EU integration pitfalls in the Western Balkans
Should stalemate in the European integration process not be properly managed both now and in the future, the EU risks a serious loss of credibility - both as a mediator and as “an anchor for change”.
The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack
TransConflict is pleased to announce that it is now an affiliated organization of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack.
Hate speech in public life
TransConflict Serbia - with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Belgrade - organized a panel discussion in Novi Pazar, entitled 'Hate Speech in Public Life'.
Separating religion and state in Bosnia
With the role of religion having remained largely ignored in post-Dayton Bosnia-Herzegovina, there is a need to promote a process of secularization by upholding the separation of church and state.
Facing far right extremism in Serbia
Reducing the threat of far right extremism - particularly its manifestation through terrorist means - involves finding a delicate balance between under-reacting and over-reacting; between giving tacit encouragement and sparking its escalation.
Leveraging weakness
Faced with outstanding conflicts over sovereignty in the Western Balkans, the EU's most efficacious strategy depends upon acknowledging and leveraging its own considerable limitations as an international actor.
Oiling the Albanian economy
Despite its undoubted potential, Albania's fledgling oil industry is being constrained by a lack of domestic capital and political paralysis that is deterring foreign investors and inhibiting growth.
Civil society in Bosnia – obstacle or opportunity?
The marginalization of civil society from Bosnia and Herzegovina's process of transition can, in part, be explained by the dominant ethno-nationalist agenda that has meant that civil society itself has been ethnicized and divided along ethnic lines
Recognising every casualty of armed violence
TransConflict has become a signatory to the Charter for the Recognition of Every Casualty of Armed Violence, which has at its core a simple principle that ‘no person should die unrecorded’.
Kosovo – whose reality?
Though Kosovo Serbs have been called upon to accept the ‘reality’ of an independent Kosovo, it is the reality of past and present experience that continues to motivate their peaceful resistance.
About blood and honey
Almost twenty years on from the beginning of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, two Dutch journalists are travelling the country seeking answers to the question, does Bosnia and Herzegovina really exist?
More Europe in the Southeast is the answer?
Whilst imploring aspiring members to embrace its own system and values, the EU's selectiveimplementation of standards - depending on the case and context - means that countries of the region, particularly the Republic of Macedonia, should be cautious about accession.
Kiš, Selenić, Ugrešić and after – archivists of Yugoslavia disappeared
What happened to writers whose once-established literary and linguistic culture faced a campaign of obliteration, such as that conducted during the post-communist transition by secessionist... Read More
Kiš, Selenić, Ugrešić and after – archivists of Yugoslavia disappeared
What happened to writers whose once-established literary and linguistic culture faced a campaign of obliteration, such as that conducted during the post-communist transition by secessionist elites and populists in the former Yugoslavia?
Brinkmanship in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Negotiations to form a state-level government in Bosnia-Herzegovina have seen the creation of two new constitutional conventions - the notion of ‘legitimate representation’ and the principle of ‘ethnic rotation’ - which will continue to exert a profound influence on the country's politics.
Bosnia's failing Europeanization process – who is to blame?
The unclear position of EU member states on the required modifications to Bosnia and Herzegovina's constitution has further contributed to the country's deepening political deadlock.
The Brčko District model for north Kosovo?
The example of the Brčko District, in the north-east corner of Bosnia and Herzegovina, could serve as a sustainable solution for the disputed status of the north of Kosovo.
Greece – Balkan dissonance and the creation myth of “Europe”
Reeling European governments and the Brussels bureaucracy will become even less patient than before in dealing with a region where their serial failures to enforce their myth of civic identity and multi-ethnic integration have undermined the narrative of Europe as a united, just, effective and relevant international actor.
Može li na severu Kosova zaživeti Brčko Distrikt?
Primer Brčko Distrikta, u severno-istočnom delu Bosne i Hercegovine, mogao bi poslužiti kao održivo rešenje spornog statusa severnog Kosova.
Returning disputed war monuments
TransConflict is pleased to present a research paper, entitled 'Returning disputed war monuments – can heritage be reinterpreted for new political agendas?', which explores how the much-disputed Isted Lion - which Denmark recently returned to Flensburg, Germany - no longer recalls a famous Danish military victory, but is instead presented as a symbolic expression of trust between the two countries.
Kosovo – EULEX 'overconcerned with stability'
A speech by Lord Hylton, opening a debate on Kosovo in the House of Lords on September 15th 2011, in which he calls on the British government to support a peace building process centered around the monasteries of Pec and Decani.
The importance of being Bosniak
Many Bosniak political and media opinion makers are discovering that their best option involves using a traditional and, in the context of current borders, transnational ethnic movement to improve their leverage with their neighbours and the EU.
The Berlinisation of north Kosovo
A European solution to the Kosovo issues requires that boundaries be broken down through negotiation and compromise, rather than reinforced through unilateralism and the use of violence.
Post-Gaddafi Libya – a liberal peace project
Despite Western policy-makers insisting that they will not meddle in Libya's internal affairs in the aftermath of the war, it is hard to believe that the Libyans will be in the driving seat when it comes to choosing their country's future governance and economic systems.
Kosovo – peacebuilding requires patience
Creating positive relations between Serbia and Kosovo requires a patient process of peacebuilding; one that the international community is ill-equipped to conduct and unprepared to support.