With so many conflicts happening (Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Sudan, and more) — are we in a world war / the beginnings of World War III? Analysts might scoff — but I get asked this a lot, so I put this to experts including @kschake.bsky.social and @jasminmuj.bsky.social:
"It was so horrific, the intimacy of the violence, that it was your neighbors coming to kill you. That also leaves a very particular kind of trauma that's very difficult to untangle." @jasminmuj.bsky.social joins @faisalalyafai.bsky.social on The Lede to discuss the Bosnian war shorturl.at/5vwCU
An important piece from Ben Gerstein for @justsecurity.org on the aggressive efforts of Russian-backed Bosnian Serb secessionist Dodik to court support among the international far right for his effort to destabilize Bosnia and the whole Western Balkans. www.justsecurity.org/136681/bosni...
A short excerpt from my conversation with @faisalalyafai.bsky.social of @newlinesmag.bsky.social about the intimacy of the violence committed against the Bosniak community during the Bosnian War and the Bosnian Genocide, and the long term consequences of the same.
I sat down for a long conversation with @faisalalyafai.bsky.social about my concerns with the recent international media trend of ‘de-contextualizing’ the Bosnian War but also the contrasting significance the of projects like @sniperalleyphoto.bsky.social. newlinesmag.com/podcast/the-...
“Get ready to be inspired!” at Judson University, kids.
Some 340 suspected war criminals from
the Bosnian War remain at large in Croatia, Serbia et al. Of these the majority (c. 150) are actually in Croatia, an EU member state. But one pillar of the culture of state-sponsored revisionism in Zagreb and Belgrade. www.oslobodjenje.ba/vijesti/bih/...
The Kremlin-backed Bosnian Serb secessionist regime in Banja Luka has hired UK firm Morris de Corve & Associates Ltd. to advocate on behalf of its interests, with their presumed chief focus (as in the US) being the lifting of UK sanctions vs. Dodik et al. www.rtvbn.com/4090521/repu...
🇭🇺 For years, Hungary played the spoiler vote in the EU. Viktor Orbán also sought out like-minded, illiberal politicians across Eastern Europe, undercutting democracies. @jasminmuj.bsky.social walked me through how new leadership will impact Slovakia and the Western Balkans.
I spoke to @melissakchan.bsky.social about how Orban's Hungary became an existential threat to the functionality of the EU as a foreign policy actor and how he became the leading patron of other European illiberal regimes, above all in the Western Balkans. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mm-...
I still laugh about the story of some Bosnian friends who settled in the Netherlands, and after having a baby hired some cleaners to help bring their flat in order. Within the 15 minutes, they had to stop the cleaners, and begin pointing out all the spots they were missing.
Ah yes, the ancient art of suddenly discovering the roof tiling could use a bit of TLC.
What you call 'anxiety' or 'the tell-tale signs of a psychological break' Bosnians simply refer to as the near-daily process of identifying increasingly more inaccessible and improbable areas of the home to deep clean.
One immediate ask BiH’s MFA and presidency should make of the new govt in Budapest is the closure of Orban’s faux “counter-terrorism center” in Banja Luka, which is no more than a liaison office for his regime’s support for Milorad Dodik’s secessionist adventurism in Bosnia.
And as we cautiously but hopefully look to a new day in Budapest, give a listen to my Balkanomnicon chat with @drilonsgashi.bsky.social, Kosovo's Ambassador to Poland; we reflect on some of the shared historical trajectories of Central Europe and the Western Balkans. rss.com/podcasts/bal...
...and human flourishing, at mass scale.
Thus the celebrations on the streets of Budapest are not about Peter Magyar. They are about restoring government that is accountable, transparent, lawful and, above all, government that it is not a threat to its citizens.
It is very important that the scenes of euphoria in Hungary following Orban's defeat be seen and shared around the world.
Because if we want to save constitutional government and liberal democracy, we must be reminded that it is, first and foremost, the best existing means for delivering joy...
Indeed, aside from Hungary itself few other countries suffered as much from Orban’s dark, hateful rule as Bosnia and in particular its Bosniak community. And by the same token, Bosnians will likewise be especially keen to see the restoration of democratic, liberal, and European norms in Budapest.
…statements by Orban about Bosnia’s majority Bosniak community (again, note the map). That all later culminated in Hungary’s planned 2025 exfiltration of Dodik following his charging by Bosnian authorities (and later removal from office) for acts against the country’s constitutional order.
…for Kremlin-backed Bosnian Serb secessionist Milorad Dodik, including shielding him from EU sanctions while simultaneously providing direct financial assistance to his radical regime, Hungary’s shameful vote against the UNGA Srebrenica Genocide Resolution, and a series of genocidaire-like…
One of the strangest and most disturbing moments during Orban’s long tenure was the period in 2018 during which he was repeatedly photographed - including during a meeting with Italy’s Meloni - with an enormous ethnic map of Bosnia.
This coincided with a sharp uptick in his government’s support…
Orban’s pro-Russian views were something he imposed on Hungarians. In Serbia, more than two-thirds of the population holds positive views of Moscow and its aggression against Ukraine. Vucic can still be toppled, of course, but it’s not a 1:1 comparison with Hungary.
The trouble with repeating the success of the Hungarian opposition in Serbia, as some suggest may now occur, is that the Hungarian electorate is significantly more liberal (and has been for decades) than Serbia’s.
The single biggest, most productive policy option that becomes available to the EU with Orban out re: the Balkans is deployment of long delayed union-wide sanctions vs. Bosnian Serb secessionist Dodik. Plenkovic and Fico will object but are much weaker without Orban's support.
“Worry not, Viktor. We’ll always have Moscow.”
The larger the majority for Tisza, the more difficult it will be for Fidesz to rig the results. But there should be no question that Orban will try to rig them all the same, and use every other (extra)institutional level possible to prevent the fall of his regime.
As we await the generationally important results of the Hungarian elections, my @odgovor.bsky.social analysis proposes steps for the EU to repair the incredible damage Orban has wrought in the Balkans, including ejecting Hungarian forces from EUFOR and KFOR. www.odgovor.ba/article/14145/
I truly hope, for their own sake and the sake of all Europe, that the Hungarian people can rid themselves of the yoke of Orban’s criminal regime. But we should also expect that he and his Russian masters will attempt to prevent a peaceful transfer of power by any means available.
Stevanovic's Resni.ca bloc are widely seen as a pro-Russian party, and its most senior members have made various statements in support of Moscow in the context of the aggression against Ukraine. Stevanovic himself cut his teeth as an anti-vaccine activist during the global pandemic.
With selection of Zoran Stevanovic as the new president of the Slovenian legislature, the return of long-time right-wing provocateur & Dodik-Orban-Putin ally Janez Jansa to post of PM is likely imminent. It would be his fourth time in the office. Troubling. www.dnevnik.si/novice/slove...
