NEW EASTERN EUROPE IS A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT BETWEEN THREE POLISH PARTNERS The City of Gdańsk www.gdansk.pl A city with over a thousand years of history, Gdańsk has been a melting pot of cultures and ethnic groups. The air of tolerance and wealth built on trade has enabled culture, science, and the arts to fl ourish in the city for centuries. Today, Gdańsk remains a key meeting place and major tourist attraction in Poland. While the city boasts historic sites of enchanting beauty, it also has a major historic and social importance. In addition to its 1000-year history, the city is the place where the Second World War broke out as well as the birthplace of Solidarność, the Solidarity movement, which led to the fall of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe. The European Solidarity Centre www.ecs.gda.pl The European Solidarity Centre is a multifunctional institution combining scientifi c, cultural and educational activities with a modern museum and archive, which documents freedom movements in the modern history of Poland and Europe. The Centre was established in Gdańsk on November 8th 2007. Its new building was opened in 2014 on the anniversary of the August Accords signed in Gdańsk between the workers’ union “Solidarność” and communist authorities in 1980. The Centre is meant to be an agora, a space for people and ideas that build and develop a civic society, a meeting place for people who hold the world’s future dear. The mission of the Centre is to commemorate, maintain and popularise the heritage and message of the Solidarity movement and the anti-communist democratic op- position in Poland and throughout the world. Through its activities the Centre wants to inspire new cultural, civic, trade union, local government, national and European initiatives with a uni- versal dimension. The Jan Nowak-Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe www.kew.org.pl The College of Eastern Europe is a non-profi t, non-governmental founda- tion founded on February 9th 2001 by Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, a former head of the Polish section of Radio Free Europe and a democratic activist. The foundation deals with cooperation between the nations of Central and Eastern Europe. The aims if its charters are to carry out educational, cultural and publish- ing activities, and to develop programmes which enhance the transformation in the countries of Eastern Europe. The organisation has its headquarters in Wrocław, Poland, a city in western Poland, perfectly situated in the centre of Europe and with a deep understanding of both West- ern and Eastern Europe. A Dear Reader, “The price of Europeanising the Balkans is much higher than the price of the Balkanisation of Europe,” claims Zagreb-based writer Miljenko Jergović in the open- ing essay to this issue. This poignant statement calls for wide attention, especially of those who hold dear the idea of a united and expanding Europe. It points to the immense pressure that has been emerging within the region of the Western Balkans and which could have an effect on Europe as a whole. This also inclines that a bet- ter understanding of the Balkans is a prerequisite for a better understanding of the developments on the entire European continent. This fact has been true before, although not always – as our authors point out – taken seriously. Thus, it is worthwhile reading the essay by Adam Balcer, who ar- gues that since antiquity the region of the Western Balkans has been at the core of westernisation. It was the place where great powers battled for infl uence and where world wars erupted. In the 21st century a new scenario, with some similarities of the past, may be unfolding. Throughout the whole issue, our authors, who are either based in the region or avid readers of its developments, point out to some alarming trends that the power games may indeed be returning. Such is the case of Turkey as described by Tomasz Targański who highlights the rise of Neo-Ottomanism. Russian infl u- ence is also felt in the region as Kenneth Morrison and Jelena Milić argue in their respective essays. Equally worrisome is the issue of Islamic extremism that is reported by Tatyana Dronzina and Sulejman Muça to be seeking a foothold in Europe via the Balkans. Despite these and other developments the West has proved wrong in some de- cisions that were made in regards to the Balkans. The most striking example of a fl awed policy implementation is depicted by Christopher Bennet as he shows how the Dayton Peace Agreement has turned Bosnia and Herzegovina into Europe’s longest frozen confl ict, with little desire for improving the status quo. We hope that this double issue will make for thought-provoking reading for your summer months and that you continue stay in touch with us online and via social media. The Editors Contents Opinion & Analysis 46 Western Balkan memory games Simone Benazzo 7 Is Europe losing the Balkans? Miljenko Jergović 53 Presidential election in Serbia – Unfair but square The price of Europeanising the Balkans today is probably higher than it was 20 years ago – Jelena Milić when a golden opportunity to bring stability to the region was missed. But it still remains 58 Protests, plots and proxies incomparably cheaper than the price to be paid Kenneth Morrison in the event of the Balkanisation of Europe. The political developments which have unfolded in Montenegro over the last 18 months could 15 Dayton at death’s door have come straight out of a Hollywood script. Christopher Bennett Bosnia and Herzegovina’s trajectory has been 69 Public media in a deeply consistently and evidently downwards since fragmented country 2006, with the pace of descent accelerating Antonio Scancariello every year. Post-war optimism disappeared long ago to be replaced by a fatalistic cynicism. 76 Neo-Ottomanism. An empire being rebuilt? 23 De-radicalising the Western Balkans Tomasz Targański Tatyana Dronzina and Sulejman Muça The Western Balkans have become fertile ground 82 A new, old Central Europe? for ISIS recruitment and a place of terrorist Ziemowit Szczerek activity in the heart of Europe. Albania, Bosnia Historically speaking, the region of Central and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia Europe has provided an extraordinary plethora require greater attention on the social, economic of narratives illustrating an inability to create and political issues if de-radicalisation eff super-national structures – political entities that orts are to succeed before it is too late. go beyond national borders or create political unions. This was the failure of the Habsburgs, 32 Without accountability, Hungary, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, there is no closure Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union – Morgan Meaker and it is the failure of the European Union today. 89 The Balkans. A history of civilisation 38 A long road ahead for women in Kosovo Adam Balcer Sidita Kushi Post-independence Kosovo comes complete with 97 What will Lukashaneka do next? a female president, a gender quota in parliament, Michał Potocki a memorial devoted to women’s sacrifi ces during the war and art installations recognising 104 All Latvian politics is local the trauma of wartime rape in the country. Yet, just like Kosovo’s political independence, Koen Verhelst the status of women is not what it seems. 110 East of the South: Malta and Hotel Porin in Zagreb, Croatia has become one the post-Soviet space of the main temporary housing units for refugees Miłosz J. Zieliński and migrants seeking asylum. The stories of the residents here provide a glimpse into their world and the everyday struggles they confront. 116 Passion over censorship Mykola Riabchuk 178 Finding God in Kramatorsk Ukraine’s decision to ban Russian media, Paulina Siegień TV and fi lms is based on the fact that it is at war with Russia. However, when removed from this context, Ukraine’s policies appear People, Ideas, Inspiration to be heavy-handed censorship. This is the main problem western commentators reveal when lambasting Ukraine, which is trying 185 Old divisions die hard to protect itself against an aggressor. Linda Massino Germany’s policy towards refugees has at times 123 Eastern Ukraine left in limbo been a very controversially discussed topic. Maxim Rust Divisions often run between neighbours, friends and families. The country has faced challenges 131 The legacy of the receiving and integrating the large number of refugees who arrived in 2015 and 2016. Yet, this Revolution on Granite process brought some surprising developments, Olga Onuch especially on the eastern parts of the country. 138 Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine join forces Eastern Café Jakub Bornio 196 Trying to please Jacques Interviews Bartosz Marcinkowski 200 Doctor Love 144 Georgia’s thorny path to Iwona Reichardt constitutionalism An interview with Zaza Rukhadze 204 Breaking the comfortable silence on the Holocaust 150 Georgia’s memory of communism Linas Vildžiūnas An interview with Irakli Khvadagiani 210 Seeking ground zero of the History and Memory post-Soviet space Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska 155 The iron guards of Ukrainian nationalism Marek Wojnar 214 The more things change, the more they stay the same Kacper Dziekan Reports 219 On change. In pain and fear 163 Stories from Hotel Porin Tomasz Lachowski Mislav Marjanović Content with the notation (CC) is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. 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