The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe held a hearing on Tuesday titled “Flashpoint: The Path Toward Stability in the Western Balkans.”
In an analysis published on Peacefare.net, American professor Daniel Serwer assessed that although the region is not yet a “flashpoint,” it could easily become one.
According to Serwer, the core issue is not the absence of stability, but the absence of democratic political change, as the current stability is maintained through corruption, ethnic tensions, and autocratic governance.
During the hearing, both expert witnesses and members of the U.S. Congress agreed that Serbia remains one of the primary destabilizing factors in the Balkans, due to its widespread corruption, increasingly authoritarian leadership, and its deep military and economic ties with China, along with strong political and economic relations with Russia.
Serwer emphasized that recent efforts to orient Serbia toward the West have failed, noting that President Aleksandar Vučić has no interest in curbing corruption, distancing himself from Moscow and Beijing, or allowing greater media freedoms and judicial independence.
Vučić’s approach, analysts argued, continues to undermine regional stability while enabling foreign authoritarian influence to expand in the Balkans.
Speaking on Kosovo, Serwer stressed that the country needs more sovereignty, not less, warning that Kosovo’s unresolved status provides space for Russian and Chinese influence to grow.
“Unconditional support for Kosovo must be a priority, especially in the face of Serbian pressure,” Serwer stated.
