Peace Blog
The views expressed in the blog are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the IIP.
by Hannes Swoboda
At the yearly summer seminar at the island of Sipan close to Dubrovnik I presented the following ideas for a stronger EU -Western Balkan relationship. The summer seminar which is organized by the Croatian Atlantic Council with the support of the Vienna International Institute for Peace is an excellent opportunity of students of the region to discuss hot issues of the Western Balkan region.
Reflections on the occasion of a meeting of experts from Russia, USA, EU and the Balkans in Zagreb.
Both, the relationship between Russia and the West and the relationship inside the Transatlantic Community - between the EU and the USA - have changed dramatically in the past years. The EU has been built as a post - national community. National borders and cleavages as well as mere power plays must be overcome. Negotiations and compromises, on the basis of internationally designed rules, should in future be dominating in international relations. Inside the EU much progress has been made in that direction especially with the Lisbon Treaty confirming some clear community priorities.
Under some circumstances, the concept of neutrality could serve as a model for Central and Eastern European states. During the Cold War, neutral states managed to stay out of the spheres of influence created by the two military superpowers. There have been suggestions to create a “neutral belt” in the new Eastern Europe that has emerged between the EU/NATO and Russia. Neutrality could be a sustainable conceptual option also for the future. As a diplomatic solution, the Austrian model could be an interesting alternative for Ukraine. In its neutrality law of 1955, Austria agreed not to join a military alliance and not to allow any foreign military bases on its territory. Austria quickly adopted Western values and started a process of integration in the market economy, which eventually led to its accession to the European Union in the 1990s. This development was accepted by the Soviet Union, mainly because Austria did not become a member of NATO. A guarantee that Ukraine will not join a military alliance based on international law might be acceptable for Russia and Ukraine and its neighbors. In addition to affirming Austrian neutrality, the Austrian State Treaty also guaranteed that Austria would not join a new union with Germany (Anschluss), as had happened in 1938. Such a prohibition for Ukraine or parts of it, together with neutrality, could guarantee the unity of Ukraine if subsequently no foreign troops or militias would be deployed or active on Ukrainian soil. The same model of neutrality could be an interesting solution for Georgia. It could result in the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Georgia, including the provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which declared independence from Georgia. Moldova, which declared itself neutral in its constitution, could also consider a neutral status based on international law.
Belgrad, Thessaloniki und Athen waren meine jüngsten Reiseziele. Und immer ging es um den Balkan - und seine mögliche (oder sichere ? ) - Zukunft in der Europäischen Union. Weder die EU noch der Balkan (Western Balkans) sind in bester Verfassung. Und die meisten Menschen und dazu zählen auch die PolitikerInnen haben andere Sorgen als über den Beitritt der Süd- und Osteuropäischen Länder nachzudenken.
No there is certainly not one truth, there never is. But in the case of Ukraine there are many truths and they are clearly expressed by different public and private personalities. The recent visit of our "Platform for Dialogue and Conflict Resolution in Ukraine" has proven the ambiguity of the situation in Ukraine again. The war in the eastern part of Ukraine and the occupation of the Crimea is always present. And that cannot be a surprise. For some it is an excuse not to touch other critical issues. Sometimes the lack of fundamental reforms and of a thorough fight against corruption is explained or even justified by the ongoing conflict with Russia and the separatists in the East. For others the war is the reason why issues of a modern society from feminism to human rights cannot be discussed in a proper way. This should be done when the war is over and especially when Ukraine has win this war - is the argument.
Das Wiener Nuklearabkommen mit dem Iran
Im Mai entscheidet der US-Präsident darüber, ob er das Wiener Nuklearabkommen, dass die fünf permanenten Mitglieder des UN-Sicherheitsrates und Deutschland mit dem Iran 2015 abgeschlossen haben (JCPOA), noch einmal verlängert, bevor er die Sanktionen wieder einführen will. Der israelische Ministerpräsident Netanjahu hat angekündigt, dass er schon wüsste, dass Trump das Abkommen nicht mehr bestätigen würde. Die Bestellung von John Bolton, der eine Bombardierung des Irans befürwortet, als nationaler Sicherheitsberater Trumps bestätigt diese Vermutung.
The Western Balkans remain an important part of EU politics. It is important not only to strengthen the ties between the EU and the region, but also to support the cooperation within the region itself. The Berlin process has a lot to contribute to that cooperation. It was good to include also the economic dimension, but one should not think only about the necessary infrastructure.
To speak about Africa and specifically about African migration is in danger of neglecting the many differences and the diversity of that huge continent and its – growing – population. Migration is not migration, there are many reasons and motivations for people, especially young people to decide to emigrate. Sometimes migration is based on individual decisions, sometimes it is a family decision to send the young abroad to gain remittances or to give the younger a chance he or she never would have at home. Some times migration decisions are taken in order to adapt to changed and detrimental environment, in other cases it has a transformative character. People want to shape their lives and improve their standard of living. In any case outside conditions are mostly intermingled with individual and family decisions. There are many factors and reasons, -young- people decide to take the risk of emigration.
The International Institute for Peace, already since many years, is cooperating with the Center for International and European Studies of the Kadir Has University in Istanbul on its annualy International Neighbourhood Symposium. This year it took place in Odessa / Ukraine because Istanbul unfortunately became rather unattractive due to its internal political situation since the coup d'etat in 2016 and because of the rise of terrorist activities and attacks. Another reason, however, was also to foster cooperation with other organisations in the region, this time with Ukraine Analytika and Ukrainian Prism, two organisations dealing with Ukranian Foreign Policy.
