Kosovo – what will Belgrade do now?
The Quint continues to push Serbia for further concessions on Kosovo - including the abolition of Serbian institutions in the north and an end to repeated efforts to block EULEX access - that could lead to renewed conflict and violence in the north.
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?
War crimes and proconsulship in the Balkans
The logic of contemporary post-war intervention and proconsulship in both Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina is impossible to divorce from concepts of collective national guilt.
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 – beware triumphalism
The EU seems bent on using the leverage of the still-to-be-granted accession date to press Belgrade for more concessions, particularly concerning north Kosovo, thereby risking an escalation of tensions.
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?
Kosovo* – what next?
Securing agreement through international pressure alone can be very risky for Kosovo, Serbia and the EU, with the process vulnerable to changes in government and the wavering attractiveness of EU accession.
Belgrade – looking forward and backwards
As Serbia takes another important step on the road towards the EU, TransConflict is pleased to present a series of photos capturing contemporary life in Belgrade; a city still scarred by the legacies of the nineties, particularly the NATO bombing campaign.
When EU conditionality works – understanding the agreement between Serbia and Kosovo
The agreement between Belgrade and Pristina demonstrates that EU conditionality can - when carefully employed - induce concession and compromise, suggesting that it may be capable of acting more coherently, consistently and credibly towards the Western Balkans.
A Bosnian plea – ‘Italians, don’t give the peace prize to Ceric’
The decision by Italy's Ducci Foundation to award Grand Mufti Cerić its peace prizefor his contribution to reconciliation in Bosnia-Herzegovina has sparked a wave of protests from those opposed to his divisive and provocative statements.
North Kosovo referendum – not binding, no surprise but it changes everything
The referendum makes clear that the northern Kosovo Serbs reject the imposition of Pristina's institutions that has been the centerpiece of Quint policy for Kosovo since 2008.
A rebellious referendum in Kosovo – who should fear it and why
Reactions to the referendum in the north suggest that it may be time to invite representatives of Serbs in Kosovo to sit at the negotiating table alongside Belgrade and Pristina.
Kosovo – referendum, barricades and EU plans
Ahead of a referendum in the north on attitudes towards Pristina, there are growing signs that a number of actors - particularly KFOR and the EU - are beginning to grasp the realities of the north, including the need to treat the local leaders as legitimate interlocutors.
Kosovo – another attempt to abolish the UN in the north?
Should the Kosovo government end funding of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Administration in Mitrovica (UAM), it will cut-off one of the few institutional linkages between north Mitrovica and Pristina.
On-line journalism – fostering a spirit of intolerance?
With on-line journalism increasingly fostering a spirit of intolerance and unaccountability, more effective regulation - including the licensing of on-line journalists - needs to be considered as a potential remedy to hate speech on-line.
Kosovo – the referendum reconsidered
Having achieved its aim of demonstrating that the northern resistance to the imposition of Pristina institutions is a genuine popular response, and not the result of criminal coercion, it is now time to reconsider the planned 15th February referendum.
Congratulations, Kosovo
Self-congratulatory remarks by the International Civilian Representative for Kosovo juxtaposes oddly with demonstrations on both the Serbian and Kosovar Albanian sides that underscore that the situation... Read More
Kosovo – who does the ISG speak for?
With the ISG saying it plans to leave by the end of 2012, even whilst outstanding issues - including the north - remain, the UN must be prepared to play an essential buffering role between the two sides in the status dispute.
Kosovo – an opportunity for agreement on the north?
The recent "four-point proposal" by Serbia's president, Boris Tadic, may providethe foundation for a lasting solution; one that could be accommodated within the framework of the Ahtisaari Plan.
“What is good for Serbia is good for Russia”
Whether or not relations with Russia are an obstacle to Serbia's EU integration will depend, in part, on the EU's ability to find a solution that will allow it to integrate both Serbia and Kosovo.
Kosovo – if EULEX leaves, then what?
The departure of EULEX from Kosovo would leave a vacuum in the international framework for rule of law which - in the absence of changes to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 - the UN would be required to fill.
Bosnia – between ethnic-nationalism and Europeanization
The process of ethnic-nationalization witnessed in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina is incompatible with the very norms, values and conditions of European membership.
The former Yugoslavia’s language conundrum
Whilst nationalism continues to rear its head in the former Yugoslavia, so language will continue to act as a divisive, as opposed to unifying, force.
Memories, large and small
The term “The West” obscures periodic and sharp changes in the myths and content of Western demands on Balkan, Middle Eastern, and other actors.
Towards reconciliation – dealing with the past or leaving it behind?
A conference in Priština, entitled "How I see it" , provided young Serbs and Albanians from both Kosovo and Serbia, respectively, with an opportunity to discuss issues concerning reconciliation, transitional justice and EU integration.