing primarily on Yugoslavia and Hungary, they discussed the contrasting paths countries can take in their journey to democracy, modernisation and globalisation.