Balkans

Looming War Between NATO Allies: Greece and Turkey

NASA satellite photo of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. The islands Karpathos and Kassos, where on July 25, 2024, Turkey and Greece came very close to fighting a war, are located between the large islands of Crete, lower left, and Rhodes, lower right, in Southeastern Aegean. Karpathos is the larger of the two islands.

The relations between Turkey and Greece have never been normal. The legacy of Mongol Turkish conquest of Greece in the fifteenth century poisons all connections between Turks and Greeks. The Greeks remember their Turkish oppressors like other barbarians who invaded their country. They fought hard and long to free themselves from the tyranny of the Turks. Moslem Turks, however, remember they live on land they stole from the Greeks. They also remember their empire in Southeastern Europe and the Middle East and want to recreate it.

Orban’s Insight Into The Global Systemic Transition & Hungarian Grand Strategy Is Worth Reading

He said that the Ukrainian Conflict was a “red pill” for him and elaborated on the ten ways in which it opened his eyes to reality.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban elaborated on the global systemic transition and his country’s grand strategy within it during a lengthy speech at the Balvanyos Free Summer University and Student Camp over the weekend. The over 11,000-word English transcript was published on Monday, which the present piece will summarize for the reader’s convenience. It began with him reaffirming that it’s his Christian duty to promote peace and mocking the EU for its Orwellian “war is peace” mantra.

Between the EU and Moscow: How Russia Exploits Divisions in Bosnia

Entrenched divisions in Bosnia and Herzegovina have hampered EU and U.S. efforts to build functional institutions and integrate the country into Western clubs. Dysfunctionality in turn provides fertile ground for meddling by Russia, which appears to have won the battle for the hearts and minds of Bosnian Serbs.

Baltics, Nordics, Poland to boycott Hungarian presidency

Northern and Eastern European countries will not send any ministers to Hungary during the country’s EU presidency in protest against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s solo trip to Moscow.

Orbán has been widely criticised by EU member states and institution leaders for his recent ‘peace missions’ to Moscow, Beijing and Florida, and his case was on the agenda at the Conference of Presidents on Thursday (11 July).

Bomber, Arsonist, Soldier, Spy: A Documentary Unmasks Russia’s ‘Useful Idiots’ in CEE

Polish filmmaker Konrad Szolajski’s new documentary looks at nearly a decade of Russian sabotage, espionage and disinformation across Central and Eastern Europe, with an eery actuality.
“Putting the whole project together took a lot of time – it was very difficult,” Konrad Szolajski explains as we meet a few hours before the international premiere of his new documentary, Putin’s Playground, in Prague on June 10.

Après l’Ukraine, la Serbie ?

  • Moscou est convaincu que les straussiens vont tenter en Serbie, et non pas en Transnistrie (comme initialement prévu par la Rand Corporation1), la prochaine manche contre la Russie. Il s’agirait de provoquer la 3ème Guerre mondiale en rejouant l’incident de Temes Kubin qui succéda d’un mois à l’assassinat de l’archiduc François-Ferdinand à Sarajevo. La fausse nouvelle d’une attaque serbe contre des troupes austro-hongroises fit perdre son sang-froid à l’empereur François-Joseph Ier. Il déclara la guerre sans avoir vérifié la responsabilité serbe dans la mort de son neveu et héritier. Identiquement, un incident dont les Serbes seraient rendus responsables pourrait pousser l’Union européenne à soutenir une guerre contre la Serbie après une guerre en Ukraine.
  • De nombreux accrochages ont eu lieu entre la Serbie et la Bosnie-Herzégovine à propos de la République serbe de Bosnie, en 2023. Une tentative de «révolution colorée» a été organisée en Serbie, en janvier 2024 (cf.0039).
  • Le Conseil de Sécurité (cf. 1172), contredisant la Russie, n’a pas observé d’aggravation du conflit actuel opposant la République serbe de Bosnie aux autres composantes de la Bosnie-Herzégovine qui négocient leur adhésion à l’Union européenne (cf. 0686 et 0832). En définitive, l’Assemblée générale a adopté, le 23 mai 2024, une résolution, présentée par l’Allemagne et le Rwanda, instituant une «Journée internationale de réflexion et de commémoration du génocide commis à Srebrenica en 1995» (cf. 1377). Selon la Russie, celle-ci ne vise pas à honorer les victimes, mais à avaliser la version selon laquelle il serait imputable aux Serbes.
  • Moscou, Belgrade et Sarajevo se préparent donc au pire. Milorad Dodik, président de la République serbe de Bosnie (à gauche sur la photo), a été invité, le 6 juin, au Kremlin par le président russe, Vladimir Poutine.2

De-Europeanization in the EU’s Neighborhood

Being pro-EU does not win politicians many votes in the Western Balkans and the Caucasus. There, Viktor Orbán’s version of an illiberal Europe appears to be the union’s top-rated political export.

It is election season in Europe.