Serbia needs to look beyond EU accession
Whether you are EU-phoric or EU-phobic, joining the EU is no panacea for Serbia’s problems. Continue reading Serbia needs to look beyond EU accession
Category: Politics
Abramović, Žižek and Milanović: Yugoslavia’s First and Last Global Public Intellectuals
For a country that’s been dead for almost thirty years and whose contributions to the world, according to the Western prestige-press range from German Nazism to Islamophobia in Australia it may be surprising that in the past few years, a number of Yugoslav intellectuals seem to have charmed their Western peers, and to be giving their fair share of insights into the current malaise that … Continue reading Abramović, Žižek and Milanović: Yugoslavia’s First and Last Global Public Intellectuals
My Quest for Serbian Mentality and “true Serbs”
the truth behind the true Serbian mentality. Continue reading My Quest for Serbian Mentality and “true Serbs”
Russian and Chinese Dazzling Charm Offensive in Serbia
Western governments could learn a lot from their eastern rivals on how to make a small nation feel special. Continue reading Russian and Chinese Dazzling Charm Offensive in Serbia
Magic in the Twilight of Yugoslavia
With normal life suspended during the chaos and wars of the 90s, Yugoslavs turned to the paranormal for hope and protection. Continue reading Magic in the Twilight of Yugoslavia
Lack of Cash Stifles Serbia’s Innovation Drive
The figures for Serbia’s tech sector look great, but there are major challenges ahead. Continue reading Lack of Cash Stifles Serbia’s Innovation Drive
Let’s Stop Irrationalising the Balkans
Why do some nations have ‘interests’, while others are stuck with ‘ancient hatreds’? Continue reading Let’s Stop Irrationalising the Balkans
The Audacity of Being Out in Serbia
Being openly out and out of the limelight is still a matter of courage in Serbia. Continue reading The Audacity of Being Out in Serbia
Toxic Dump, Serbia
Is living in Serbia really the thing that is making our lives miserable? Continue reading Toxic Dump, Serbia
Escaping Tito’s Long Shadow
In Serbia and most former-Yugoslav republics, May, it seems, was, is and will be, at least for another few decades, the month of Tito. Not only does it start with the International Worker’s Day, but Tito was born, celebrated his official birthday, and died in May. He was born on 7 May 1892 in Kumrovec, Croatia, to a Croat farmer father and a Slovene mother. … Continue reading Escaping Tito’s Long Shadow
Can Political Get Less Personal in Serbia?
Alongside greater political freedoms, Serbs would also really enjoy more freedom from politics. Continue reading Can Political Get Less Personal in Serbia?
Serbia and Albania: Know Thy Neighbour
In October 2017, I went to Tirana for a conference about relations between Serbia and Albania, jointly organised by the Albanian Institute for International Studies and the European Movement in Serbia. One of the topics of the conference was the public perception of the relationship between the two countries, which made me instinctively shudder. Despite the recent displays of friendship between the Albanian Prime Minister … Continue reading Serbia and Albania: Know Thy Neighbour
“Serbsplaining” the West
From the early days of modern Serbia, and arguably before, Serbian perceptions and expectations of ‘the West’ were in many ways inextricable from how Serbians perceived themselves. Serbian uprisings against the Ottomans were from the outset imagined as a way for Serbia to re-join and catch-up with its Christian brethren from the West, who were expected to embrace it with open hands. After the last … Continue reading “Serbsplaining” the West
Poverty and Politics in Serbia
I only became aware of inequality and class division once I moved to a country which is almost synonymous with them: the UK. At both university and work, my British friends frequently dissected levels of “posh-ness” in themselves and others, assessing how appropriate it was to play rugby or vote Conservative, given their background. I was, of course, dumbfounded. In Serbia, discussing “class” and inequality … Continue reading Poverty and Politics in Serbia
Serbia’s paradoxical affair with history
When pundits look for a culprit for instability in the Balkans, their fingers often point to history, or rather the great fondness the people here have for it. Visitors to Serbia are often baffled by Serbians’ tendency to explain contemporary actions and attitudes by referencing events that happened several centuries ago. For example, it is not uncommon for somebody to explain Serbia’s awkward teetering between … Continue reading Serbia’s paradoxical affair with history
Westsplaining the Balkans
Twenty years ago, while the embers of war in Bosnia and Croatia were still smouldering, Bulgarian historian Maria Todorova published “Imagining the Balkans”. In this seminal work, she detailed the ways in which the Balkans have been perceived and documented for centuries both home and aboard – most often as a somewhat brutal and uncivilised forecourt of Europe. Todorova called this discourse “Balkanism” as homage … Continue reading Westsplaining the Balkans
Serbian elites’ long war on clarity
Although it is 170 years since a simplified Serbian language became the norm, Serbian elites still prefer muddying the rhetorical waters In 1847, after three decades of struggle, Vuk Karadžić and his allies, Petar Petrović Njegoš, Branko Radičević and Đura Daničić, decisively won the battle for the standardisation of Serbian folk language and its literary use. Their victory was achieved by proving that the language … Continue reading Serbian elites’ long war on clarity
Tweaks not U-turns: how to future-proof Serbia’s growth?
Although FDI-driven development strategy is here to stay, Serbian government should focus on boosting innovation Continue reading Tweaks not U-turns: how to future-proof Serbia’s growth?
Ana Brnabić: the least bad news for Serbia
Appointment of a competent pro-Western openly gay female PM is a good thing, even though Serbia’s democracy is sliding back Today, after a long unwarranted delay Serbia’s president/PM Aleksandar Vučić decided to appoint Ana Brnabić as his successor who is to from the new Serbian government. This function will be almost ceremonial, as Vučić clearly showed intention to keep all the reigns in his hands. … Continue reading Ana Brnabić: the least bad news for Serbia
April in Belgrade: Photos from pro-democracy protests
After a sort of Easter break, the protests for media freedom and democracy continue today. They started on 3 April, after PM Aleksandar Vučić won the Presidential election, and gathered large crowds across Serbia demanding free media, democratic control, fair elections and social justice. In Belgrade, on Saturday 9 April there were a few tens of thousands marching from the main Serbian government building in … Continue reading April in Belgrade: Photos from pro-democracy protests