Bronislaw Geremek, who played a crucial role ending communist rule in Poland and then guiding Poland to democracy, NATO and the European Union, was killed in an automobile accident July 13. His was a public life to celebrate.
Born in Warsaw, Geremek escaped from the Warsaw ghetto when he … Continue Reading…
BELGRADE, Serbia — It’s not an eventful week for Belgrade, it’s an eventful month. But this week is surely the most exciting. With its first entry into the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent state, Serbia won the … Continue Reading…
Three weeks after Brussels Forum, GMF begins another major conference today with the opening of the Bucharest Conference alongside the Bucharest NATO Summit. Romanian President Traian Basescu and U.S. Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher will deliver speeches beginning at 6:30 Bucharest time, 5:30 in Brussels, and 11:30 … Continue Reading…
This weekend, GMF is hosting with its partners the third annual Brussels Forum, a gathering of political, academic, and business leaders to debate the countless items on the transatlantic agenda. Public sessions will be streamed live in video and audio from Brussels, and transcripts and video for … Continue Reading…
BELGRADE, Serbia — Some colleagues and I just returned from a brief but enlightening trip to Moldova and Transnistria, January 21-23. We wanted to learn more about the complex political, social, and economic situations and how our programs (BST and BTD) can assist those working to improve … Continue Reading…
WASHINGTON — While capitals are awaiting the results of the international Troika of mediators and facing upcoming choices about next steps in the unresolved dispute over Kosovo’s legal status in the coming weeks and months, Kosovo’s interim government came due for their 4-year elections. In the midst of uncertainty … Continue Reading…
WASHINGTON — This is far from my area of expertise, but I found it interesting that the FT is reporting that the dollar, widely used as the currency of international commerce and reserve holdings, should withstand a challenge by the euro to displace it in … Continue Reading…
BELGRADE — What do you know about Serbia? No, that’s Serbia, not Siberia.
Twenty-year-old Novak Djokovic’s defeat of world number one and heavy favorite Roger Federer August 12 at the Rogers tournament in Montreal, one of the preparatory events for the U.S. Open, is the biggest in a string of … Continue Reading…
Growing up during a decade of violence and its resulting aftereffects, the youngest generations in the Western Balkans have felt the brunt of the consequences. Unlike many of their parents, particularly those in the former Yugoslavia who benefited from the now legendary passports that allowed travel in both the … Continue Reading…
Where “Balkanization” has come to mean the breaking up of a country into smaller, hostile territories, two weeks ago saw the “anti-Balkanization” of the historically hostile Balkan region. And all because of a TV show.
As this piece from the New York Times/International Herald Tribune discusses, … Continue Reading…