Balkans

The situation remains very combustible and could easily explode at the slightest spark. Russia and the US rarely agree on much, but their top diplomats just sounded the alarm about Syria, which should convince objective observers that there’s credence to their warnings. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that “The situation …

Kosovo has lately ceased to generate angst-ridden headlines in international media. The situation in and around the Western Balkan country appears to be stable. After a violent standoff in the northern village of Banjska in September 2023, tensions with Serbia have gone down a notch or two. In recent weeks, …

The US Senatorial model can pave the way for constitutional reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina that satisfies European human rights law and the concerns of the fractious parties. Instead of abolishing the country’s House of Peoples – the Senate-like upper chamber designed to protect collective rights – a Trump Plan …

Success in the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue would demonstrate the EU’s relevance as a strategic actor, just as it is being questioned elsewhere. At a critical geopolitical juncture, the European Union finds itself navigating crises on multiple fronts. In Ukraine, its influence remains secondary to that of the US and Russia; tensions …

In the May 11 parliamentary elections, Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama secured another decisive victory, reinforcing a dominance built over three consecutive terms. His machinery of consensus is stronger than ever, but the lines between the state and the party appear increasingly blurred After three consecutive terms in power, Albanian …

Dozens of notorious Balkan crime figures have obtained Bosnian passports using stolen identities and insider access. The cost is borne by innocent citizens, whose names then trigger red alerts at the border. Dozens of violent criminals have fraudulently obtained Bosnian passports in the past decade, taking advantage of an insecure …

A recent rise in tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina has sparked an “extraordinary crisis” as the country continues to emerge from the shadows of the Balkan wars 30 years ago, the UN Security Council heard on Tuesday. High Representative Christian Schmidt briefed on latest developments surrounding implementation of the 1995 …

The statement by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković (HDZ), declaring that the Republic of Croatia would not impose sanctions on the President of the Republika Srpska entity, Milorad Dodik (SNSD), represents the most serious blow to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) since December 1991, when a joint criminal enterprise (JCE) was …

A senior British diplomat said “Bosnian Serbs love us to an embarrassing degree” after their rebel army massacred thousands of Muslim civilians in a war where John Major’s government was often seen as pro-Serb. Charles Crawford, Britain’s ambassador to Bosnia who made the remark, added “we need to continue to …

Serbia’s anti-corruption movement has reached new heights: a demonstration in Belgrade this March yielded hundreds of thousands of peaceful protestors and marked the largest demonstration in Serbia since the monumental 1990s protests against the tyrannical Milošević regime. This mass discontent presents the greatest challenge President Aleksandar Vučić has faced to …