Balkans

The Iran War Splits the Balkans 

At a forum in Baku this week, former Balkan presidents warned Trump is failing on Iran, while back home Albania found itself on the front line of the same war.

Sex, Skeletons, and Rituals: Marina Abramović’s Balkan Epic

Marina Abramović’s “Balkan Erotic Epic” fuses eroticism, ritual, and spirituality, redefining the body as a sacred, cultural force.

Putting Out the Fires in Europe: Climate’s North-South Gap

Fires engulf forests from Greece to Spain with a important signal for Europe splitting along climate lines.

Serbia Corruption Crisis Exposes EU’s Democratic Double Standard

Protests in Serbia expose EU silence as corruption, media pressure, and democratic backsliding deepen ahead of critical accession talks.

On the Right Track: Albania’s Accession Plan

Albania advances in EU accession, tackling corruption, judicial reforms, and regional stability, aiming for membership by 2030.

Popular

LVMH, War and the Luxury of Trees

As war dents luxury sales and Europe's tree cover grows more unequal, an old truth is returning: comfort is becoming easier to buy than to share.

UAE Quits OPEC to Define New Energy Order

After missile strikes on Gulf ports and thousands of flight cancellations, the UAE's exit from OPEC shatters the old oil order, exposing a ruthless energy future.

After the Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting, Trump Changes Tone

After gunfire erupted at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this weekend, Donald Trump responded with less fury than after earlier political attacks, and that change matters.

West Overlooks Russian Grain and Borders in Ukraine

As stolen grain enters Israeli docks and Berlin hints at regional trade-offs, a quiet consensus forms around the permanence of Russia's seized Ukrainian areas.

Deraa First Trial Puts Syrian Justice on the Stand

This week's public trial of Atef Najib returned Deraa to the centre of Syrian politics, with the first courtroom reckoning for the crackdown that helped ignite the uprising.