Latest blog post
The Twilight of the West and the Need for a Europe+
The meeting with Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy is the latest sign that established alliances have fundamentally changed, and democratic values need a new center of gravity.
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
Events, Violent Extremism in the Western Balkans
DPC Senior Associate Valery Perry participated in the PfP Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes’ conference on Violent Extremism in the Western Balkans, hosted by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy on September 28-29. A link to the conference site can be found here: Events, Violent Extremism in the[…]
DPC Senior Associate Bodo Weber interview in daily Danas on upcoming Merkel visit
On Monday, July 6, 2015 the Belgrade daily Danas published a long interview with Senior Associate Bodo Weber. Weber commented on the upcoming trip by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Albania, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and various regional political challenges. The interview is available at: http://www.danas.rs/danasrs/politika/vucic_treba_da_kaze_da_ne_podrzava_dodika.56.html?news_id=304354 An English version was published by[…]
DPC co-founder Kurt Bassuener asks ‘why the international rush on government formation?’
International officials have been calling for BiH political parties to rapidly form governments and commit to reforms. Kurt Bassuener questions this approach in a November 4 article published by Balkan Insight. Read the full article here
DPC Associate Valery Perry’s letter published by New York Times
Full article On September 17, immediately prior to the Scottish independence referendum, DPC Senior Associate Dr. Valery Perry had a letter published in the New York Times in response to an article entitled “Scots inspire separatists everywhere,” which highlighted the attention the Scottish referendum had in Catalonia, Flanders, and beyond.[…]
DPC Senior Associate Kurt Bassuener writes on BiH elections and international posture for Balkan Insight
In his article “West Won’t Strike Gold in Bosnian Election,” Senior Associate Kurt Bassuener writes that the West would better concentrate on developing a new, reality-based strategy in BiH, rather than hoping that the BiH electorate will deliver them a better hand and allow them to continue their current failed[…]
DPC Russia paper attracts wide public attention
DPC’s Policy Paper “The Western Balkans and the Ukraine crisis – a changed game for EU and US policies” attracted considerable public attention in the region. Sarajevo daily Oslobođenje and weekly BH Dani reported on the paper upon its publication in early September: http://www.oslobodjenje.ba/vijesti/bih/novi-izvjestaj-dpca-dodik-umalo-proglasio-nezavisnost-rsa https://www.bhdani.ba/portal/clanak/899/ekskluzivno/dodik-nakon-secesije-krima-umalo-proglasio-nezavisnost-rs-a On September 11, one of[…]
Please note that DPC will no longer post on Twitter/X. You can find our latest updates on Bluesky or our website.
DPC Senior Associate @KurtBassuener joins a distinguished panel assembled by @GEOPOWER_EU to discuss the implications of Trump's policies for #Ukraine #Moldova #Georgia and the #WesternBalkans
Thursday, 4 PM CET, registration details below
Join our next GEOPOWER Talks session:
Navigating Security & Alliances: The New US Administration, Ukraine & the #WesternBalkans
📅23/01 ⏰4PM CET
Speakers @AmbDanFried Dr @AnnOsypchuk @KurtBassuener Dr @SeloSabic
Moreℹ️http://bit.ly/40l4N3f Session link🔗http://bit.ly/3WnXcjh
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.