by Anes Alic The parliament of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity of Republika Srpska decided on Wednesday to call for a referendum on whether Bosnian Serbs should continue to cooperate with the country’s war crimes court, citing the court’s alleged anti-Serb bias. Out of the 75 lawmakers present, 66 voted for the …

By Anes Alic After five months of back-and-forth negotiations following October 2010 general elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the new parliament and government have been named in the Bosniak and Croat-dominated Federation entity. There has been an inability to reach a consensus at the highest levels for the distribution of ministries and …

The Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, on 19 January issued a ruling that will allow the hearing of a complaint filed by the entity’s Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) in the upper house of parliament against the formation of the new RS government. The Bosniak caucus on 5 January …

A government campaign against Islamic education and political movements in Tajikistan, prompted by an armed conflict with ’mujaheds’ in the Rasht valley, risks creating the very militancy it aims to prevent, write Sophie Roche and John Heathershaw for openDemocracy. In earlier articles for opendemocracy, we wrote of the armed conflict …

In a Wednesday, 19 January, vote, members of the European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg voted in favor of ratifying Serbia’s Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) between Serbia and the European Union. Voting in favor were 612 MEPs, with 38 voting against. The SAA is the first step for Western Balkan …

A parcel containing a hand grenade and a letter warning against further reconciliation with Serbia was sent to the Croatian Embassy in Berlin on Monday, 17 January, ahead of Croatian President Ivo Josipovic’s visit to Germany, which began today, 19 January. According to Croatian media reports, Josipovic said ‘such threats …

Informality allows people to change their immediate circumstances for the better, but it locks the state and society in a vicious circle of reproduction of a weak state, promising insecurity for the majority and prosperity for the few, Vesna Bojicic-Dzelilovic and Denisa Kostovicova write for openDemocracy. To deflect criticism for …

The close of 2010 and the first week of 2011 were tough times for the authorities of Kosovo, despite a few diplomatic gains, such as official recognition of the country’s independence by Qatar and Guinea-Bissau. First came the Council of Europe’s report on organized crime which includes allegations that Kosovo …

The recent arrest of the leader of the outlawed Islamic Party of Azerbaijan is raising questions about the future role of Islam in Azerbaijani politics. Analysts in Baku differ on how much influence the Islamic Party has, but many share the belief that Islam could form the basis for a …

Following Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci’s brazen comments last week comparing a Council of Europe report connecting him to organized crime to ‘Nazi propaganda’ and its author, Swiss Senator Dick Marty, to Joseph Goebbels, the Swiss media is hitting back. On 8 January, the Geneva-based daily Le Temps reported that …