Latest blog post
Why the German-French initiative on Kosovo-Serbia won’t add up
Today, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is hosting Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić for highly-expected negotiations on a proposed agreement, which is being presented as a major step towards normalizing relations between the two Western Balkan countries and ending the decades-long dispute over the status of Kosovo. Negotiations on the proposed deal, also dubbed the German-French proposal, and supported by the US, have […]
Our Mission
DPC’s mission is to press established and emerging democracies and transnational and international institutions to pursue policies based on liberal democratic values and principles within the scope of their international engagements and commitments. Through its research, analysis, advocacy and public engagement, DPC seeks to draw the attention of policymakers, legislators and civil society to encroachments on freedoms within the democratic framework.
News
CultureReady Interview: Valery Perry
Valery Perry discusses conflict resolution, extremisms and work in the Western Balkans with Shabnam Ahmed. Listen to the podcast or read the transcript here.
Podcast discussion – the Specter of Dayton
Valery Perry joins Aida Hozić and Tanja Topić to speak with Peter Korchnak about the legacy of Dayton 26 years later. Listen to the podcast or read the transcript.
Divided schooling in BiH – a podcast discussion
Valery Perry joins Samir Beharić and Téa Hadžiristić to talk with Peter Korchnak about the policy of divided and segregated education in BiH; listen to the podcast or read the transcript.
Open Letter to EU, US, NATO
In this open letter, catalyzed by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia in cooperation with DPC and other organizations and individuals throughout the region, over 250 signatories call on EU, US and NATO representatives and their governments to confront the deterrence failure that has created an environment in[…]
Czernin Security Forum 2020
DPC Senior Associate Valery Perry will participate in a panel entitled, “”Whose security? Divisions in Europe on Threats and Security Responses.” For more on this year’s Forum click here.
Book Review of Perry’s Extremism and Violent Extremism in Serbia
Valery Perry’s edited volume, Extremism and Violent Extremism in Serbia. 21st Century Manifestations of a Historical Challenge, was reviewed by Srđan Mladenov Jovanović in the latest edition of Südosteuropa. Read the review here.
1/ In advance of the #Summit4Democracy Day 3 panel “Media Freedom as a Cornerstone of Democracy”, some reflections from activists in the Western Balkans provide useful view on an issue that is profoundly political – not technical.
https://www.state.gov/summit-for-democracy-2023/#March29
1/ The opening theme of Day 2 of the #Summit4Democracy is “Democracy Delivering Justice for All.” Yet in the #Western Balkans, the lack thereof was a unifying theme. It was in fieldwork that @DPC_global and @EurothinkMK conducted in 2020 as well: https://bit.ly/3lMuEky
Study: State Capture in the Western Balkans
The Democratization Policy Council and Eurothink are pleased to share our report, Sell Out, Tune Out, Get Out, or Freak Out? Understanding Corruption, State Capture, Radicalization, Pacification, Resilience, and Emigration in Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia. The full volume is available, and also a stand-alone Executive Summary and Recommendations.
This report was based on field work in 2020 with over 200 people, beginning just before the pandemic, and in the summer after the strict lockdowns lifted. Extensive media reviews were conducted for each country, and an online poll. In light of the difficulty in doing field work during COVID-19, this report provides an important overview of the situation in the two countries, from the ground up.
This report is a hybrid: Grounded in academic questions and literature, it strongly reflects the voices of ordinary people in localities that are often ignored in political discussions. In addition to the presentation of data, a set of 18 community snapshots is included to provide a deeper look at the lived impact of a generation of upheaval and stagnation. It also seeks to contribute to theory-building and in turn policy-making, as the issues of polarization, corruption, migration, opportunity, dignity, solidarity and vision were themes encountered and synthesized.
The DPC and Eurothink teams hope that this work will contribute to discussions on all of the themes explored. Most importantly, the report is a reminder of the impact on communities and on people of the radical social changes of the past three decades – changes to which consolidated democracies are themselves not immune.