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Tag: Serbia

Conscription mandates would be a disaster for Balkan entrepreneurs

Imagine being 27 years old, with a good job, a mortgage for an apartment, a wife, and two children, and suddenly receiving a call-up to mandatory military service with a compensation of 900 euros. This could soon become a reality for some men in Serbia and Croatia.

November 4, 2024 - Tea Kljajić

Russian aggression echoes Serbian aims regarding Kosovo

From the perspective of Kosovo, the aggression exerted by Russia against Ukraine is seen similarly as the acts committed by Serbia. The aim of both is territorial expansion. While Russia is trying to maintain its influence, Serbia aims to create what is called the “Serbian world”. Both call for greater autonomy for local citizens to justify their aggressive aims.

Kosovo and Serbia cannot agree on a sustainable political solution. The conflict between these two countries is deeply rooted and has not been resolved even after tense negotiations in Vienna in 2006-07. These negotiations produced a document known as the Ahtisaari Plan. Kosovo then declared its statehood in 2008 based on this agreement but Serbia did not accept it.

September 17, 2024 - Dorajet Imeri

A crisis for which nobody is prepared

A military intervention by Serbia into Kosovo would be the biggest upset to the political order in the Balkans since the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, with consequences that few have considered. Not only would such action do damage within Serbia, but neighbouring states and other powers could see similar repercussions as well. Even though such a scenario is not a certainty, these consequences must be considered.

The year 2008 is one that is singed into the mind of Serbs, both in Serbia and abroad. In February of that year, the Autonomous Province of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. To the outrage of Serbs across the world, a part of the country regarded as integral to the Serbian identity itself left with minimal resistance and effort being made by the Serbian government. Since then, the question of Kosovo remains one of the most important political issues both within Serbia and major nations involved in the political order of the Balkans.

September 17, 2024 - Stefan Mandic

Belgrade hosts the first All-Serb Assembly

Ethnonationalist politics are once again on the rise in the Western Balkans. The leaderships of both Serbia and Republika Srpska recently organized a rally for Serbs of the region, to provide a platform for ethnocratic and irredentist ambitions. This development cast an eye on the concerning erosion of EU leverage in the last years, which has consequences for the whole region.

July 8, 2024 - Grégoire Soria-Metais

Our Serbian friend, the genocide glorifier-in-chief

The West continues to view Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić as a key partner in the region despite his long history of denying that acts of genocide were committed throughout the Balkans, and that his ongoing actions threaten regional stability. It is imperative that western governments reconsider their relationship with Serbia’s authoritarian leader.

July 1, 2024 - Leon Hartwell

A UN resolution on genocide reaffirms truth – and angers the Serbian government

A recent resolution from the United Nations has exposed long-running tensions concerning genocide and the Bosnian War. While this document laid the blame with individual Serbs and Bosnian Serbs, Belgrade continues to view such language as an attack on the whole Serbian nation.

June 28, 2024 - Arta Haxhixhemajli

Everything you need to know about Serbian sentiments: from economic worries to foreign policy

Opinions within Serbian society are shaped by a complex interplay of historical perceptions, national propaganda, and actual circumstances. A new poll underscores the nation’s multifaced anxieties and highlights the persistent fissures within Serbian society. While the majority of Serbs voice socio-economic concerns shared across Europe, their foreign policy outlook remains sceptical of western integration.

May 29, 2024 - Leon Hartwell

Kosovo’s Council of Europe aspirations spark controversy in Serbia

The Council of Europe has become the latest flashpoint in relations between Serbia and Kosovo. While Pristina has expressed its desire to join the body, Belgrade has threatened to abandon the organization altogether. Such a move would only further challenge the delicate rights regime that exists in the country.

May 2, 2024 - Tea Kljajić

Serbian drug scandal exposes deep-seated ties between crime and security services

The biggest drug case in Serbian contemporary history reveals a tangled web between the criminal narcotics industry and security services in the country. The case has truly become a representation of one corrupt regime divided into many centres of power, all fighting for their own interests.

On November 13th 2019, the head of the department for narcotics of the Belgrade police, Slobodan Milenković, and the chief of operations of the same unit, Dušan Mitič, were driving on the highway, when a black Audi with the cross markings of a Serbian Orthodox church, equipped with police lights, cut off their path. They decided to stop him, without knowing that this would be the beginning of their worst nightmare.

February 7, 2024 - Filip Mirilović

The spectre of Slobodan Milošević continues to haunt Serbia

Despite having died over 17 years ago following his war crime tribunal in The Hague, Slobodan Milošević continues to make a mark in Serbian politics. Helping to understand his legacy and why it lives on should be the first step in overcoming the divisive politics of today. This will ultimately redirect Serbia back on the path to integration with the West.

The collapse of communist Yugoslavia was undoubtedly the biggest tragedy for the Balkans at the end of the 20th century. What had been agreed during and after that conflict still greatly affects Balkan politics to this day. Other than the changes in borders or alliances, many politicians and political parties rose to prominence during the war or afterwards because of it. The most familiar person to anyone both in the Balkans and in the West that made their claim to power during the Yugoslav Wars is the former president of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milošević.

February 7, 2024 - Stefan Mandic

Elections in Serbia: a testimony of autocracy versus incompetence

The recent elections in Serbia were characterized by irregularities, surpassing previous instances of misconduct. This was even acknowledge by international observers. Yet, the opposition's post-election campaign has come to a halt, merely reiterating claims of theft without presenting specific actions or strategies to challenge the ruling party and address corruption within institutions.

January 12, 2024 - Filip Mirilović

Montenegro’s new government: another step closer to Belgrade 

At first glance, the formation of Montenegro’s new government appears to represent a victory for pro-western forces in the country. Despite this, the new coalition is ultimately propped up by groups with close links to both Serbia and Russia.

November 21, 2023 - Kenneth Morrison Srdja Pavlović

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