Forum | From a Hot Peace to a Hot War? Serbia’s Escalation in Violence Broadsides US/EU Diplomats (online)

No one has been surprised by the recent escalation of tensions between Serbia and Kosovo that nearly erupted into war late last weekend when about 7,000 Serbian soldiers were deployed to the Kosovo Border, following two weekends of violence, including the killing of Kosovar police and three other people that occurred when Serbian gunmen battled police during a monastery siege on Sept. 24th. Last week, the United States issued a stern warning to Serbia to pull back their forces deployed at the border.

These tensions spiked after the April election of Albanian ethnic mayors in Mitrovica when Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti ordered Kosovo police escorts to their offices. Serbian residents had boycotted the elections. Clashes in May injured dozens of protesters and NATO alliance peacekeepers. The EU dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo has has sputtered to a standoff, yielding no agreement – both EU and US diplomats are scrambling to move the tense situation to calmer waters. The genesis of this situation actually began in 2022 during a border crossing license plate dispute between the two countries that eventually led to President Vucic scrambling MIG fight jets over the border with Kosovo igniting tensions that have remained high since. Evidence has emerged revealing Serbian planning had been underway to mount this attack on Kosovo.

The EU has issued demands that Serbia and Kosovo to reengage in the dialogue. But Alexander Vucic has made clear when he said that Serbia would never recognize Kosovo, which is a key element and stated clear goal of the European Union dialogue process. This Balkan Roundtable will focus on this ongoing crisis in the Western Balkans.

Speakers
-- Milka Tadić Mijović, Montenegrin journalist, media executive and international human rights activist
-- Ivana Stradner, Advisor to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ (FDD) Barish Center for Media Integrity
-- Bodo Weber, Senior Associate of the Democratization Policy Council (DPC)
-- Reuf Bajrović, Vice President at the US-Europe Alliance in Washington, DC; Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
-- Agon Maliqi, political analyst and activist from Kosovo; creator and co-founder of Sbunker
-- Dr Tena Prelec, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Advanced Studies on South Eastern Europe, University of Rijeka
-- Una Hajdari, independent reporter based in Rome and focused on Central, Eastern Europe and the Balkans
-- Alice Taylor, editor and journalist
-- Marija Šajkaš, media and communication specialist