Kosovo’s Interpol bid – and its ramifications for EU (EUobserver)
Eliott Behar, former domestic criminal prosecutor and international war crimes prosecutor, writes in an op-ed for EUobserver that as Interpol’s General Assembly prepares to vote on whether to admit Kosovo as its newest member, there is little question that Kosovo meets the criteria for membership. “It has a large police force, numbering over 8,000 employees […]
Read More →Breaking old habits in the Balkans (European Council on Foreign Relations)
By: Robert Cooper Opinions cost nothing, but it is not our opinions that matter – let’s not take sides before we know what has been proposed. “An intellectual hatred is the worst”, says W B Yeats, “So let her think opinions are accursed.” That’s what I used to think when I was involved in diplomacy […]
Read More →Fresh Momentum for the Balkans (Project Syndicate)
Javier Solana, former EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and former Secretary-General of NATO, writes in an opinion piece for news organisation Project Syndicate that the last decades have brought more frustration than progress to the Balkans but that no conflict is unsolvable when “diplomatic creativity and political will are brought to bear.” […]
Read More →Kosovo-Serbia Deal – Saving Faces or Saving Borders (Balkan Insight)
By: Gezim Krasniqi The contradictory reactions to proposals to resolve the Kosovo issue through border changes has exposed the international community’s confusion over what its priorities are. Recent announcements by the presidents of Serbia and Kosovo, that they are considering border changes to reach a historic peace settlement, have sent shockwaves across the region. Speaking […]
Read More →An Offensive Plan for the Balkans That the U.S. Should Get Behind (The New York Times)
By: Charles A. Kupchan A Kosovo-Serbia land swap would be peaceful ethnic cleansing. But at least it would bring peace. The Balkans remains in strategic limbo. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia 10 years ago, but Serbia has yet to come to terms with its loss — refusing to recognize Kosovo and stirring trouble between the […]
Read More →Kosovo, billed as a model of western intervention learns a difficult lesson (TRT World)
By: Aidan Hehir With the West in disarray, Kosovo is finding out that its territorial integrity is up for grabs. To the surprise of most observers of Balkan politics, the presidents of Serbia and Kosovo have recently floated the idea of a territory exchange. While the details are not yet clear, the idea appears to […]
Read More →The hollow compromise of ‘border corrections’ (Prishtina Insight)
By: Florian Bieber Talks of partition and territorial exchange, facilitated by a weakly managed dialogue and support from undemocratic regimes, have found traction within the EU and now the Trump administration. Talk of border “corrections”―a new euphemism for border changes ―has recently become attractive to Western policymakers, for lack of tangible alternatives. The Brussels talks […]
Read More →Redrawing borders in the Balkans is a recurring, bad idea (DW)
James Pardew, former US mediator for the Balkans, writes in an op-ed for Deutsche Welle that the prospect of redrawing of borders in the Balkans is a bad idea that which may seem like and ‘easy fix’ but will only cause more problems in the longer term. “Redrawing national borders to solve ethnic disputes is […]
Read More →How to Restart War in the Balkans (FP)
By: Edward P. Joseph The Trump administration will regret looking for simple solutions to Eastern Europe’s territorial disputes. We don’t have a dog in that fight.” James Baker, U.S. secretary of state, June 1991, speaking of the impending dissolution of Yugoslavia. “We don’t exclude territorial adjustments. … We think they’ve got to solve it for […]
Read More →Rights and Territories in the Western Balkans (The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies)
By: Vladimir Gligorov An agreement on normalizing relations between Serbia and Kosovo appears to be becoming more likely. The deal apparently involves the correction of the borders or a swap of territories. How did the parties in conflict arrive there? What are the regional and international ramifications? And what are the chances for success? See […]
Read More →Redrawing Balkan borders would be a fatal mistake (Politico)
By: Adnan Cerimagic I made a personal plea to the presidents of Serbia and Kosovo — but it fell on deaf ears. On a stage with the presidents of Kosovo and Serbia at the weekend, I appealed directly to both of them not to make a fatal mistake and destabilize the whole Balkan region. I […]
Read More →A Balkan border change the West should welcome (Politico)
By: Marko Prelec Despite the risks, a land swap between Kosovo and Serbia could benefit both countries and the EU. Europe has an intense and understandable fear of changing national boundaries. But discussions about a land swap between Kosovo and Serbia, which have been in a simmering conflict for two decades, deserve careful support. See […]
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From Google News- Cameron: I contacted NATO secretary to strengthen KFOR in Kosovo - Euronews Albania 01/05/2024Cameron: I contacted NATO secretary to strengthen KFOR in Kosovo Euronews Albania
- MCC, Government of Kosovo Launches $202 Million Compact - Millennium Challenge Corporation 01/05/2024MCC, Government of Kosovo Launches $202 Million Compact Millennium Challenge Corporation
- New book - Introducing A Comprehensive Guide to Kosovo Law and Beyond from Professor Robert Muharremi | RIT ... - Rochester Institute of Technology 30/04/2024New book - Introducing A Comprehensive Guide to Kosovo Law and Beyond from Professor Robert Muharremi | RIT ... Rochester Institute of Technology
- Cameron: I contacted NATO secretary to strengthen KFOR in Kosovo - Euronews Albania 01/05/2024
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