All the news

Sezen Aksu, queen of Turkish pop

24/05/2013 -  Gianluca Grossi

The legendary singer, first Turkish female artist to have written lyrics and music to her own songs, has also made herself known for her care for human rights

Keljmendi, the boss of the Balkans

22/05/2013 -  Cecilia Ferrara

After having escaped an operation by the Bosnian police, Naser Keljmendi was arrested in Kosovo on May 5th. He is accused of murder, drug trafficking and allegedly runs networks extended throughout the Balkans

Azerbaijan's flower people

20/05/2013 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

On May 10th Baku celebrated the anniversary of former President Heydar Aliyev, while introducing tighter measures to control the opposition

Elva, crowd-sourcing conflict in the South Caucasus

15/05/2013 -  Onnik Krikorian Tbilisi

Elva is a platform developed in Georgia that allows to easily receive feedback from local communities via SMS. Successfully used to map local needs along the ABL with South Ossetia, it could soon be used elsewhere

Albania: crucial elections for Europe

10/05/2013 - 

The EU should be unambiguous about the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Albania, taking a joint position spelling out concretely what are the red lines that must not be crossed. An inteview with ESI chairman Gerald Knaus

It is not easy to be Sarajevo

08/05/2013 -  Azra Nuhefendić

Throughout the twentieth century, Sarajevo has been both a symbol of political violence and a model of peaceful coexistence. The years in which the city fell under the control of the Ustasha are crucial to understand its contradictions. A book by Emily Greble

Land of blue gold

07/05/2013 -  Andrea Oskari Rossini

Bosnia Herzegovina is one of the European countries with the richest water resources. Projects to build a series of hydroelectric power stations in Republika Srpska, however, are endangering a delicate environmental balance. Report

Kosovo: my son Tonibler

06/05/2013 -  Marjola Rukaj

For ten years Alban Muja of Kosovo has been doing research into the names of towns, places and people; at the moment he has an exhibition in the centre of Tirana in a small gallery called “the fly”

The battle for Yerevan

02/05/2013 -  Mikayel Zolyan Yerevan

Tensions remain high in Armenia following clashes during the presidential inauguration of April 9. The opposition hopes are for a turning point at the May 5 municipal elections in Yerevan, home to one third of the country's population

Serbia: solving the three-body problem

02/05/2013 -  Federico Sicurella Belgrade

An extraordinary discovery by two physicists from Belgrade sweeps the world. The Serbian scientific community, though, is in trouble because of mismanagement and lacking of funds. An analysis

The EU and the Kosovo-Serbia deal

30/04/2013 -  Andrea Lorenzo Capussela

A stable Serbia, firmly anchored to the EU, is Brussels' strategic objective. Even if the deal on Northern Kosovo should unravel

Life in Gali

29/04/2013 -  Francisco Martinez

In his contribution for the dossier “Abkhazia, twenty years after the war”, Francisco Martínez shares with Osservatorio's readers the materials he gathered in late 2010 while visiting the region, including video interviews in Gali, Sukhumi and Tbilisi

Kosovo: the deal is good

22/04/2013 -  Andrea Lorenzo Capussela

The Kosovo-Serbia deal is a victory for the civic notion of statehood and citizenship, avoiding further risks of ethnic partitions. Also, it is a remarkable success for the EU, and a reason to be optimistic about its future

Turkey, a Newroz of peace

18/04/2013 -  Alberto Tetta Diyarbakır

This year, the Newroz celebrates the hope for a lasting peace that will put an end to the armed conflict between the PKK and the Turkish state. Abdullah Öcalan called to lay down the arms and begin a new era of political fight

ICG's report on Abkhazia, some notes on the footnotes

18/04/2013 -  Giorgio Comai

ICG's latest report on Abkhazia is timely and its recommendations show the way forward. As usual, it provides a wealth of information and details. Yet, it is not without imprecisions

Resistance in Moldova to health law on mandatory vaccination

17/04/2013 -  Natalia Ghilaşcu Chişinău

Law in Moldova mandates that children be vaccinated in order to be accepted into kindergarten. Many parents disagree. A law change is being proposed in parliament to make vaccination optional

Social Media in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict

17/04/2013 -  Onnik Krikorian

Social media have become one of the few places where young people from Armenia and Azerbaijan can meet. Yet, not without risks

The Fenice theatre goes to Andrićgrad

16/04/2013 -  Rodolfo Toè Sarajevo

The prestigious Venetian theatre has begun working with Emir Kusturica on the production of a theatrical version of Ivo Andrić's novel The Bridge on the Drina. The project is strongly contested by the associations of the victims in Višegrad, where the opera is due to go on stage June 28 2014

LGBT in Turkey: they are our children

11/04/2013 -  Alberto Tetta

A documentary movie gives voice to the families of lesbians, bisexuals and transexuals in Turkey. “My child” is an intense work, gaining increasing attention. We met its director, Can Candan

Belgrade and its street children

10/04/2013 -  Federico Sicurella Belgrade

There are more and more children living and working on the streets of Belgrade. The institutions are having a hard time dealing with the phenomenon. A temporary daycare center that has become a model for the whole region, the Svratište, recently risked shutting down