Prisoners of the Past? Political Crises and Ethnic Tensions in the Western Balkans

Podcast / Europe & Central Asia16 July 20241 minute

This week on War & Peace, Olga is joined by Marko Prelec, Crisis Group's consulting senior Balkans analyst, to discuss the political landscape in the Western Balkans, the risks of Bosnia and Herzegovina falling apart, simmering tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, and prospects for EU enlargement.

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• Bosnia And Herzegovina

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga speaks with Crisis Group's consulting senior Balkans analyst Marko Prelec about the enduring political and ethnic tensions in the Western Balkans. They discuss the looming risk of Bosnia and Herzegovina breaking up amid secessionist threats by authorities in Republika Srpska and grievances among Bosnia's ethnic groups with its political system and its international supervision. They talk about the challenges of reconciliation in Bosnia as the country commemorates the anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide this month. They then unpack the tensions between Kosovo and Serbia and Pristina's efforts to assert authority in the Serb-majority north of the country. They also ask about the prospects of EU enlargement to the region and the lessons identified from Balkan efforts to remember, build on, and move past contentious histories.

Click here to listen on Apple Podcastsor Spotify.

For more about the topics discussed in this episode, check out our EU Watchlist commentary Helping Keep Bosnia and Herzegovina Togetherand our report Northern Kosovo: Asserting Sovereignty amid Divided Loyalties.

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