Please colonize us.
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
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
The Balkans – the feast feeding Russia’s and Turkey’s hunger
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
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
Macedonia name issue – agreement and disagreement
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
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
Erdogan and the EU are on a collision course in the Balkans
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
Erdogan’s “Trojan Horse” In Macedonia
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
Macedonia – what’s in a name?
The political volatility that characterises the Greek and Macedonian political systems might mean that by the time the national parliaments are asked to ratify the... Read More
A review of the bidding in the Balkans
Save one, conflicts in the region are frozen, EU accession process or not.
Turning the Macedonian tables – what if the solution to the identity issue is the basis for solving the name of the state?
Perhaps an identity-related distinction rather than a geographical one could resolve the dispute more swiftly and on a permanent basis?
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.
Moving forward in Macedonia
Can Zoran Zaev avoid turning into Zlatko Lagumdzija?
Macedonia’s elections – how the EU continues to fail the Western Balkans
It may seem like nothing has changed in Macedonia after Sunday’s elections, but look closer and you will see the cracks forming inside the country.
Why Macedonia’s discredited rulers will win again
Despite astounding revelations of corruption and malpractice, Macedonia’s two ruling parties are likely to win the early elections in December for a combination of reasons.
Losing the Western Balkans in Paris
Although the current focus on the fate of the United Kingdom is understandable, the EU still cannot afford to ignore the Western Balkans. If it... Read More
A hole in democracy
In the Balkans, the impermanence of borders and states and entrenched social and economic informality work against academic and official theories of formal institution building.
Lessons of the Balkan refugee crisis
The EU keeps reminding the countries of the region that 20 years after the end of the Balkan wars, the progress achieved in terms of... Read More
Negotiating the release of Macedonia’s captured state
Fred Halliday proposed to recharge International Relations theory with central themes and concepts of classical sociology. This implied going below the level of realist interstate geopolitics... Read More
Macedonia – anatomy of a crisis
Like putting a plaster on a wound that has not been cleaned, an EU-mediated deal to stabilise (but not necessarily democratise) the country is being... Read More
Inertia, violence, inertia
Balkan communities have little hope of escaping the treadmill they are on unless the turn away from the EU, US, Russia, and other outside “helpers”... Read More
The deep roots of Macedonia’s current turmoil – and the way forward
The country must avoid just replacing the driver in the seat of a captured state machinery – by increasing inclusion and pluralism in governance. This will... Read More
And where do we go from here? Macedonia and the EU
From today’s perspective, it seems amazing to think that Macedonia was actually one of the frontrunners on the road to European integration in the Balkans,... Read More
