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September 3, 2008 | Transnistria is Next to Declare Independence

Ari Rusila: First it was Kosovo to declare unilateral independence. Now South Ossetia and Abkhazia have followed suit. The next new breakaway state could be Pridnestrovie, otherwise known as Transnistria. The EU needs to be prepared for a possible conflict.

August 12, 2008 | Let's Open the Bosnian X-Files

Ari Rusila: The trial of Radovan Karadzic will answer many open questions of the Balkan events during 1990’s. Some reports suggest quite a disgusting picture about “realpolitik” behind the noble statements of the international community.

August 9, 2008 | Pandora's Box Is Opened

Ari Rusila: Kosovo’s unilateral proclamation of independence played a key role in events we see in South Ossetia today. Do we still have time to close the Pandora box and if yes - how?

July 22, 2008 | The Future of Kosovo

Ari Rusila: The years to come in the Balkan region cannot be as bleak as those of the recent past. Despite uncertainties regarding developments in Kosovo, the following scenarios offer likely alternatives and demonstrate the region has a future.

July 15, 2008 | Will Kosovo Rise With 2 Billion Bucks?

Ari Rusila: As a result of an international donors conference, Kosovo has been given some 1.2 million euros. What for and how is this money going to be used when it reaches destination?

July 11, 2008 | Serbia Is Back in Europe

Elizabeth Pond : Even though radical voices are still present in Serbian political life, most of the Serbs finally made the choice of becoming a part of Europe.

June 30, 2008 | It's the Economy, Stupid!

Sonja Davidovic: Instead of continuously debating, negotiating and making plans for reconfiguration, the international community should help the Serbian and Kosovar governments find ways to strengthen cross-border trade and regional business activities.

April 23, 2008 | Solving Kosovo's Kosovo

Daniel Korski & Richard Gowan: Away from the limelight and with other world events getting the media’s attention, the situation in Kosovo has been getting worse and worse. And it all started so well with the EU managing to get a consensus for its ESDP mission and two-thirds of EU states backing the province’s independence.

February 22, 2008 | Transatlantic Security Agenda 2008

Benjamin Lucas Schoo: Vote now on what prominent security related issue the governments on both sides of the Atlantic should focus their attention on! We have identified 4 major tasks for 2008 and ask you to select which of these should be at the top of the transatlantic agenda. You can vote now on the right side.

January 21, 2008 | Kosovo: Avoid US Unilateralism, Encourage EU Leaders

Memo 4: Members of the Atlantic Community are mostly optimistic about the future of Kosovo and conflict resolution in the Western Balkans. The EU has a key role in this region and policy is in the right track, but, of course, big challenges still lie ahead.

December 12, 2007 | Kosovo: It's Not as Bad as You Think

Elizabeth Pond: The EU and the UN can build on recent progress to resolve the last unfinished business from the 1990s’ Balkan wars. There is still a long way to go, though, to bring Kosovo under EU supervision and persuade Serbia to opt for a European future.

December 5, 2007 | "Thessaloniki 2": European Incentives for the Western Balkans

Alexandros P. Mallias: A clear prospect of EU membership is the most effective tool in helping countries of the western Balkans overcome their current challenges. Mallias presents a new strategic agenda for the western Balkans building on the Thessaloniki Agenda of 2003.

November 29, 2007 | EU Can Prevent Versailles Syndrome in Serbia

Elizabeth Pond: I contend that the EU plan for Kosovo’s “supervised independence” will avoid the historical mistakes that could end up fueling Serbian resentment and ultranationalism. Offering eventual European Union membership to Serbia is a prudent step that will encourage Serbian cooperation.

November 23, 2007 | Twelve Years after Dayton: Europe and the Western Balkans

Marco Overhaus: 2007 and 2008 could be decisive years for the region. A difficult balance must be struck, between a renewed and robust EU engagement in the Western Balkans and the need to make reform efforts locally self-supporting.

November 7, 2007 | A Confederation for Kosovo

Antonio Cassese: A confederation of states is the best compromise for Kosovo. By means of a binding UN Security Council resolution, Kosovo could be granted full and exclusive authority over its citizens and territory, as well as limited capacity for action on the international scene.

August 13, 2007 | Will Kosovo End the Transatlantic Honeymoon?

Nikolas Kirrill Gvosdev: The US course of action on statehood for Kosovo will be a major test for the newly fortified transatlantic relationship.

July 3, 2007 | Kosovo: The Next Transatlantic Clash?

Ulf Gartzke: I warn of a looming “nightmare scenario” when EU member states could split from the US and each other over independent status for Kosovo. Results from the latest Bush-Putin summit could raise the stakes.

August 28, 2008 | EU Should Handle Georgia Like Kosovo

The crucial question at the upcoming European head of state meeting is about the right of self-determination in the context of the Caucasus crises. ++ EU foreign policy towards Kosovo indicates that it is an advocate of self-determination; however, there may be some who emphasize the inviolability of borders, thereby giving a hazardous guarantee to the Georgian government. ++ The tiny difference

July 29, 2008 | Time for the EU to Let in Balkan States

It has to be said out loud that the EU project will not be complete as long as all Balkan countries are not allowed to join: letting in Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania is crucial for progress and peace on the continent. ++ The EU states cannot leave these countries “dangling in a pit of constant evasion” and must finally give this process a momentum to match

May 22, 2008 | EU/US Could Help Solve Serbia's Divide Over Europe

Uncertainty remains as to whether Serbia will turn East or West, but the radicalization of public opinion means the emerging government will have to defend Serb interests in Kosovo and encourage the de facto partition. ++ The prospect of EU membership is not sufficient to bring Serbs to terms with the loss of Kosovo. ++ Realistically, the EU and the US should consider a form of partition. ++

May 13, 2008 | Boris Tadic's Victory is Not so Decisive

The recent victory in Serbian parliamentary elections by President Boris Tadic’s pro-EU alliance was not as decisive as he would like to have the world believe. ++ In order to form a government he is likely to have to form a coalition with the eurosceptic Socialists, formerly the party of Slobodan Milosevic. ++ This would not only give him less space to maneuver with regard to EU accession and

April 10, 2008 | Unity - a Fragile China Bowl?

China is afraid of its unity being called into question. ++ Kosovo’s recent unilateral declaration of independence,
Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election, and China’s short history as a united country are reasons for stringent behavior in Tibet. ++ China fears the West helping Tibet or Taiwan become sovereign countries. ++ China and the West must avoid exaggerated fears

March 19, 2008 | The End of NATO Would Leave the EU Powerless

With unilateral pull-outs of the Afghan mission threatening NATO’s existence, Europe’s security is also at risk. ++ EU members lack consensus both on matters of foreign policy and regarding a role for NATO in the future. ++ As a global security actor, the EU should bolster its military capabilities, drop its idealism, and commit itself to real objectives in Sudan, Afghanistan, and Kosovo.

March 12, 2008 | Serbia's Choice: Between Integration and Isolation

Aiming primarily to qualify Serbia for membership in the EU, the Democratic Party of Tadic offers the country the most sensible economic, strategic, and diplomatic solution. ++ Kosovo’s declaration of independence may have strengthened ultranationalist, anti-EU forces. ++ To help Tadic, the EU and the US now have the duty to protect the Serb minority in Kosovo and strive for reconciliation with

February 27, 2008 | Recognition of Kosovo Punishes Serbian Democracy

Kosovo’s illegal declaration of independence has destabilized the international system. ++ Recognizing Kosovo legitimizes imposed solutions to ethnic conflicts, unilateral secession by a non-state actor, and forced partition to sovereign states. ++ “Recognizing Kosovo means saying, in effect, that Serbian democracy must be punished because [Milosevic] was left unpunished.”

February 25, 2008 | "Dependent Independence" in Kosovo

Kosovo’s declaration of independence is equally one of dependency - but it’s the “least worst” outcome. ++ Europe is pushing for Kosovo to move from protectorate to EU member state, without allowing it to achieve full independence. ++ Kosovo’s independence does not make the region any more unstable. ++ Serbia has a choice: to sulk, or to start working towards reconstruction and the EU.

February 25, 2008 | Rethinking the Efficacy of International Organizations

Kosovo’s independence weakens international institutions, which have been waning in influence since end of Cold War. ++ UN and NATO unable to regulate international conflicts. ++ Weaker countries most likely to support international regulations, superpowers rely least upon international law. ++ Institutions can only function if set up to resolve concrete problems; standards can’t be created with

November 12, 2007 | Rising Geopolitical Paradigms Require a Strong and United Western Alliance

As a community based on values, the West must strengthen its cohesiveness in order to grapple with the pace of globalization, and face a geopolitical axis actively shifting toward Asia, argues Stephen Szabo, executive director of the Transatlantic Academy, which is a partnership between the German Marshall Fund and the Bucerius Zeit Stiftung.

A division of the West could prove

August 1, 2007 | Lack of EU Solidarity Jeopardizes Kosovo Independence

Senior Fellow at the Century Foundation Morton Abramowitz calls on EU member states to take a united stand on Martii Ahitissari’s blueprint for Kosovo’s “supervised independence” from Serbia. Even though Ahitissari’s proposal complies with the official EU (as well as US) policy on the issue, a number of European nations were still openly skeptical of challenging a country’s territorial integrity.