Yugoslavia: Resilient Critics

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Not Convinced. The fact that Tito has allowed Praxis* to reappear testifies to his greater tolerance for criticism that comes from within the party. Unlike Mihajlov, the Praxis editors do not go so far as to challenge one-party predominance. They do, however, advocate more party democracy. Since most of the contributors are Communists, their arguments are usually buttressed with skillful Marxist chapter and verse that is hard to refute. Tito closed down Praxis for so-called "ideological deviations," but later relented. Last week, in a triumphant return to the newsstands (the entire 5,000-copy edition was sold out), the editors boldly announced: "We are not convinced that we were mistaken on any essential point."

To make sure that any future effort to suppress Praxis will bring international embarrassment to Tito, the editors hit upon the strategy of listing on their masthead the flock of Westerners and Marxists from other Eastern European countries who serve on its advisory board. Among those on the new masthead: Harvard Sociologist David Riesman, who said that he allowed his name to be used because he admires the magazine's work and its courage in putting non-Communists on its board.