Latest Views from the Balkans
Accepting a Difficult Truth: ICTY is Not Our Court
The impact of Yugoslav general Momcilo Perisic’s acquittal illustrates the insurmountable distance between the Hague Tribunal and people in the Balkans, who must take responsibility for dealing with their past.
Hague Verdicts Allow Commanders to Evade Justice
The Hague Tribunal’s acquittal of Yugoslav general Momcilo Perisic worryingly shifts responsibility for war crimes from commanders to subordinates fulfilling battlefield orders.
Serbian Tax Reform Offers Business Clearer Guidelines
Business should welcome the modernisation of corporate income tax, which demonstrates Serbia’s efforts to implement global best practice.
The Easy Route to Extra Cash in Serbia
Belgrade’s decision to give Hague war crimes defendants more financial support when the country is so short of money says much about the nation’s priorities.
Cyrillic Signs Threaten Vukovar’s Fragile Harmony
The dilemma over whether to erect bilingual signs in the iconic border town in the face of hostile demonstrations poses a test for Croatia’s democratic legitimacy.
EU Will Not Allow Reintroduction of Visas
A decade has passed since the Thessaloniki Summit, which firmly confirmed the European agenda for the Western Balkans and promised a clear European perspective for the region.
Delicacies and Denial at The Hague
When Serbia’s justice minister visited the Hague Tribunal and ate sweets with Ratko Mladic, it showed that Belgrade’s new government doesn’t want to take war crimes seriously.
Serbia in 2013: Creating Confidence Through Transition
Like the Mayan Apocalypse that wasn’t, the harbingers of doom that held a negative outlook for Serbia’s economy after a new nationalist government was formed this summer have awakened to a new reality: the prospects are not as bleak as some would have us believe.
Patronage Politics Push Macedonia to a Precipice
A system of politics based on competing interests groups of patrons and clients - without common goals and now beset by an economic crisis - is heading towards collapse.
Serbian Culture Pays Price For ‘Fire Fighting’ Strategy
The government’s policy of tackling only the most urgent crises in the field of culture helps explain why the arts in general are steadily sinking into oblivion.
Gotovina: Unlikely Hero of Croat-Serb Dialogue
The conciliatory messages by Ante Gotovina, the Croatian general recently acquitted by the Hague Tribunal, have disappointed Croatian far right.
What’s to Celebrate on Independence Day?
Unlike the situation a hundred years ago, Albanians cannot blame external forces any longer for their country’s failure to progress.
Hague Verdicts Don’t ‘Justify’ Croatia’s, Kosovo’s, Wars
Croatia and Kosovo should not see the rulings on Gotovina and Haradinaj as a vindication of their supposedly ‘just’ wars.
Hague Failed to Justify Gotovina Acquittal
The Hague Tribunal’s decision that two Croatian generals were innocent of war crimes leaves serious questions unanswered.
Generals’ Release Poses Dilemma for Croatian Courts
Once the euphoria surrounding the Gotovina-Markac verdicts fades, the justice system will still have to address the question of war crimes committed in 1995.
