Democracy

The process of regional and internal consolidation of Western Balkan (WB) countries remains incomplete, with the legacy of conflict still exerting significant influence. Since the beginning of Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2022, the European Union and the US have shifted their focus towards security issues. The Western Balkans exemplify how post-conflict societal transformation is as crucial as war prevention.

It took a decade for this made-up idea of “gender ideology” to gain traction, inspiring large-scale mobilizations. Only after the economic recession in the first decade of the new millennium, after the “migrant crisis” and after the rise of populist politics, the time was ripe for the idea of “gender ideology” to gain mobilizing power.

The Kosovo war of 25 years ago serves as a reminder that frozen conflicts and bilateral disputes cannot be swept under the rug for long. In the current geopolitical environment, they will blow up in Europe’s face.

The full and strategic alignment of policies and strategies between the United States and the EU regarding the Western Balkans region needs to be prioritized in the current challenging security context. It has worked before and will work again.

This is now an opportunity to fix things. If mistakes are made and they were not deliberate and systematic, if they were not organised, if they happened because BiH’s transition process was extremely difficult and because BiH is truly unique in comparison to other countries due to its multiculturalism and all the people who live here, as well as its geopolitical position, this is now an opportunity for the international community to demonstrate that it will stand with the citizens, not with the political actors who are the producers of the conflict.

Enlargement regained prominence of the European Union agenda after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. However, the window of opportunity for moving forward will not stay open forever.

In response to this attack, civil society organizations, freethinking individuals, diplomatic missions, and international organizations in Montenegro and the region have expressed their solidarity and raised their voices. This case highlights the pressing need for stronger support for civil society's efforts towards EU integration, firmly anchored in progressive, green, and gender-sensitive values.

The app"Aktiv1st" tracks the social media activity of Socialist Party members and supporters, rewarding them with points for all their likes and shares, and ranking them in a list to foster peer-to-peer competition.

The need for practitioners and history promoters to do historical work “beyond the walls of the traditional classroom” is constantly growing. One of the main takeaways from our recent study trip to Berlin is that public and open discussions about the past and remembering are crucial for building future welfare.

Call for self-identified feminist researchers, working at universities, research institutes, think tanks, research NGOs and as independent scholars, holding a minimum MA degree, and coming from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia or Serbia are kindly invited to join the GenPolSEE. Male and researchers from minority and under-represented communities are especially encouraged to apply. Interest to join the network is to be expressed by sending an email with the latest CV (incl. publication list) in English language, together with a cover letter (ca. one A4 page), elaborating your motivation, expectations and what you can contribute to the network. The expression of interest should be sent not later than 15 August 2022.