Menu

United States Institute of Peace

Home ▶ Events

Crisis or Stability in the Balkans

Date: Friday, April 23, 1999 / Time: 5:00am - 7:00am 

Share This
Print the Page
I. Welcome
  • Richard Solomon
    President, U.S. Institute of Peace
  • Morton Abramowitz, Conference Chair
    Council on Foreign Relations
  • Petar Stoyanov, Honorary Conference Chair
    President, Bulgaria
II. Keynote Address
President Petar Stoyanov of Bulgaria delivers the keynote address.
President Petar Stoyanov of Bulgaria delivers the keynote address.
  • Read the remarks of Petar Stoyanov, Honorary Conference Chair and President, Bulgaria
III. Crisis or Stability in the Balkans: Regional Perspectives

Panel I: The Spreading Crisis: Balkan Leaders Speak

  • Amb. Bryan Hopkinson, Moderator
    International Crisis Group
  • Albania: President Rexhep Meidani
  • Romania: Andrei Plesu, Foreign Minister
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: Jadranko Prlic, Foreign Minister
  • Croatia: Mate Granic, Foreign Minister
  • Slovenia: Boris Frlec, Foreign Minister
President Rexhep Meidani of Albania addresses the conference.
President Rexhep Meidani of Albania addresses the conference.

Panel II: The Future of Serbia: Regional Configurations

  • Daniel Serwer, Moderator
  • Bosnia: Zlatko Lagumdzija, President, Social Democratic Party of Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • Montenegro: Zorica Maric, Trade Mission of Montenegro
    (transcript Read Remarks)
  • Serbia: Sonja Biserko, Helsinki Committee, Stockholm, Sweden
    (transcript Read Remarks)
  • USA: Richard Perle, American Enterprise Institute

Panel III: Building the Foundation for Stability

  • Lauren Van Metre, Moderator
    U.S. Institute of Peace

    • Civil-Military Institutions

  • Poland: Andrezsj Karkoszka, former Deputy Minister of Defense

    • Social and Political Movements

  • Albania: Genc Ruli, Institute for Contemporary Studies
  • Bulgaria: Ivan Krastev, President, Center for Liberal Studies

    • Religious Organizations

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: Jakob Finci, President, Jewish Community of BiH/President, Soros Foundation in Sarajevo
  • Eastern Europe: Adrian Hastings, Professor, University of Leeds
IV. Wrap-Up
  • Harriet Hentges, Moderator
    U.S. Institute of Peace
  • John Menzies, U.S. Institute of Peace
  • Morton Abramowitz, Council on Foreign Relations
  • Bryan Hopkinson, International Crisis Group

Media Inquiries

Please contact Ian Larsen (+1.202.429.3870) or Lauren Sucher (+1.202.429.3822) in the Office of Public Affairs and Communications.

Latest Publications

In Europe, Xi Looks to Boost Ties — and Sow Divisions

In Europe, Xi Looks to Boost Ties — and Sow Divisions

Thursday, May 16, 2024

By: Andrew Scobell, Ph.D.; Mirna Galic; Mary Glantz, Ph.D.; Katie Ruppert

Chinese leader Xi Jinping last week made his first trip to the European continent in five years, visiting France, Hungary and Serbia. In Paris, Xi faced tough questions over trade and China’s support for Russia and its war in Ukraine, but met a much friendlier reception in Budapest and Belgrade, both of which view China as a key economic and political partner. Still, the visit demonstrated the obstacles Beijing faces in fostering deeper ties across Europe, where resentment is simmering over China’s moral and materiel aid to Russia and what Europe views as unfair trade practices.

Type: Question and Answer

Global Policy

Traumatic Decarbonization in Fragile States

Traumatic Decarbonization in Fragile States

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

By: Aditya Sarkar; Benjamin Spatz; Alex de Waal; Jared Miller; Tarun Gopalakrishnan

The process of decarbonization—that is, the replacement of fossil fuels with non-hydrocarbon-based forms of energy—is essential for meeting the climate goals articulated by international agreements. But in fragile, oil-dependent nations, where hydrocarbon revenues are often a key means of political control, decarbonization can spell the difference between peace and conflict. This report examines the consequences of the sudden loss of oil revenues for fragile, conflict-affected states and provides recommendations for policymakers on how to manage future decarbonization peacefully.

Type: Peaceworks

Conflict Analysis & Prevention;  Economics;  Environment;  Fragility & Resilience

China’s Edge in the Pacific Islands: Xi Jinping Makes Time for Leaders

China’s Edge in the Pacific Islands: Xi Jinping Makes Time for Leaders

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

By: Camilla Pohle

If the U.S. government wants an edge over China in the Pacific Islands, it needs to facilitate more meetings between the president of the United States and regional leaders, preferably one-on-one. When Pacific Island leaders fly to Beijing, they often have a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but such a meeting between the leader of a Pacific Island country and a sitting president of the United States has never taken place. The White House has only conducted joint meetings with Pacific Island leaders. Sometimes even joint meetings don’t make the cut.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

At the Sahel’s Center, Tension Rises Over Chad’s Disputed Election

At the Sahel’s Center, Tension Rises Over Chad’s Disputed Election

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

By: Dr. Yamingué Bétinbaye; Kamel Fakhry; James Rupert

A disputed presidential election in Chad last week is making few global headlines, but poses new risks to African and international efforts to reverse the Sahel region’s spreading instability, conflict and human displacement. Chad is centered in the world’s largest belt of military rule: six nations across Africa that have suffered armed coups since 2020. Among them, Chad is the first to hold elections to restore civilian rule. But a string of setbacks to a fully credible vote has yielded a contested result that risks further domestic conflict and a narrowing of popular legitimacy for the next government, led by the incumbent transitional president, Mahamat Idriss Deby.

Type: Analysis

Global Elections & Conflict

View All Publications