The West deals with Serbia by straddling victors’ policies toward Germany in 1918 and 1945. It also punishes Serbia for crimes of the 1990s after... Read More
As the U.S. and its fellow EU members of the Quint pressure Pristina to offer solutions, they must either pressure or entice Vucic to allow... Read More
The EU engages in empty diplomatic theater while Balkan disputes fester and the war in Ukraine highlights “Europe’s” limits. By David B. Kanin... Read More
War or not, current tensions underscore the region’s geopolitical marginality. The outcome regarding Ukraine will suggest which great power is more likely to bend Balkan... Read More
Treat the Serbian Orthodox Church as a respected partner in a comprehensive, single-stage agreement on the status of Kosovo. By David B. Kanin I... Read More
Options in case the Americans once again disappoint Bosnia-Herzegovina’s largest community. By David B. Kanin Once again, Bosnia’s Bosnjak leadership is attempting to create... Read More
The ideal role of Bosnia’s last High Representative is to disappear quietly, without any noticing that he is doing it. He needs to evaporate slowly... Read More
Look past the usual noise emanating from EU-sponsored meetings and the panic of former diplomats and pundits. By David B. Kanin The current security... Read More
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Kurti stands an excellent chance of succeeding to make Kosovo a model of progressive democracy, advanced economy, and social equality that no... Read More
Balkan Westernizers avoid a post-Imperial world. By David B. Kanin Not long ago, I took part in a conversation about the long-running soap opera... Read More
In this, the second in a series of essays about political reform in post-war Bosnia, the author advances the argument that comprehensive constitutional reform is... Read More
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s government institutions have been supervised by an international governing structure called the Office of the High Representative for the past 25 years.... Read More
Kosovo’s Prime Minister will retain multiple options no matter how any renewed Western effort to pound out a deal between Pristina and Belgrade turns out.... Read More
Without the ideal of equal rights and opportunities of Bosnians and Herzegovinians, we will never live truly decent lives in our country. By Haris... Read More
Kosovo is right to insist on mutual recognition with Serbia before permitting the creation of an association of Serbian municipalities on its territory. By... Read More
There was no one single factor that brought the DPS down. As with most tectonic social and political changes, the reality is more complex and... Read More
Hashim Thaci’s indictment blows apart the politically-motivated diplomacy of the last few months. By David B. Kanin The fix was in. Thaci and Isa... Read More
The Bosnian Serb Commission on Srebrenica may well produce the usual ethnic-driven propaganda. It does not have to. By David B. Kanin An announcement... Read More
Montenegro’s controversial law on religion is – unusually for Milo Djukanovic – a poorly thought through mistake. By David B. Kanin My son went... Read More
The Balkans need activists not wedded to the inertia of Western political ideology. By David B. Kanin Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, was... Read More
The latest in the series of broken EU promises and failed EU initiatives stand in sharp contrast to the modest but constructive “mini-Schengen” agreement among... Read More
At this point, removing the tariffs against Serbia without recognition by Belgrade would be a serious setback to Kosova’s wobbly sovereignty. By David B.... Read More
Albania’s future prosperity and security rest on accession to the EU. To that end, it must take all the necessary social and political measures to... Read More
The US and EU “pressure” to fight corruption and deal with the country’s socio-political and economic ailments have largely failed. The US and the EU... Read More
Nationalism in Serbia, like in most countries, cannot be reduced to a single current or strand of thought. Where Dveri stands out is in its... Read More
Attempts by Balkan nationalists to weaponize links of international terrorism with the Bosnian war have had a boomerang effect. The simplifications are the boomerang; and... Read More
The only way to manage the problems pertaining to constitutional reform is finally to abolish Bosnia’s fourth arm of government, international oversight; encourage the country’s... Read More
The EU should insist on democratic reforms and adherence to human rights, against which it would accelerate the membership process of Balkan states. This will... Read More
So far, the current set of weekly street performances in Serbia appear to have as much in common with demonstrations in March 1991 as with... Read More
Maximalist positions for the renaming of the neighbouring state without the use of the term ‘Macedonia’ has always been the equivalent of a unicorn eating... Read More
It is clear that “rallying ‘round the flag” is not a phenomena which is limited to the Kosovo territory, but something which represents a mainstream... Read More
Addressing the problem of corruption in the Balkans is central to the EU’s geostrategic interests as well as the Balkans’ future wellbeing within the EU... Read More
Paddy Ashdown made a real difference. Just one of his many successes in the region was to force through reconstruction of the Old Bridge in... Read More
The simple assumption that border changes, by necessity, bring horrific consequences is a form of work avoidance, as is the teleological notion that there exists... Read More
Balkan history is replete with examples of how disingenuous political tactics used to establish an ethnic hegemony lead to tragedy. Unfortunately, people who refuse to... Read More
The lack of consensus regarding what a certain territory makes special (and its corresponding rights especially different comparing to others) is not only a specificum... Read More
Though diploma recognition is a positive step forward for relations between Belgrade and Pristina, the prospects of an integrated education system in Kosovo remain slim.
If the international community does not appreciate ethnic partition in the Balkans as a mode for division of the region, then it should not have... Read More
Erdogan himself and many other Turkish officials have openly spoke about their dream that by 2023, the centenary of modern Turkey, the country will enjoy... Read More
“I was imprisoned in Omarska concentration camp. There’s a growing danger it could happen again. That’s why I’m working with young people to help stop... Read More
The proposed partition of Kosovo would negate the day-to-day realities on the ground, particularly of those Kosovo Serbs living outside the four northern municipalities. It... Read More
The Balkans now are Erdogan’s trump card against Europe, especially after he was barred by EU countries from expanding his Islamic agenda and particularly because... Read More
The decision to scrap Turkish and Arabic name-places in Stara Zagora has to be understood through the lens of an anti-Islam rhetoric that has banally... Read More
To be sure, Erdogan’s “peaceful onslaught” on Macedonia has one and one purpose only: to dominate the country under the guise of a long history... Read More
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