Balkanalysis.com

By Christopher Deliso Despite several recent reports suggesting that radical Islam in Kosovo no longer represents a significant security threat, the beating of a prominent Albanian imam by Drenica-area Wahhabi Muslims indicates that the challenge within the Muslim community – the real target of the foreign-funded extremists – persists. The disproportional yet unexplained influence of [...]

By Elisabeth Maragoula* Croatia represents somewhat of the Western Balkans’s beau ideal, advancing without much trouble down the road towards European Union accession. It is by and large meeting the EU’s benchmarks and cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). However, the country still faces its biggest obstacle in reforming the [...]

The only former Yugoslav republic to have made it into the EU thus far, Slovenia, also became honorary president of the 27-nation bloc on January 1. The six-month rotating presidency offers a good opportunity for countries, especially the smaller ones, to make their voices heard and to gain prominence in the area of foreign affairs. [...]

(Balkanalysis.com Research Service)- Croatia, the only former Yugoslav state so far to have made a major industry out of tourism, won another victory with recent announcements of new air routes to Pula on the northwestern coast. This, coupled with demonstrated increases in visits this summer, indicate that the Adriatic state is continuing to inspire the [...]

Our Man in Yugoslavia: The Story of a Secret Service Operative By Sebastian Richie Routledge (2004), 191 pp., 15 contemporary photos, 3 maps Reviewed by Christopher Deliso Our Man in Yugoslavia: The Story of a Secret Service Operative is not only the intriguing and likeable account, for the first time, of the adventures of the [...]

Stjepan Radic, the Croat Peasant Party, and the Politics of Mass Mobilization, 1904-1928 By Mark Biondich University of Toronto Press (2000), 344 pp. Reviewed by Christopher Deliso This invaluable contribution to Croatian political life in the early twentieth century, centered on the towering figure of Stjepan Radic (1871-1928), chronicles the development of Croatian political and [...]

(Balkanalysis.com Research Service)- Although they swarmed to the 60th anniversary commemoration of the liberation of the largest WWII concentration camp at Auschwitz on 27 January, the Western media almost completely ignored a similar event held this past Sunday to recognize the 60th anniversary of the closing of Jasenovac, the notorious Croat Ustasha concentration camp at [...]

By Carl Savich What will be Pope John Paul II’s legacy? In the week between his death and funeral, the media have lionized him with candy-coated encomiums as a peace-loving pope who brought down Communism and ushered in the New World Order. His place in history is assured as a determined anti-Communist who revitalized the [...]

(Balkanalysis.com Research Service)- Croatia’s EU accession talks, slated to start on the 17th of March, are in doubt, according to Reuters and the SE European Times, among others. The website cites Stability Pact for Southeast Europe chief Erhard Busek, who told Austrian media on Saturday that he “doubts” Croatia will have turned over the goods [...]

Dubrovnik: A History By Robin Harris Saqi (2003), 503 pp., 40 pages of glossy color illustrations Reviewed by Christopher Deliso In Dubrovnik: A History, British author Robin Harris sets out, in his own words, to create for the first time “a modern, well-sourced and readable account of the history of the Ragusan Republic” (p. 17). [...]