Blog

South Caucasus Social Media Users – An Information Diet of the Youth

Ana Keshelashvili

Maia Mikashavidze

22.02.23

An appetite for information, self-censorship, and avoidance of participation in the public debates are shared habits of the young social media users in the South...

Bulgaria’s Deepening Political Crisis: An Opportunity to Separate the Wheat from the Chaff

Radosveta Vassileva

10.02.23

To restore democracy and the rule of law in Bulgaria, one must sideline all toxic actors – from those who inflicted damage on the country’s rule of law to the poisonous lookalikes flooding the political...

Cryptocurrencies as a Sanction Evasion Strategy?

Alfred Marleku

08.02.23

The specific nature of cryptocurrency ensures complete anonymity for users, and their decentralized structure of operation are unique features, which are in stark contrast to traditional state-controlled coin-operated...

It’s about people but also about political calculations and cowardice

Ida Manton

25.01.23

The Macedonian OSCE Presidency slogan is "It's About People", so in that regard, it would be virtuous for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask for assistance and support to the national interests, integrity, sovereignty, language and identity....

When failure to act is murder

Bojana Jovanovska

16.01.23

Impunity for all forms of gender-based violence gives rise to distrust in institutions and encourages repeat violence and its culmination in...

Albanians have to work two decades more than before to buy a home today

Nertila Maho

04.01.23

This is a system built for decades and needs a totally different approach by everyone, starting from the top. An approach where institutions would start to see public interest above...

Brain drain is both a cause and effect of the economic woes in the Balkans

Pyke Haans

30.12.22

Simply said: the people in the Balkans are, on average, getting older and less educated, and their total number is...

WIll 2023 bring hope to the EU enlargement perspective of the Western Balkans?

Visar Xhambazi

26.12.22

One major issue pertaining to the EU enlargement policy remains Kosovo. EU candidate status for Bosnia and Herzegovina leaves Kosovo as the last remaining country in the region to not have a clear path toward the...

Albania – a country haunted by migration and reputation woes

Alice Taylor

22.12.22

My Albanian friends felt ashamed of how the world perceived them. Very aware of Albanians’ reputation as criminals and drug traffickers, they feel torn between pride for their nationality, embarrassment, fear, and...

Will corruption vanish in Uncle Sam’s hat in 2023?

Sonja Kramarska

21.12.22

The corruption tsunami has devastated Macedonia for decades. The wake-up call from the USA stirred up the domestic public, hoisting expectations to a level of...