The American Research Center in Sofia (ARCS) has disseminated and encouraged international research in Bulgaria in the humanities and social sciences for over a decade. The Center is dedicated to promoting collaboration between scholars from North America, Western and Southeast Europe; to serving as a bridge between these societies and between Bulgaria and the rest of the world; and to affirming democratic values and philanthropy in Bulgaria.

On the occasion of its tenth Anniversary, more than 100 guests of ARCS gathered on April 24, 2015, in Hall 7 of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, one of the most prestigious and multifunctional venues in Southeastern Europe for congresses, cultural events and exhibitions.

The event was opened with a congratulatory address by ARCS’ Co-Founders and Co-Presidents Dr. Nora Dimitrova and Professor Kevin Clinton, delivered by Dr. Dimitrova, who expressed the Founders’ sincere gratitude to all present dignitaries, sponsors, trustees, personnel, students, legal team, academic partners, accounting and IT consultants, supporters, and friends.

Dr. Martin Ivanov, Secretary of Culture, Education, and National Identity for the President of Bulgaria, conveyed the greetings of Bulgaria’s President, Mr. Rosen Plevneliev:  “Thanks to its activities, the Research Center is successfully building a vital and dynamic connection between academics in the humanities from different countries as well as between nations and cultures that share common values and priorities. Through their work, the researchers from Bulgaria, the neighboring region, and the world search for the truth about the past – recent and distant, but also for a vision for our common future. I applaud the Founders, the Trustees, the Personnel, and the Sponsors of the American Center for their devotion to this exceptionally noble and useful mission. I believe that your future achievements will be even greater than the current ones, and I wish you a prosperous wind,” Mr. Plevneliev’s letter concluded. Dr. Ivanov also expressed his personal satisfaction with ARCS’ contributions to preserving Bulgaria’s cultural heritage and publishing new documents and archival materials related to the recent past.

Mr. Miroslav Borschosch, Director of the National Palace of Culture, congratulated the ARCS’ team and identified three main contributions of the Research Center that were particularly important to him: preservation of the historical and archaeological heritage of Bulgaria; the support provided to Bulgarian museums by the Center; and the incredibly well-developed library, freely accessible to all interested readers. Mr. Borschosch shared his hope for new mutual endeavors between the Research Center and the National Palace of Culture in Sofia.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Mrs. Rumyana Bachvarova, under whose patronage the event was held, also welcomed the guests and the hosts. Mrs. Bachvarova congratulated ARCS on the occasion of its anniversary and noted that “the more time has elapsed, the greater chance we have to ponder and evaluate what we have lived through. We need more information, more in-depth research, and more discussions in order to evaluate the events that we participated in from a historical perspective… The road of the transition [to democracy] turned out to be longer than expected, and we are still walking along it, but I hope we will have new opportunities, and I wish success to all of you,” Mrs. Bachvarova remarked.

Greetings to ARCS were also extended by Deputy Mayor of Sofia Dr. Todor Chobanov, who emphasized the indispensable role that the Center has played for the improvement of archaeological infrastructure in Bulgaria and in Sofia in particular; he also wished best of luck in all future endeavors of the Center and expressed hope for collaborative projects preserving Bulgarian cultural heritage.

H.E. Stefan Tafrov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to the United Nations, who has supported and participated in a number of ARCS’ cultural events in New York and a seminar sponsored by ARCS at Harvard University, congratulated the Center on its historically and academically significant activities, programs, and publications over the years that contribute to international scholarly cooperation and to promoting a democratic dialog and social awareness.

Greetings were delivered by Member of the EU Parliament Dr. Andrey Kovachev, Trustee of ARCS, who expressed his excitement about being part of the ARCS’ team and working for the prosperity of the organization, in connection with the implementation of Western values in Bulgaria and the successful integration of the country in the European Union. He congratulated ARCS on its publications and projects related to elucidating the little-known history of communist repressions and encouraging an open academic dialog and civil society values. Dr. Kovachev underscored the historical significance of ARCS’ endeavors in collecting and publishing documents, archives, testimonials, and biographical data that fill gaps in our knowledge and evaluation of totalitarian regimes in Bulgaria and the Balkans.

The tenth anniversary of the American Research Center in Sofia was commemorated in traditional fashion with the seventh consecutive Eugene Schuyler Lecture, presented by ARCS’ guest of honor, Dr. Philip Dimitrov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria in 1991-1992, Bulgarian Ambassador to the USA in 1998-2002, and Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Georgia in 2010-2014. Dr. Nora Dimitrova introduced the speaker and compared his qualities and achievements to those of Eugene Schuyler: “Schuyler was renowned for his intellect, writing talent, erudition and principles. He always expressed his honest opinion of events, states, and persons, without fearing the consequences for his career. Lawyer, writer, politician, diplomat, and philosopher, Schuyler reminds us with his idealism and talents of Dr. Philip Dimitrov... – lawyer, writer, psychotherapist, diplomat, and scholar, recognized with a number of international awards, notably the Truman-Reagan Freedom award for overcoming communism around the world.”

In his lecture, entitled Western Values Twenty-Five Years after the Fall of the Wall, Dr. Philip Dimitrov discussed the essence of democratic principles; the similarities and differences between American and European values; and the enduring validity of these values despite democracy’s imperfections. Dr. Dimitrov warned against the increasing influence of trendy conflict-resolution theories that propagate utopian and populist doctrines, total transparency, a world without enemies, and ultimately equate democracy with defenselessness. In a witty reference to John Lennon’s “nothing to kill or die for” from the Beatles’ song Imagine, Dr. Dimitrov asked whether it was worth living in a society where there is nothing to kill or die for. He reminded the audience of President Kennedy’s “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You…” and quoted Churchill’s famous, but often abridged, lines about the nature of democracy in their complete form:  “Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Finally, Philip Dimitrov remarked that Western values have not lost their vitality and concluded: “If we use the wisdom of age to maintain our credibility, we are not doomed to leave the vigor of youth to the populists.”

After the official part of the celebration was over, the audience was invited to a reception featuring select hors d’oeuvres, wine, and desserts.

The trustees and staff of the Center would like to express their sincere appreciation to everyone who attended the occasion and transformed the event into a magnificent celebration. The ARCS’ team is indebted to every individual and institution that contributed to the success and vitality of the Research Center over the past decade!