Human Security Centre Human Rights and International Security Research

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.

Muslims in the Balkans have traditionally been and continue to be moderate, and post-war extremism in the region has yet to translate itself into widespread domestic violence. Nevertheless, ISIS has had some success in recruiting fighters for the wars in Syria and Iraq from the region.

The Western Balkans know that, in the long-term, they have more to gain from the West than the East – and the European Union’s continuous stalling leaves a void that needs to be filled. Stronger engagement with and on the part of NATO, regardless of how far it goes, will bring nothing but benefits to both sides and Europe as a whole.

The Serbian people are not out in the streets because this was not the election result they expected – they are out in the streets because they know what the result means for their future in the next five years. As things stand, Vucic’s win is a gain for stability but a loss for democracy – and it is high time that the two started being treated as equals again.

Macedonia has been in political limbo for the past two years. The current protests can, at best, achieve a political compromise – the party in power may change, but the abuses for which punishment was called by the population will be forgotten, and Macedonia will move forward as if they never happened.

The Western Balkans have been receiving their fair share of attention from the international media lately. However, such alarmist talk often forgets that this is a region that is still recovering from recent bloodshed – and one that has more to lose than gain from its return.

The past two months of political events in Romania offer an accurate image of the inner workings of and flaws within the country's system as a whole.

For the past more than two decades, Bulgaria has sought to have the best of both worlds – and succeeded. When new President Rumen Radev says that good ties with both the West and Russia are not incompatible, the recent history of his country indicates he is right.