One of the features that makes this latest series of transitions in Central and Eastern Europe different from previous transitions is the pressure to conform to international standards of human rights. All the regimes have attempted to address the issue but in a variety of ways and with varying degrees of success. The variety, in fact, is representative of the tremendous complexity of the transitions and the source of 'policy learning' for all governments and states attempting to domesticate global human rights norms. Both exogenous factors (e.g., the European Union, international funding agencies) and endogenous factors (the prior strength of civil society, the absorption of dissidents into the mainstream) have played roles in creating weak or strong national human rights regimes. The session will primarily provide an overview of the main issues and strategies for human rights in the region.