Kontekst: Strani utjecaji na Balkanu (Al Jazeera Balkans)

BOOK REVIEW: Dimitar Bechev, Rival Power: Russia’s Influence in Southeast Europe

For centuries Balkans is playing an important role in Russia’s foreign policy. During the Czarist Russia, the region served as one of the main polygons on the Empire’s way to access the warm seas of the Mediterranean, thus ending its historical deficiency of lacking navigable waters during the winter months. With the establishment of the Soviet Union, Russia was present in the region through the ideological camp formed together with the socialist regimes in the Balkans. Later on, two unusual Socialist regimes of Albania and Yugoslavia severed their ways with the Kremlin. But, despite all Soviet influence in the region would remain pretty strong throughout the Cold War. Moscow’s influence will start diminishing with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. For a decade to come, through the 1990s, Russia will struggle to keep its status as a relevant power in the Balkans. With the wars in Former Yugoslavia the region entered a period of “Pax Americana” where Washington the...

Bosnia's Turkish Debate

Just a few days ago the Association of Parents in the Canton of Sarajevo complained to the canton’s education minister that the promotion of the Turkish language as an elective class had been taking place without prior consultation with parents. Parents say they should be the ones to decide what class schoolchildren will select. The first impression is that the complaint is fair and square. The impression is one of caring parents minding the future of their children, and certainly they are; but what is striking is the fact that parents have been turned into a ‘lobbying machine’ that sees a “civilizational threat” to their children, as they are complaining about allegedly a “lobbying campaign of Turkish language teachers”. Since when has a parent whose child is taking, for instance, a German language course or any other as an elective class begun to worry that some parents and their children prefer the Turkish language? It has been obvious since the beginning that this cas...

Why Balkans matter for Turkey?

In the last few years we are witnessing a shift in Turkey’s foreign policy, moving from once being a bastion of Western civilization to a more undefined Eurasian understanding. Turkey’s leadership started flirting more actively with Moscow with ties getting normalized, after the apology for downing of a Russian airplane over Syria. Vladimir Putin was faster than Western politicians in condemning the failed coup. Some even say Putin himself warned Turkey’s president that coup is under its way. Disappointed with Western’s attitude, Ankara started more openly speaking of getting even closer with Kremlin. President of Turkey and political establishment in Ankara are sending threatening messages to Western leaders regarding the Turkey’s NATO membership and recently went even as far to announce a possible referendum on abandoning EU accession process. Besides the threatening rhetoric definitely there were some moves in recent months confirming this stance of Ankara. Turkey’s political elit...

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