by Steinar Bryn

After the breakup of Yugoslavia the International Community was optimistic in terms of a possible „europeanization“ of the Western Balkans. It was launched as the best strategy to integrate the new Republics in Europe and thereby securing stability and peace to start the process of building functional states. The EU, OSCE, UN all shared this strategy, and enormous amounts of human resources and finances were invested particularly in Kosovo and Bosnia Herzegovina.

In a recent book called „The Balkanization of Europe“ Sylo Taraku argues that while this process is very slow in the new Republics, there are signs of Balkanization in the rest of Europe. Stronger ethno politics, fake news, polarization, and the new waves of immigration revitalize the old concept „brain drain“. Norway benefit from medical personnel, engineers, construction workers being educated in the Western Balkans, and applying their skills elsewhere.

See at:  https://bit.ly/2K9AYg7