Serbia and three Germanies
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
The Bosniak side of the equation
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 problem with Bosnia’s last High Representative
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
What will trigger the next Balkan conflict?
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
Bosnia-Herzegovina – where is our ‘own’ Nelson Mandela?
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
The quarter century-old Dayton mantra should not dictate Bosnia’s future.
The Agreement did not stop a war. It skewed a peace. By David B. Kanin In the winter of 1994-5 Ratko Mladic made a... Read More
Pathology or opportunity?
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
Communal identities are durable. Civic? Not so much.
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
Modernity and civilization offer no shield against future genocide
What has changed, and what have we learned from previous genocides? Very little. As long as we put our short-sighted political interest above human lives,... Read More
Spinning Russia in the Balkans
Bismarck had warned at the close of the Congress of Berlin in 1878 that the next war in Europe would probably result from “some damn... Read More
Corruption in the Balkans is impeding EU membership
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, Balkan peacemaker
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 Komšić affair, redux – plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
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
Land swaps and other conversations in the Balkans
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
Diyanet – Erdogan’s Islamic vehicle to the Balkans
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
Bosnia, Erdogan’s “Jerusalem at the heart of Europe”
It is now up to the Bosnian leaders to determine their own destiny, which must inexorably be linked to full membership with the EU if... Read More
The theatre group challenging Bosnia’s ethnic divisions
“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
A review of the bidding in the Balkans
Save one, conflicts in the region are frozen, EU accession process or not.
Peacebuilding in Bosnia-Herzegovina – intercultural dialogue in Brcko District
A greater focus on understanding and evaluating the work of various peacebuilding initiatives – such as those of Svitac in Brcko District, Bosnia-Herzegovina – can... Read More
Lexical issues and the fading Western project in the Balkans
Diplomatic jargon obstructs understanding of problems to be overcome and construction of the means of overcoming them.
In the Balkans, perhaps it is time for an Ummah
The fraying status quo in the region gives Islamists an opportunity to broaden and deepen their influence.
The Balkan treadmill
The last thing the region needs is more “attention” from the European Union.
Two schools under one roof – a lesson in ethnic unmixing from Bosnia’s segregated school system
What about one inclusive people that welcomes differences while looking for similarities? Who stands in the way?
Doing harm
Bakir Izetbegovic should make public any new evidence he has relating to his appeal of Serbia’s acquittal regarding the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide. In detail. Now.
Using puppets to foster peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Prejudice among schoolchildren in Bosnia and Herzegovina may be even greater now than before the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. But a worrying trend is... Read More
