The Balkan Perspectives podcast is forumZFD’s audio format on Dealing with the Past and Peace Education in the Western Balkans. The podcast is produced in four languages (Albanian, BHCS, Macedonian and English) by the forumZFD offices in Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
When world wars happen, like the current one in Ukraine, it reminds us, the inhabitants of the Balkan Peninsula, of our history and the misfortunes that every generation has had to endure for centuries. There are monuments all over the region, but there are also ruins that remind us every day of the hostilities that took place[…]
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, changed the political climate in Europe and the world and announced a new era of global relations, which has yet to take shape in the post-conflict process, and which will be based on the complexity that arises from the emerging reality of the multipolar world. The global[…]
New wars are complex. The world has increasingly less patience for nuances, as it is especially evident in the current war in Ukraine. The highly polarized media situation lasted all year, even before the start of the war in Ukraine. During the military actions, the opponents simultaneously label one another as “Nazis”, so the situation may require[…]
News of collective negative events, such as wars, very easily find their way into our inner world. Apart from the fact that such events get meticulous coverage in the global media context, evolution has wired us to pay more attention to negative news than positive ones, because they have greater information value for our survival. From the viewpoint[…]
I went to Kyiv for first time in 2015. There was no special reason for it. I love to travel. Ukraine was the only country in Europe that I had not visited yet. I found a cheap ticket, and a cheap room near the main square. During that trip, nothing particularly special happened to me. Yet, in[…]
Sarajevo 1992 – Kyiv 2022 We stand witness that even 30 years after Sarajevo 1992, the ideas of fascism, hatred, and divisions are still very much alive. So is the heroic fight for justice, freedom, and peace. The citizens of Bucha, Kyiv, Mariupol, and many other cities in Ukraine are living through terror, aggression, and a humanitarian[…]
President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine on February 24, 2022, stunned the world. That move produced seismic shockwaves across Europe, and in particular in the Western Balkans, a region which went through the devastating consequences of war only three decades ago. People in Kosovo and in the Western Balkans understand the consequences of war, ethno-centric narratives,[…]
When Russia started its invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, the eyes and minds of the entire world were drawn to the sudden escalation in what, for almost a decade, had been a hibernating conflict as far as the world media was concerned, and as far as the global audience was aware of. However, in wars, most of the story is recorded outside of the official documentation. It is written in invisible[…]