The Burdens of Freedom "is a history of fifteen countries -- some newly-created -- as they make their way from communism to the present day. For some, the story ends happily, with triumphant entry into the European Union in 2004. Others are caught in limbo, destroyed by nationalist politics, war, and genocide, or crippled by corrupt political practices. Domestically, each country, and the region as a whole, has seen a divide emerge between winners and losers, as the emergence from one particular political and economic system has proved easy for some social groups, impossible for others. Both the winners and losers, though, represent the New Europe, moving simultaneously forward to democracy, unity, and prosperity, and toward national division, corruption, and economic disparity.