The art of debating
A regional tournament in Belgrade provided students from throughout the Western Balkans with the opportunity to debate a variety of contemporary issues of relevance to the region and beyond.
Salience and emotion
Progress toward more effective management of regional disputes will be possible only if leaders emerge inside the region capable and willing to channel their own and their followers’ emotions toward negotiations everyone accepts from the outset will lead to painful sacrifices on everyone’s part.
The International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict
TransConflict is pleased to announce that it has become a signatory to the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict.
Dealing with the past in post-conflict societies
Unless the past is articulated in such a way in which the connection of events and experiences are integrated in a real and meaningful way, the ‘truths’ which drove conflict will continue to be reproduced.
Serbia votes for jobs and prosperity
Amidst a deteriorating economic environment, the Serbian electorate goes to the polls on May 6th with issues such as jobs and prosperity trumping those of Kosovo and the EU.
Mostar – heritage reconstruction in a divided city
A new research film by the European CRIC Research Project analyses the unexpected outcomes of heritage reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina, twenty years after the outbreak of war.
Women as peacemakers in Sudan – challenges and opportunities
With Sudan and South Sudan on the verge of all-out war, many local peacebuilding organizations are utilising the potential of women to act as peacemakers between communities in an attempt to thwart further violence.
Inter-cultural dialogue through monasteries in Kosovo
The Orthodox monasteries and the municipalities of Peć and Dečani have to start creating the basis for healthy community relations in order to ensure that the former become centres of inter-cultural dialogue, rather than a focus for conflict.
Transitional justice and the Hague Tribunal – justice impossible?
Prosecuting war crimes is only one of the prerequisites for transitional justice; the lack of other effective mechanisms at the national and regional level explains, in part, the shortcomings of transitional justice in the former Yugoslavia.
Building peace and stability in Eastern Africa
With contemporary wars in Eastern Africa largely driven by economic motives and agendas which thrive under poor governance, countries need to believe in - and practice - good and democratic governance in order to ensure peace and stability.
Do good walls make good neighbours?
Over a decade on from the Good Friday Agreement, Belfast is yet to tackle the interfaces and contested spaces of the north of the city, or indeed to look to remove the walls that have for so long shaped the daily lives of the people living there; real peace does not need to be sustained or “secured” by walls.
Al Jazeera Balkans – an island of media professionalism
Al Jazeera Balkans is an island of media professionalism in the region; building bridges between peoples, fostering a spirit of tolerance and reconciliation, and challenging the 'Us' and 'Others' narrative of many public broadcasters.
Promoting inter-cultural dialogue in south east Europe
Almost three years on from the inaugural regional ministerial conference in Sarajevo in 2009, TransConflict participated in the Second United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Conference for South East Europe in Belgrade, Serbia, on 11th April 2012.
The West, Milosevic and the collapse of Yugoslavia
Josip Glaurdic’s 'The Hour of Europe: Western Powers and the Breakup of Yugoslavia' makes an extremely important contribution to the understanding not only of the period he covers, but also of the more general problem of how the United States and European Union behave toward the rest of the world.
Regaining the face
"Regaining the face" is an experimental documentary by Pance Prendzov which explores the rebuilding of Macedonia's capital, Skopje, 80% of which was destroyed by the July 1963 earthquake.
Millet, nation, community
As a signifier, Bosnjak - which is gaining traction as a national identity in Sandjak (in both Serbia and Montenegro), and among Balkan Muslims in Western Europe - is coming to connote a political identity associated with access to state power, “European” credentials and Islamic legitimacy.
Perspectives on conflict transformation in the Balkans
On Sunday, 25th March, the co-founders of TransConflict Serbia, Ms. Mirjana Kosić and Mr. Ian Bancroft, met with 30 representatives of the Young European Federalists from Germany (JEF - Junge Europäische Föderalisten) and Serbia (Mladi evropski federalisti), respectively.
The importance of cultural competence in dealing with post-war societies – the Western Balkans case
A low level or complete absence of cultural competence may not only disable conflict resolution, but also serve to halt overall regional cooperation, group interaction and relations with the international actors.
Kosovo – a way forward
The frozen conflict over Kosovo can only be solved by changing the contours of the sovereignty game, ending Western pressure on both sides, and ensuring special arrangements for Serb historical and religious sites and Serb communities.
Macedonia, NATO and the EU – precedent, paradox and pronunciation
Macedonia's future Euro-Atlantic prospects depend heavily on resolving the challenges that arise from the precedent, paradox and pronunciation of the name dispute with Greece.
Comparative perspectives for Afghan peacebuilders
A workshop for peacebuilders from across Afghanistan provided a variety of comparative perspectives - including from the former Yugoslavia and Northern Ireland - designed to strengthen their own peacebuilding efforts.
Macedonia – another Bucharest in Chicago?
With the International Court of Justice ruling in December 2011 that Greece had violated the Interim Accord by blocking Macedonia's bid to join NATO in 2008 in Bucharest, will the same scenario be repeated at the forthcoming NATO Summit in Chicago?
Syria – to break the downward spiral
It is necessary to consider what role NGOs might now play in Syria – particularly to support the mediation efforts of former UN secretary-general, Kofi... Read More
Genocide
The struggle to control the term “genocide” has become a contested conceptual space, turning cautionary lessons in how bad we can be into disputes over just how bad things really were.
Kosovo and the Arab Spring
With ‘humanitarian intervention’ now back in the spotlight following events in Libya and Syria, NATO’s campaign against Belgrade on behalf of Kosovo Albanians is now being touted as a legal precedent; but should it?
