According to the umpteenth architectural project of the Rama government, the building housing the National Theatre risks demolition. Once again, the history and memory of the country are in danger. A comment
In Turkey, hunger strike is an instrument of political struggle often used against power up to tragic consequences. An OBCT interview with Aslı Kuzu, researcher at SOAS University in London
Railway construction in central Georgia is a key part of ambitious plans to modernise Georgia’s infrastructure. Despite warnings from trade unions and official inspectors, life for the workers remains a ‘living hell’
Both the European Commission and European Parliament have expressed a certain apprehension towards judicial reforms in Bucharest. Among the options on the table is making European funds conditional on the respect of rule of law
Kosovo celebrates ten years of independence – years marked by symbolic successes, but without real answers to issues such as unemployment, coexistence, corruption, and lack of a development strategy
The presidential elections were scheduled for next October, but surprisingly the head of state has called them on April 11. Why did president Aliyev take and sign this decision?
For years, Italian media have been repeating that 19,000 Italians live and work in Albania. Yet, according to the data of the Albanian Interior Ministry, they are less than 2,000. How can we explain such a difference?
Tourism, traffic, pollution, and constructions. Plitvice, today, no longer rhymes with transparent waters and uncontaminated nature. And the lakes risk to be removed from the UNESCO heritage list
Defeated in the 2016 presidential runoff, Maia Sandu has not left politics. She has recently visited Italy for a series of meetings with the diaspora. Here she speaks about her vision on Moldova
Serbia increasingly appears as a central hub in the Balkans for the Chinese-led "Belt and Road Initiative", both at an infrastructural and a political level. We discussed about it with Dragana Mitrović (University of Belgrade)
The Albanian civil war of 1997 was ended by an Italian-led international contingent. Twenty years after Operation Alba, the Prime Minister who promoted it has returned to the Land of the Eagles. An interview
The ethnic-Albanian members of the so-called "Kumanovo group" received long sentences by the Skopje Court. The ruling, however, doesn't clarify all the many doubts on the case
After the SDSM’s landslide victory in the local elections, the coalition led by Zoran Zaev has now steady ground to implement systematic reforms, start legal proceedings related to the wiretapping scandal, and dismantle the mechanisms that enabled the state capture by former prime minister Nikola Gruevski
"We have always valued hope over victory. Now, however, we are winning some of our battles". An interview with Ceren Karlıdaĝ, journalist, feminist, among the protagonists of the magazine Sujin Gazete.
Former intelligence collaborator Gjorgi Lazarevski disclosed thousands of illegal wiretappings. "Bombs" which brought to the end of Gruevski's government
With the eyes of the public still on the judicial troubles of the former Interior Minister Tahiri, Prime Minister Rama is back to attacking the press, confirming the ambiguous relationship between Albanian media and politics
"We call it the triangle of the three s's: sermaye, sendika, and siyaset – capital, unions, and politics". An interview with the journalist and activist Özgür Karaduman about consensus and dissent in Erdoĝan's Turkey
The political parable in Ukraine of former Georgian president Saakashvili is not over. Meanwhile, President Poroshenko has already launched a long election campaign ahead of the 2019 presidential elections
Media lynching for those who do not toe the government line, judicial authorities that do not protect citizens, independent journalists accused of conspiracy. This is Vučić's Serbia
Despite years of international efforts aimed at integration, the system of higher education in Kosovo continues to reflect and replicate the country’s deep ethnic divisions
The reactions in Macedonia to the good-neighbour agreement between Skopje and Sofia, between ideological U-turns by traditional parties and the praise of the Orthodox monks
The signing of the good-neighbour agreement with Macedonia, long pursued by Bulgaria, is undoubtedly a success for Sofia's diplomacy. However, the practical and long-term effects of the agreements remain to be seen
Skopje 2014 was the trademark project of former PM Gruevski, aimed at transforming the capital and celebrating nationalism. With the change of government, the art of colourful protest has risen to power and tries to de-aestheticise the old regime
A "war for truth" is being fought today in Bosnia and Herzegovina – a clash based on ethnic competition, with words and stories about the past as the main weapons
Experts increasingly warn about the serious risks stemming from the consolidation of a vicious “stabilitocracy”. The focus of European and Western interests in the Balkans shifted from democratisation and human rights to security issues
The Azerbaijani regime should harbor no illusions. It will never achieve a strategic partnership agreement with the EU like those obtained by the US, Canada, China, Japan, Brazil and others
