The motto of Turkey's foreign policy in recent years has been: “Zero problems with the neighbours”. But now the Syrian crisis is forcing Ankara to consider a possible military intervention to bring an end to the violence of Bashar al-Assad's regime
Vivid and intense memories from the beginning of the siege of Sarajevo. Friends turning into enemies and loved ones leaving the city. Disbelief as the war starts tragically to unfold
The basic idea behind Go Group Media is simple: give a camera to people from all walks of life, living in isolated parts of the country, and tell them to make films about their lives or things that matter to them. The result is an amazing way to get to know the lives of people living in different parts of the Caucasus
Religion, education, politics. Observations on some recent events in the Bosnian news, a few weeks before the activities scheduled to remind Europe and the world of the twentieth anniversary of the beginning of the siege of Sarajevo and the war in Bosnia Herzegovina
The agreement between Kosovo and Belgrade, reached through EU mediation, enables Kosovo to be represented at regional summits and sign commercial agreements with third countries. At one condition, though: the country's name must be marked by an asterisk linking it to a footnote. The meaning of which is explained to us by Andrea Lorenzo Capussela's
The referendum organised by four Serbian municipalities in North Kosovo riaffirmed their refusal to accept Pristina's authority. As expected, the vote was rejected by the Kosovo government and international authorities. But the referendum marks a turning point in the relationship between North Kosovo and Belgrade, which opposed it fearing repercussions on its EU integration process
International Alert, an NGO based in London working on conflict resolution, did a study on how people on opposite sides of the conflicts in the South Caucasus perceived each other. Our correspondent focused on how Armenians were depicted in online discourse in Baku. An insiders' look into the dark side of the Azerbaijani blogosphere
The conflict over the control of Northern Kosovo is at dead end, though technical negotiations between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians have resumed in Bruxelles. Mitrovica Serbs, set against Pristina, Kfor and Eulex, now feel increasingly isolated also from Belgrade
Despite low expectations, the meetings between Greek and Turkish Cypriots that took place in New York on 30 and 31 October had a “positive and productive” outcome. However, some issues still need to be solved
From the Konjic fallout shelter, turned into a contemporary art gallery, to the streets in the center of Sarajevo. Who waged war? Why? A trip in the heart of Bosnia in search of answers
The security situation in Northern Kosovo is deteriorating, as the confrontation between KFOR troops and local Serbs continues. A violent clash on September 27 left many injured. Our update
A border dispute over a small village near the ski resorts where the winter Olympics of Sochi 2014 are set to take place has caused some skirmishes between Moscow and the de facto authorities of Sukhumi
Serbs in the North of Kosovo are on the barricades again, after Eulex and Kosovo customs officers took control of the administrative crossings with central Serbia. Persons and goods now pass infrequently and only via alternative routes. Tension rises and effective international mediation is lacking
Each year since 2007, the Imagine Center brings two groups of selected participants from Armenia and Azerbaijan together in a third country to discuss the two communities' histories, perceptions, and attitudes. The intention is to contribute to transforming negative perceptions and attitudes by reaching out to the younger generations
After the torching of checkpoint Jarinje, KFOR troops have only partially restored passage between Kosovo and Central Serbia, with the Kosovo Serbs facing the risk of a humanitarian crisis. From our correspondent
The tension is still high in the North of Kosovo, after the Pristina government's attempt to take control of the border crossings with central Serbia. From our correspondent
In the first anniversary of the massacre, celebrated with Karadžić and Mladić finally at The Hague, a commentary about the uncomfortable questions about the behavior of the defenders of the enclave and the responsibilities for its fall. The pages of Emir Suljagić, the role of Naser Orić and Alija Iztbegović, the judgment of Abdulah Sidran
Belgrade goes to Pristina and Pristina goes to Belgrade free of cold diplomatic formalities and extenuating negotiations. No political misunderstandings, no definitions: here is how two young photographers from the two cities achieved this goal
With the Lausanne Treaty (1923) that put an end to the armed conflict, Greece and Turkey started a epoch-making population exchange, destined to transform the two countries. Today, in a different political climate, the descendents of many 'Turks from Greece' search for their families' places of origin
Nani was an elderly woman. Every day she sat alone in the yard under the shade of a walnut tree, spinning and singing songs about the cruelty of the Russian tsars. She believed that the salvation of the Chechen people was in corn, while its damnation in the tsars and their soldiers.The twentieth century, seen through the eyes of a Chechen woman
Events held in rural Georgia hope to demonstrate how grassroots peacebuilding activities can not only contribute to discussion and debate, but also have some more immediate and practical dividends as well
Twenty years ago, in Belgrade, the first huge demonstration against Milošević’s regime. This date is the start of our dossier on the 20 years since the beginning of the war in Yugoslavia. The story of who was still a little girl then but who, for the first time on the 9th of March of 1991, demonstrated for a different Serbia
For the first time since 1974, the turkish Cypriots of Nicosia demonstrated against some of Ankara's austerity measures. Turkey's furious reaction is fuelling further tensions on the island, bringing to the forefront the problem of its reunification - one of Erdoğan's ambitions - and the weak role of the European Union
The project of an Armenian theatrical director and actor turned peace activist to open a peace center in Tekalo, a small village in Georgia a few kilometers from the border with Armenia and Azerbaijan. “Communication is not betrayal, it is a natural human need.”
Azim is 92. Due to the bombings during the Chechen wars of the nineties, he had to rebuild his white-stone house six times. His life reflects the destiny of the Chechen People through a century characterised by war, deportations and more wars
Informality allows people to change their immediate circumstances for the better, but it locks the state and society in a vicious circle of reproduction of a weak state, promising insecurity for the majority and prosperity for the few. From openDemocracy
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war over Nagorno Karabakh in the early 1990s. Around 25,000 were killed and nearly a million from both sides forced to flee their homes. Although hostilities were put on hold by a 1994 ceasefire agreement, in addition to skirmishes on the frontline, landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) continue to pose a threat to life
After the violent riots on January 21st, fear reigns in the streets of Tirana. Many fear a new 1997 and the return to a past that seemed gone. Meanwhile, premier Berisha and Edi Rama, leader of the main opposition party, do not seem intent upon negotiating a solution to the crisis. An article by our correspondent
All over Bosnia, the sites of atrocities often lack any kind of formal memorial to commemorate them. Observers say that this reflects an ongoing reluctance by the ethnic group whose members committed the crimes to acknowledge that they occurred at all. From IWPR
Giving evidence in the trial against former senior police officials Stojan Zupljanin and Mico Stanisic, accused of crimes like extermination, persecution and cruel treatment of non-Serb civilians, Mevludin Sejmenovic, an ex-Bosniak politician, testified this week about the 1992 takeover of power in Prijedor by the Serbian Democratic Party. From IWPR
