Milan Nic, a German official from the German Council on Foreign Relations, has stated that the role of the United States in the Western Balkans will diminish, regardless of who wins the elections there—be it Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe, he emphasized that it is time for the European Union, particularly Germany, to engage more seriously in resolving the remaining conflicts in the Western Balkans.
When asked what the most urgent unresolved conflict in the Western Balkans is, Nic pointed to northern Kosovo.
“The north of Kosovo. There’s also the internal situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but there is a stable international diplomatic infrastructure there. Therefore, Milorad Dodik [the leader of Republika Srpska], whenever he tries to overstep boundaries, understands that he will lose.
In northern Kosovo, the situation is more fragile. I think there is a waiting game not just for the elections in the US, but also for the outcome of the war or some development in the war in Ukraine, which will impact the overall security situation in Europe and create new precedents for the Western Balkans.”
According to him, “we are just a few steps away from a serious escalation of the situation in the north of Kosovo,” adding that, however, parties are taking care to prevent such an occurrence.
“In northern Kosovo, more has happened in the last one or two years than in several previous years. It’s a completely new situation. Now it is the Kosovo special police that is controlling the situation on the ground. Belgrade is losing because Serbs are withdrawing from institutions. They have made mistakes and do not know how to return.
I believe we are just a few steps away from a serious escalation of the situation in northern Kosovo. So far, it hasn’t happened. I think there is a cautious approach from both sides to prevent this, but there are small situations on the ground that could escalate.”
Nic is a co-author of an article published last week by the German Council on Foreign Relations titled “How Could US Elections Shake the Western Balkans?”
