THOMAS NOWOTNY
Austria-A Pariah Country
A
USTRIA IS ONE OF THE RICHEST COUNTRIES
in the world, ranking
as number twelve, just above Germany. Wealth is evenly distrib–
uted, and its capital, Vienna, is a city without slums. Unemploy–
ment and inflation are low; social services are abundant; public
education is first-rate; and the health and pension systems are well
funded. Moreover, the cultural life is vivid, civic organizations flourish,
and people generously contribute to charities. Crime and use of drugs
are lower than in otherwise comparable countries. The population
appears politically mature, and the percentage of citizens voting
in
gen–
eral elections is high. The media broadly covers political issues. Cor–
ruption is relatively low, though Austrians as well as foreigners have
criticized what they perceive as all-pervasive clientilism-the system of
the so-called "proporz." Still, similar arrangements exist in other "neo–
corporate" political systems.
Austria gets the best possible grades from "Freedom House" for
effectively safeguarding civic and human rights . Political violence, or
violence motivated by racial or ethnic hatred, is rare, and in recent his–
tory democracy has not been under threat. Again and again, Austria has
accepted a vast number of refugees: its latest large wave came from
Bo~nia.
The foreign population is greater than in any other country of
the European Union. Although their integration into the rest of society
functions less smoothly, and takes longer than in the United States, Aus–
tria shares these difficulties with other European nations.
Because Austria (re-)gained its full independence only in
1955,
it is a
very new state. This has prompted it to work hard in establishing an
identity as a useful member in the club of nations. From
1955
on, Aus–
tria participated in the Peace Keeping Operations of the United Nations,
and has helped international cooperation.
It
was prominent in promot–
ing human rights by supporting the first so-called Helsinki process and
then its successor organization, the OSCE, and it pushed issues of
human rights in the Council of Europe. Moreover, Vienna, in addition
to
New York and Geneva, is one of the headquarters of the United
Nations.
