The Soros Foundations Network

• Open Society Foundations
• February 1, 1994

There is a certain irony in my addressing a conference of European foundations because I take a very jaundiced view of philanthropic activities in general and I am particularly opposed to conferencing and networking-not working I call it. In my opinion, philanthropy goes against the grain because our civilization is built upon the pursuit of self-interest, not on any preoccupation with the interests of others.

Toward a New World Order: The Future of NATO

• Open Society Foundations
• November 1, 1993

The Coming World Disorder  It is clear that the world order that prevailed since the end of the Second World War has come to an end. It had been based on two superpowers vying for world domination. They stood for diametrically opposed principles of social organization and they considered each other mortal enemies.

Prospect for European Disintegration

• Open Society Foundations
• September 1, 1993

I am very grateful to the Aspen Institute for giving me this opportunity to address an audience in Germany, and I have chosen a topic which ought to be of particular interest to people in Germany. My topic is the prospect of European disintegration.

Bosnia

• Open Society Foundations
• August 1, 1993

As I am recording this in my office in New York, Sarajevo is in imminent danger of falling, negotiations are going on in Geneva, and the United States is teetering on the verge of some kind of military gesture. The Serbs started their campaign against Sarajevo on June 28th, that is, a month ago.

A Social Safety Net for Russia

• The Washington Post
• January 4, 1993

I take exception to Deputy Treasury Secretary John Robson’s skeptical views on Western aid to the former Soviet Union [op-ed, Dec. 27]. The seemingly endless decline and disintegration of the post-Soviet economy could still be reversed, even at this advanced stage, but only with Western help.

A Cold-Cash Winter Proposal for Russia

• The Wall Street Journal
• November 12, 1992

I gave up hope for Russia in April of this year. It was then that I began to foresee a process of disintegration without end. The process could take many forms: the continuing erosion of government authority leading to a breakdown of essential services and the rioting of troops; or a putsch that would remove Boris Yeltsin and seek to unite the nation by finding enemies both without and within; or a combination of the two.

Termites Are Devouring Hungary

• The New York Times
• October 5, 1992

Disturbed by recent events in Hungary, I recently wrote the following letter to Prime Minister Jozsef Antall:  In recent months, a series of articles, published in several Hungarian newspapers, attacked me as well as the foundation I established in Hungary. Most of these articles appeared in a newspaper edited by the vice president of the ruling party, Hungarian Democratic Forum (H.D.F.).

U.S.S.R.: See the Future, Make It Work

• The Wall Street Journal
• September 13, 1991

It is in the nature of revolutions that events move faster than people’s ability to comprehend them. Watching the events unfolding in the Soviet Union, we realize that something ought to be done to arrest the collapse of the Soviet economy, but we are at a loss for a policy.

The Center Cannot Hold

• The Independent
• July 15, 1991

The failure to prevent civil war in Yugoslavia ought to prompt a rethinking of Western policy, not only towards Yugoslavia but also towards the Soviet Union and revolutionary transformations in general. Western policy-makers have been conditioned by the doctrine of geopolitics to think of national security interests in terms of the relationship between states.

An EC Gift for the Hungarian Economy

• The Wall Street Journal
• April 4, 1991

Hungary has come a long way in developing a market-oriented economy. Although the bulk of industry is still state owned, even state-owned enterprises have learned to respond to market signals. The private sector is growing by leaps and bounds, and foreign enterprises find the environment congenial to doing business.