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Latest Articles about Balkans
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Returning IS Fighters in the Balkans: Beyond the Immediate Security Threat
Over the years, the nations of the Western Balkans have seen about 1,000 of their citizens join al-Qaeda’s Syria wing, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra), and move on to join so-called Islamic State (IS). [1] They have hailed from majority-Muslim communities in... MORE
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Moscow Using Serbs Against Bosnia as It Did Ethnic Russians Against Ukraine
Many Western analysts have focused on the ways Moscow is seeking to use ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers in the former Soviet republics to expand the Kremlin’s influence—both by actually destabilizing these countries or simply raising the specter that it could repeat there what it has... MORE
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Southern Gas Corridor Raises Significant Financing, but Still Faces Provocations
On February 6 and March 15, the European Investment Bank (EIB) allocated loan packages of €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) and €932 million ($1.14 billion) to complete the construction of the Southern Gas Corridor’s (SGC) two main segments, which will carry Caspian-basin natural gas from Azerbaijan... MORE
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Romania and the Challenges of Spending 2 Percent of GDP on Defense
Mihai Fifor, the Romanian defense minister, admitted before a joint session of the parliament’s national security and defense committees that the country did not manage to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense in 2017. The government did allocate the necessary funds, but the Ministry... MORE
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Our Man in Belgrade: Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Visits the Balkans
Montenegro’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) last year, the European Union’s announcement that it will resume enlargement before 2025 to include at least one Balkan state, Serbia’s evident oscillation between East and West, as well as recent progress on resolving the Greco-Macedonian... MORE
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Romania Prepares to Modernize Its Helicopter Fleet
As part of the drive to bolster its defense capabilities, Romania is laying ambitious plans to replace and modernize its helicopter fleet. This process will have a significant impact in both military and economic terms. During the Cold War, Romania was unique among the Warsaw... MORE
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Moldova Hopes to Boost Military Ties With Romania Amid Tensions With Russia
On February 4, Romanian Defense Minister Mihai Fifor arrived on an official two-day visit to Moldova. In a joint press conference, Moldovan Defense Minister Eugen Sturza thanked his counterpart and the Romanian government for its support in modernizing and developing the defense legal-strategic framework, educating... MORE
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South Ossetian Separatist Leader Becomes Envoy of ‘Russkiy Mir’ in the Balkans and Ukraine
On January 9, the so-called “president” of the Russian-backed “South Ossetian republic” (“Tskhinvali region”), Anatoly Bibilov, undertook a three-day visit to Republika Srpska, a constituent entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina. There, he held a meeting with Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and took part in the disputed Day of the Republic celebrations in the... MORE
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Growing Submarine Threat in the Black Sea
In the four years that have passed since Russia annexed Crimea, the number of Russian submarines active in the Black Sea has grown from one to seven. These submarines pose a grave threat to the security of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) eastern flank.... MORE
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Romania Consolidates Its Defense Posture
As 2017 draws to a close, Romania is doubling down on its defense posture. Through a series of transformative policies and military acquisitions, Bucharest is trying to meet the Russian challenge in the Black Sea and implement the decisions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s... MORE