As the United States painfully learns time and again, when it leaves the international field, others enter the field and play by its rules. The costs of reentry are considerably higher, paid for by diminished influence and regional instability. The European Union has not been able to take full responsibility for the development of the region. Therefore, the United States must recalibrate its policy and assistance tools to restore its – and ultimately transatlantic – influence, while working closely with the European Union.
In 2019, CSIS embarked on a two-year research effort to rethink what a dynamic and coherent new U.S. policy toward the Western Balkans might look like, taking into account current dynamics in the region and across the world. whole of the European Union. To do this, the authors focused on two specific and complementary policy components: (1) the development of a new American strategy for the normalization of Serbia and Kosovo, and (2) the creation of a new paradigm for American aid to the “Western Balkans 6”.
The first part examines the current impasse and growing instability surrounding the normalization process between Serbia and Kosovo, which remains the largest source of tension in the region. More than a decade after the start of the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, a comprehensive normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo remains elusive, with neither state prepared to make the compromises necessary to break away the status quo. The Serbia-Kosovo normalization process: a temporary decoupling from the United States advocates for a new U.S. strategy toward Serbia and Kosovo that creates distinct but parallel bilateral pathways of engagement, prioritizing internal reforms and economic revitalization in both states to strengthen each and to better prepare them to achieve normalization in the future.
The second part focuses on overhauling the framework for American aid to the region. Improving political and economic outcomes for citizens in the Western Balkans must be the priority, including by fostering confidence that reform, government accountability and transparency can have a positive impact on daily life. However, achieving this will require reversing political stagnation and breaking the “stabilocratic” nature of regimes in the region – a status quo that has been perpetuated in part by the top-down approach to US and international engagement. EU. Confronting Stabilocracy in the Western Balkans: A New Approach for American Aid describes a new U.S. aid strategy that focuses on two pillars: (1) a grassroots, bottom-up approach that places civil society, activism, transparency, and accountability at the center of U.S. efforts, and (2) the development of a transparent economic system. system that prioritizes young people and diversifies economic opportunities.
In the Western Balkans, memories of war, ethnic cleansing and mass exodus of refugees still leave their scars on the region and its people. Although the United States has enjoyed diplomatic successes in the Balkans, its policies and aid have not evolved, contributing to the region’s stagnation. With renewed focus, commitment, and cooperation with its European partners, the United States could once again succeed politically by refocusing citizens’ values and prosperity.
This project was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.