Postings mit Schlagwort "W-Balkans" (7)
Politische Kultur in (Südost)Europa
Die Südosteuropa-
Democratisation and reform in SEE
Wars of symbols
"By creating a project where everyone feels offended, Cerny (perhaps unintentionally) shows how fragile Europe is in a world constantly driven by wars of symbols and representation. It shows also how this war could ignite along the fringes of or even within the union." (more...)
Visa facilitation in the W-Balkans
The European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) and King Baudouin Foundation (KBF) organise a conference on 10 December 2008 in Brussels on: “Does it really matter? Visa facilitation in the Western Balkans: Monitoring of the new agreements”. More information on the conference and the conference programme can be found here.
Caucasus - Balkans ?
Drawing parallels and simplification helps us to understand the world. However, it can also lead to misunderstandings when parallels are drawn between very distinct situations and issues. The Caucasus crisis has often been compared to the Balkans and to the Cyprus issue. I do not have any problems with comparisons as long as they are balanced and take into account the differences. A lot of recent press comments lacked this balance and were based on simplistic equations such as Russia+Serbia vs. Kosovo+US+EU and Russia+South Ossetia+Abkhazia vs. Georgia+US+EU. Those same analysts were asking: "How come Russia is first against independence in the Kosovo-case and then pro-independence?" - acknowledging thereby the limits of their own system of analysis.
State-building and EU integration
Tonight I just want to share a quote with you from an ECFR article by U. Guérot on EU and state building (the article is from February, but still remains of interest):
The EU and the Western Balkans: The Objectives of the Slovenian EU Presidency
From 12 to 13 September 2008, an international conference will take place in Berlin on "The EU and the Western Balkans: The Objectives of the Slovenian EU Presidency", co-organised by the Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft and the German Foreign Office (more info below):
SEE-EU
