Thanks for the writeup, and good analysis overall.
One point of disagreement I have with the authors is that the status of occupied Kosovo—but also Republika Srpska—function as effective wedge issues, sowing division among natural allies. Any materially grounded perspective favours unity and solidarity among the marginalised peoples of southeastern Europe, systematically excluded by the vicious and systemic Islamophobia and anti-Slavic racism intrinsic to EU institutions. This includes Bosniaks, Serbs, Albanians, Montenegrins, and (North) Macedonians. The pivotal question for the Western Balkans IMO will be this: will they internalise the reactionary and divisive narratives peddled by Imperial actors, or will they reject these and successfully put an end to the half-century Imperial campaign to subjugate the region? If BRICS plays its cards right, it could provide further material incentives for unity. The Open Balkan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Balkan) might be a decent starting template for a local alternative to Brussels domination, but I'm not sufficiently well-informed about this.
The ultranationalist current that still pervades in Serbian politics, which takes maximalist views toward both Kosovo and Republika Srpska, IMO receives insufficient criticism from the international Left. The ultranationalists indirectly serve Western imperial interests by committing to battle along the very faultlines painted over the corpse of Yugoslavia by the Western empire. The rehabilitation of fascist-collaborator Četnik leaders plays right into NATO hands by deepening the wedge between neighbours, and permissiveness toward Bosnian genocide denial pushes Western-backed Islamophobia dangerously close to the mainstream. Serbian leaders would do well to recognise that NATO's geopolitical end, despite the cacophonous braying of the Nafoid racists, isn't to undermine or destroy Serbia in itself, but to destroy unity and solidarity among marginalised peoples. It's no different than what the Empire has done in the Levant, across Africa, in Latin America, in East Asia, in Ukraine, inside the US itself, and pretty much everywhere else.
A more principled position would thus be agnostic toward the ultimate status of both entities, uncompromisingly conditioned on NATO's deoccupation of Kosovo (and of course guarantees for all minorities). The ultranationalists across the Western Balkans play into NATO's hands by making such a position somewhat of a third rail (see the constant reminders of "victims in Kosovo and Metohija" plastered everywhere in Beograd). I'm focusing my criticism on Serbia precisely because of its independence: Serbia is the place where the contradictions are greatest between the incentive to curtail NATO and Western imperialism on the one hand, and the nationalist narrative on the other. A regional war over Republika Srpska is furthermore in the global interests of the Empire because it has the capacity to provide ammunition to Western intelligence agencies that would like to use it as a focal point for driving a wedge between Russia on the one hand and the Islamic world on the other. Ideally, BRICS should play an assertive and decisive role in mending the southern Yugoslav region by creating infrastructure and incentives conducive to cooperation—before the West has the chance to instigate a regional war.
BRICS is the single most important organisation in the World today. If it doesn't carry on its upward trend. It will be a much bigger disaster than the majority of the world could imagine. If it carries on methodically crossing every bridge that it comes to. The whole world is going to change. For the better, for the world's majority. It most likely will effect the wealthy more the rest of the people in the West. Of course the wealthy will do everything possible to pass their losses down to the citizens. But the citizens in the West or most of them have had enough of the wealthy. For all the recent elections in West went against the globalists. Most countries in the West only had more globalists as the opposition. It's not going to take long for the voters to realise they've not & never really had a choice. They'll realise this democracy bullshit they've been fed since birth. Is just another one of the wealthy rulers many lies. This is why the Western rulers are acting in ways against Russia. Most of their own citizens, just can't understand why. The Western elite are very desperate, desperate people do desperate things. The Trump assisination attempt is their latest effort. The computers going down on Friday, the same time Zelensky rang Trump. Has a lot more behind the story than we know.
You should avoid pointless labels such as "fascist". Fascism was defeated and whoever is in charge today treats its very name as anathema. Post fascists hate the west...
Thanks for the writeup, and good analysis overall.
One point of disagreement I have with the authors is that the status of occupied Kosovo—but also Republika Srpska—function as effective wedge issues, sowing division among natural allies. Any materially grounded perspective favours unity and solidarity among the marginalised peoples of southeastern Europe, systematically excluded by the vicious and systemic Islamophobia and anti-Slavic racism intrinsic to EU institutions. This includes Bosniaks, Serbs, Albanians, Montenegrins, and (North) Macedonians. The pivotal question for the Western Balkans IMO will be this: will they internalise the reactionary and divisive narratives peddled by Imperial actors, or will they reject these and successfully put an end to the half-century Imperial campaign to subjugate the region? If BRICS plays its cards right, it could provide further material incentives for unity. The Open Balkan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Balkan) might be a decent starting template for a local alternative to Brussels domination, but I'm not sufficiently well-informed about this.
The ultranationalist current that still pervades in Serbian politics, which takes maximalist views toward both Kosovo and Republika Srpska, IMO receives insufficient criticism from the international Left. The ultranationalists indirectly serve Western imperial interests by committing to battle along the very faultlines painted over the corpse of Yugoslavia by the Western empire. The rehabilitation of fascist-collaborator Četnik leaders plays right into NATO hands by deepening the wedge between neighbours, and permissiveness toward Bosnian genocide denial pushes Western-backed Islamophobia dangerously close to the mainstream. Serbian leaders would do well to recognise that NATO's geopolitical end, despite the cacophonous braying of the Nafoid racists, isn't to undermine or destroy Serbia in itself, but to destroy unity and solidarity among marginalised peoples. It's no different than what the Empire has done in the Levant, across Africa, in Latin America, in East Asia, in Ukraine, inside the US itself, and pretty much everywhere else.
A more principled position would thus be agnostic toward the ultimate status of both entities, uncompromisingly conditioned on NATO's deoccupation of Kosovo (and of course guarantees for all minorities). The ultranationalists across the Western Balkans play into NATO's hands by making such a position somewhat of a third rail (see the constant reminders of "victims in Kosovo and Metohija" plastered everywhere in Beograd). I'm focusing my criticism on Serbia precisely because of its independence: Serbia is the place where the contradictions are greatest between the incentive to curtail NATO and Western imperialism on the one hand, and the nationalist narrative on the other. A regional war over Republika Srpska is furthermore in the global interests of the Empire because it has the capacity to provide ammunition to Western intelligence agencies that would like to use it as a focal point for driving a wedge between Russia on the one hand and the Islamic world on the other. Ideally, BRICS should play an assertive and decisive role in mending the southern Yugoslav region by creating infrastructure and incentives conducive to cooperation—before the West has the chance to instigate a regional war.
BRICS is the single most important organisation in the World today. If it doesn't carry on its upward trend. It will be a much bigger disaster than the majority of the world could imagine. If it carries on methodically crossing every bridge that it comes to. The whole world is going to change. For the better, for the world's majority. It most likely will effect the wealthy more the rest of the people in the West. Of course the wealthy will do everything possible to pass their losses down to the citizens. But the citizens in the West or most of them have had enough of the wealthy. For all the recent elections in West went against the globalists. Most countries in the West only had more globalists as the opposition. It's not going to take long for the voters to realise they've not & never really had a choice. They'll realise this democracy bullshit they've been fed since birth. Is just another one of the wealthy rulers many lies. This is why the Western rulers are acting in ways against Russia. Most of their own citizens, just can't understand why. The Western elite are very desperate, desperate people do desperate things. The Trump assisination attempt is their latest effort. The computers going down on Friday, the same time Zelensky rang Trump. Has a lot more behind the story than we know.
Thanks for posting.
You should avoid pointless labels such as "fascist". Fascism was defeated and whoever is in charge today treats its very name as anathema. Post fascists hate the west...