Human Security Centre Human Rights and International Security Research

With his victory secured, Erdogan will be presiding over a Turkey where virtually all checks and balances have been eliminated, and under the new constitution he could potentially hold power until 2028.

On 14 June, the mandate of EULEX – the European Union's mission focused on assisting and supporting Kosovo's authorities in enforcing the rule of law – will come to an end. The mission will not end on a positive tone, but a new monitoring and advisory role could help improve on the current situation.

Like the electorate in the Balkans, the West often opts for a “devil you know” and “lesser evil” strategy when choosing who to support as leader. This is understandable in the short-term, but in the long-term it may be extremely damaging.

In a pre-elections speech reminiscent of those delivered by Soviet leaders in the Cold War era, Vladimir Putin covered all grounds to distract attention internally and create a military fantasy externally.

The name dispute has been the biggest obstacle to European integration for the Western Balkan country, and has resulted in Greece vetoing Skopje’s NATO accession in 2008 and blocking its European Union accession talks before they even began.

The road towards justice in the Western Balkans is still long, but it is not an impossible one – and if reconciliation is to be achieved, the ICTY needs to start being seen as merely the beginning of this road.

With the European Union’s attention almost entirely dedicated to the Brexit negotiations, 2017 has been a year of highs and lows for the Western Balkans. Some countries proved themselves capable of impressive progress, while others showed why external involvement is still very much needed in the region.

The recent moves by Catalonia to obtain independence have generated speculation that regions of other nearby states will follow its example. However, the referendum and its aftermath serve more as a lesson than a model for other European separatist movements.

The Bulgaria-Macedonia friendship treaty does not mean that Sofia and Skopje no longer have any differences, but it does demonstrate that compromise is the way forward. It is high time that other nations in the region followed suit.

15th July has been declared an annual holiday called Democracy and National Unity Day – two attributes Turkey desperately needs, but shows no signs of at the moment. The events of the past year show that the failed coup was also a failed opportunity.