List of Balkans articles
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A group of police officers await the disembarkation of the 600 migrants in the port of Catania on April 12, 2023 in Catania, Italy. Europe’s Radical Migration Ideas Are Becoming Reality
There’s no shortage of obstacles to sending would-be migrants to third countries—but the continent is committed to giving it a try.
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An anti-regime fighter armed with a rifle walks past a military helicopter stationed at Aleppo International Airport on Dec. 2, after the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group and allied factions took control of the city. A Weak Assad Benefits Turkey—and Is a Headache for Trump
After years of relative quiet, renewed fighting in Syria could be the new U.S. administration’s first major foreign-policy challenge.
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A person walks with a red fire extinguisher near a burning car. The street is full of smoke and rubble. On the left is a person on a motorbike. The Fall of Aleppo Poses a Significant Threat to Syria’s Leader
Allies Iran and Russia are busy with their own wars, leaving Assad vulnerable.
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MHP party leader Devlet Bahceli visits Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on Oct. 29, 2021 in Ankara. Can Devlet Bahceli Be Turkey’s F.W. de Klerk?
Ankara’s ultranationalist kingmaker has made surprising overtures to PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan—but without U.S. pressure, the imprisoned militant might not become a Kurdish Mandela.
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures toward Vladimir Putin as Putin looks at him and gestures to the right. Behind them is a BRICS backdrop with logos. Turkey’s BRICS Balancing Act
By applying to join the group, Ankara is signaling to the West that it should not be taken for granted.
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A woman in a white jacket and dark shirt raises her hand and smiles as a crowd gathers around her. The New Face of Turkey’s Opposition
In Istanbul’s most conservative borough, a secular woman is charting the path to a post-Erdogan future.
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A man holds Russian and Serbian flags during a so-called "warning protest" against the plan that the US and European Union officials presented as a way out of a decades-long strife between Serbia and Kosovo, in front of the government building in Belgrade on March 24, 2023. Harris Needs a Balkans Policy—Quickly
The region has been mishandled by the Biden administration—and could easily become a campaign vulnerability.
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Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets of the Polish Air Force take part in a NATO shielding exercise at Lask Air Base, Poland, on Oct. 12, 2022. NATO Frontline States Need an Air Defense Shield Now
Russia is probing NATO with attack drones and missiles. Ignoring them is a dangerous option.
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Protesters stand against a wall painted with a mural. They hold a large white banner with black Cyrillic lettering. One holds a cardboard sign. A Hunger Strike in the Schengen Zone
On the edge of Europe, a Saudi human rights activist is detained as a threat to national security.
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U.S. President Joe Biden, joined by relatives of prisoners freed by Russia, delivers remarks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington on Aug. 1. Historic Prisoner Swap Is a Boon for Biden’s Legacy
The release of Americans and others detained in Russia underscores the power of diplomacy—and the importance of allies.
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This photo released by the official SANA news agency shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) greeting Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Damascus on Dec. 6, 2006. Why Is Turkey Cozying Up to Syria?
After more than a decade of trying to overthrow the Assad regime, Erdogan is now trying to normalize ties.
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An illustration shows Syrian-born cook Chef Omar holding a shawarma in front of a kitchen counter. Behind him are figures lining up for food at left and refugees on the move at right The building-covered skyline of Istanbul (left) and the rubble-filled skyline of Aleppo (right) are seen farther in the background. The Influencer Chef Dividing Syria’s Diaspora
Chef Omar has popularized Damascene cuisine online and in his Istanbul restaurant. But is he linked to the Assad regime?
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An overview of the court during a hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague on Apr. 8. Genocide Allegations Are Not a Political Football
Why Turkey’s application to join South Africa’s ICJ case trivializes the charges against Israel.
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People walk on the Stone Bridge in front of the Alexander the Great monument, also known as "Warrior on a horse", in Skopje on May 7, 2024, on the eve of North Macedonia's presidential and parliamentary elections. (Photo by Robert Atanasovski / AFP) North Macedonia’s Political Future Is on the Line
The right-wing nationalist opposition is making a comeback as voters punish the Social Democrats for scandals and broken EU accession promises.
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Orban stands before mics held up by journalists. Is ‘the Media’ Really Under Attack?
We need a new framework to understand how today’s autocrats control public opinion.
