Don’t forget the Balkans

Brexit must not distract the EU and Nato from region’s rumbling crises, warns Stephen Blank

The World Today
2 minute READ

The arrival of millions of refugees from the Middle East into the troubled Balkan states has exacerbated tensions within them.

Ethnic animosities pre-dated the wars in the 1990s that led to the break-up of Yugoslavia, and they have not been completely surmounted. Those states are renowned for their difficulties in establishing transparent, honest government and flourishing economies. The Greek crisis of 2015 is only the best known example but, in fact, throughout the Balkans, corruption has been and remains pervasive. Now the Balkan states face a security challenge from without.

Subscribe to read all issues

Articles from the current issue are free to read by all, the archive is exclusive to magazine subscribers and our members. Subscribe or become a member to view articles from the archive.