In Azerbaijan, the hydrocarbon, oil, and gas extraction industry continues to represent the lion's share of the economy. Yet, according to economist Vugar Bayramov, director of the Centre for Economic and Social Development, the mismanagement of profits and the lack of a development strategy for other sectors are likely to create imbalances in the country's economy. Our interview
Sarajevo, 20 years after the siege. The famous Bosnian poet and writer talks about a city that for centuries has symbolized the encounter of faiths, nations, and cultures
Crises are painful, but they must be an opportunity for change. Yet in Greece, says economic analyst Janos Manolopoulos, this has not happened. Athens' political and economic leaders navigate at sight, unable to rethink the country's future
Croatia is on the so-called Balkan route of migration that runs from Serbia to the countries of the EU. How does the country, soon to become the 28th Member State of the Union, deal with migration issues? We have asked Julija Kranjec, expert in asylum and migration policy of the Centre for Peace Studies in Zagreb
Known in Turkey for their investigations on the "deep state", Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener have been arrested in 2011, accused of being part of the"Ergenekon" terrorist organization, the same they contributed to expose. A case that soon became a symbol untransparent sides of the investigation. OBC met them in Cyprus, a few weeks after their release
In March 20 years ago, after the victory for the affirmative vote in a referendum abandoned by the majority of the Bosnian Serbs, Bosnia Herzegovina declared its independence. A month later the war began. Here are some observations of Jovan Divjak on the twenty-year period
Weeks of street demonstrations in Romania, where citizens have rarely protested against the “power”. We have discussed it with Vintila Mihailescu, an anthropologist amongst the most lucid intellectuals in Romania
Martin Čotar is a former professional cyclist. Since throwing in the towel he has continued to follow the cycling world, in further developing Istria's potential in cycle tourism
Mustafa provides the accommodation, Agim is the guide. Both strongly believe that the Rugova Valley has all the right credentials to soon become an exceptional destination in Kosovo for outdoor activity tourism
Dinno Kassalo is a Bosnian documentary film-maker who has produced many works on wildlife in Bosnia Herzegovina. Together with a team of mountaineers, in 2000 he made “Expedition Rakitnica”, the first film ever to be shot inside the Rakitnica canyon. Our interview
Fatih Pınar is a photographer and an experimenter. He tells stories about daily life, transformation and urbanization in his country, Turkey. His work consists of meticulous photographic reportage with short embedded videos, never forgetting the duty of the news reporter: reporting the truth. An interview
Despite the tragic experience of the 1979 earthquake and a signature on the Convention for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea by a country which defines itself an “Ecological State”, the Montenegro town of Budva risks being buried under cement. One after another planning regulations are leading to the model of Vancouver, “the city of towers”. Citizens' petitions are of no avail against rampant corruption
Without a common European position on the status of Kosovo, EULEX judges face many challenges and paradoxes: every single judge, for example, must choose whether or not to apply the laws passed in Pristina's parliament. We have spoken to Dragomir Yordanov, a Bulgarian judge, who worked for EULEX from the deployment of the mission till the spring of 2011
After Erdogan's victory in the elections of 12 June, Turkey is entering a difficult and important constitutional-reform process. We talked with the analyst Dimitar Bechev of the European Council on Foreign Relations
Now that Ratko Mladić has been arrested and extradited to the Hague, Serbia needs to come to terms with a history the country has not yet dared to deal with. An interview with Nataša Kandić, director of Belgrade's Humanitarian Law Centre
At the beginning of April, through the pages of the British daily 'The Guardian', he expressed very explicit criticism of the work of the European mission and the International Civilian Office in Kosovo. A point of view to be kept in mind, considering that Andrea Lorenzo Capussela worked in Kosovo, until Spring 2011 precisely for ICO. Our interview
The political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country's European path and the attempts at much-needed constitutional reform. Our interview with Paola Pampaloni, Head of the BiH Unit of the European Commission's Enlargement Directorate
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) seized power in Turkey eight years ago, and is likely to win the next general elections, scheduled for 12 June. The political analyst Hamit Bozarslan shows us what in his view are the roots of the strength behind Erdogan's party
According to the well known analyst Christian Pârvulescu, the political scene in Romania is increasingly controlled by the President Traian Băsescu. A problematic situation that seems to reinforce the symptoms of the economic and social crisis tormenting Romania today. Our interview
Last September, OBC had the chance to hear Sabrina Ramet introduce her paper, “Dead Kings and National Myths: Why Myths of Founding and Martyrdom are Important”, set to be published at the end of 2010 at the CEI International Summer School in Cervia (Ravenna, Italy). Here is what she told us
Giovanni Scognamillo, of Italian descent, is an expert in the history of cinema. He talks about his life in Turkey, inextricably intertwined with the life of his city Istanbul, through the eyes of a "forced cosmopolitan". Our interview
An Ottoman-style market, a çarshija, right in the heart of Tirana, of which today only faint memories remain. Architecture, social relations and memory in an interview with the anthropologist Armanda Kodra
A growing sector, organic production in Croatia. But it still has to deal with highly fragmented government assistance, scarce transparency of information and soaring prices. The third part of our survey on organic farming in South East Europe
Between 2007 and 2010, Leonard Orban was Romania’s first European commissioner for multilingualism. OBC met him to discuss the present state of the European project and the challenges ahead: migrations, prejudices, enlargement and identity
Bosnian director Danis Tanović, winner of an Academy Award for his movie No man's land, is getting ready for the October elections with Naša Stranka, the party he founded only two years ago. To defeat the rubbish of history. Our interview
Despite changes - from the emigration waves of the sixties to internal migrations - Istanbul remains open to Europe and to the world. Writer Murat Belge talks about Turkey, Europe, and the re-emerging past
Stanislav Lakoba is a well-known Abkhaz historian and politician. Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso met him in Sukhumi where he talked about Abkhazia's sense of belonging to Europe, the current situation in this self-proclaimed state, and its relations with Brussels
Internationally renowned philosopher Slavoj Žižek recently gave a series of lectures in Montenegro. The speeches focused on the relationship between Europe and the Balkans, the need for EU integration and the situation in Kosovo. Our interview
