Category: Western Balkans

Anti-government protests in Montenegro, Serbia and Albania prompt talk of ‘Balkan Spring’

     

It all started with a video posted on social media: a secret recording from 2016 that appears to show a well-known local tycoon hand over an envelope containing bundles of cash… Read more »

Open society and democratic renewal – mission impossible?

     

The three pillars of freedom, protection and progress form the basis of democratic renewal, according to French President Emmanuel Macron. He proposes the establishment of a European Agency for the Protection of… Read more »

Balkans: Putin’s next playground or E.U.’s last moral stand?

     

The Balkans has once again become a playground for great power politics, says analyst Ivan Krastev. European Union policy toward the Balkans is more driven by ideology than in any other… Read more »

AI systems accelerating authoritarian resurgence

     

Artificial intelligence systems are showing their potential for abetting repressive regimes and upending the relationship between citizen and state, accelerating a global resurgence of authoritarianism, notes Steven Feldstein, a nonresident fellow… Read more »

Serbia convicts youth activist critics of war criminals

     

Serbia’s Misdemeanor Appellate Court has confirmed an earlier ruling against eight Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) activists for “disturbing public peace” during an event in Beska in January 2017,… Read more »

Elections in MENA and the Western Balkans: what impact?

     

The Transatlantic Leadership Network (TLN) is a new think-and-do tank organized and registered as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization in Washington, D.C. The network will engage international scholars, government officials, parliamentarians,… Read more »

Russia looks to Balkans as a battlefield in ‘political war’ with the West

     

With migration, Russian aggressiveness and Brexit, the European Union is taking the western Balkans seriously again, the New York Times reports: The bloc’s strategy for the Western Balkans, published in February,… Read more »

West vs. Russia: sharp-power struggle in Balkans – region least resilient to fake news

     

The West is fighting back against Russia in a battle for influence in the Balkans. The latest charge is being led by Britain. Seven years after shutting down in Belgrade,… Read more »

Montenegro poll shows anti-Western tilt, highlighting autocrats’ illiberal ‘spoiler’ role in Western Balkans?

     

A new survey of public opinion in Montenegro reveals widespread opposition to NATO and U.S. involvement in Europe’s security as well as dissatisfaction with the direction of the country. According… Read more »