Western Balkans

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A city street in the Southern-Bosnian town of Mostar is busy with cars and is lined by a war-damaged business building on one side and a reconstructed city gymnasium school on the other side. Across from both buildings on the side closest to the photographer is a tree with lights.

The Bosnian Constitution, Marking 25 Years, Needs an American Reboot

The US has a historic opportunity to return to the country of its greatest post-Cold War triumph and mark its own homecoming to the international community.
A billboard shows Chinese President Xi Jinping next to the National Assembly building in Belgrade on March 30, 2020, as Serbia has introduced curfew from 5 pm to 5 am (from 3 pm to 5 am on weekends) for entire population except those authorised and night shift workers.

Beware a China-Russia Nexus in Central Europe Amid US-EU Neglect

A transatlantic response must document the threat, make it a priority, and convey that observing international law and established norms is non-negotiable.
US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell (C), the Presidents of Kosovo Hashim Thaci (L background) and Serbia Aleksandar Vucic (R background) watch the signing of an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia for railway and street projects.

US Burns Credibility in Grenell Quest for Foreign Policy Win, as Kosovo Government Falls

Amid COVID19 crisis, Special Envoy Richard Grenell's pressure on Kosovo precipitates collapse of popular and promising reformist government.
Prime minister of People's Republic of China, Li Keqiang, speaks during his visit to the construction site of the bridge connecting the Croatian peninsula of Peljesac with the rest of the coast and Croatia mainland on April 11, 2019.

As Russia and China Seek a Beachhead in the Western Balkans, a U.S.-U.K. Push Could Avert an Authoritarian Turn

Genuinely sustainable progress in the Western Balkans turns on jobs, equitably distributed revenue, and the physical security that undergirds effective governance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, in Belgrade on January 17, 2019.

Serb ‘Auxiliary Force’ Escalates Threats to Bosnia’s Stability

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik risks plunging Bosnia, and with it the volatile Western Balkans, into the region’s worst security crisis since the end of the Yugoslav Wars.
People walk by a board advertising the refurbishment of Mitrovica bridge by the European Union on February 20, 2019 in Mitrovica, Kosovo.

The U.S. Congress, a Voice for the Balkans In the 1990s Wars, Needs to Step Up Again

President Donald Trump and National Security Advisor John Bolton are engaged in a campaign to pressure a close American ally into ceding parts of its territory to a historic adversary.…
Pedestrians walk past a stencil depicting the map of Kosovo with the Cyrillic writing "No division", in downtown Belgrade on November 11, 2018.

The Last Thing the Shaky Western Balkans Needs Is More Border Changes

It’s hard to know which direction the Western Balkans region is headed these days. There are some encouraging signs, even amid very worrying trends. Signs of promise include…

Bolstered EU Force Could Help Stabilize Bosnia, as Russia and Elections Close In

On Oct. 7, Bosnia will hold its most contentious and divisive elections since the war that killed 100,000 people in the 1990s. The risk of state disintegration in the immediate…
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