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Serbia

Hungary

Economics

Politics

China and Hungary have upgraded their relationship to an "all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era," Chinese President Xi Jinping announced during a joint conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest, Bloomberg reported May 9. 

China, Hungary: Xi and Orban Announce New Investment in Hungary, Enhance Bilateral Relations

Europe

France

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union will deploy all necessary tools to protect EU companies from China's manufacturing overcapacity and lack of reciprocity in market access, Bloomberg reported on May 6.

EU, China: Brussels Raises Pressure on Beijing After Meeting With Xi

Military & Security

On Dec. 25, thousands gathered in front of Serbia's central election commission building in Belgrade to protest against alleged irregularities in the Dec. 17 general election, in which the governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won 46.72% of the vote, Reuters has reported.

Serbia: Thousands Gather in Belgrade to Protest Election Results

Several thousand people rallied in Belgrade, Serbia, on Dec. 18 and 19 to protest alleged irregularities in the Dec. 17 snap parliamentary and local elections and to demand a new vote, AP reported on Dec. 19.

Serbia: Mass Demonstrations Will Continue Amid Accusations of Vote-Rigging

Serbia and China signed a free trade deal as well as three commercial deals for infrastructure development in Serbia by Chinese companies, Reuters reported on Oct. 17.

Serbia, China: Countries Sign Free Trade Agreement, Infrastructure Development Deals

Kosovo

Serbia reduced the overall number of troops stationed near its border with Kosovo from 8,350 to 4,500, and Serbia's army chief Gen. Milan Mojsilovic said the country has not "raised the level of readiness," Reuters reported on Oct. 2.

Kosovo, Serbia: Serbia Scales Back Military Presence at Border With Kosovo

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby announced Sept. 29 that the United States is monitoring an "unprecedented" deployment of Serbian troops, artillery and tanks along the border with Kosovo.

Kosovo: Serbia Reportedly Deploys Large Military Contingent Toward Kosovo Border

Four people were killed in the village of Banjska, which is located near the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica in Kosovo's Serb-majority northern region, following a shootout between armed ethnic Serb militants and Kosovo's police forces, Reuters reported on Sept. 24.

Kosovo, Serbia: New Clashes May Indicate Worsening Security Environment

Snapshots

Authorities search a building in Mitrovica, northern Kosovo, on Sept. 29, 2023, after the killing of a police officer.

With the prospect of EU membership frozen, Belgrade and Pristina will be incentivized to ramp up their diplomatic feud and inflammatory rhetoric, raising the risk of violence between Kosovo's Serb and Albanian populations.

For Serbia and Kosovo, Stalled EU Membership Bids Will Disincentivize Reconciliation

Assessments

Chad

Panama

Russia

Panamanian presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino on May 1, 2024, in Panama City. Panamanians will vote May 5 to select their next president and all 71 members of the National Assembly.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Panama Holds General Elections, Xi Visits Europe

Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen between the Chinese and French national flags in Beijing on Jan. 9, 2018. 

During the rare visit, the Chinese president will seek to ease EU trade tensions and secure Beijing's economic presence and influence in Central and Eastern Europe.

What To Expect During Xi's Trip to Europe

NATO peacekeepers stand guard as hospital employees lead a protest march of ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo on June 19, 2023. 

Russian information campaigns are fomenting EU accession fatigue and anti-Western narratives in Serbia and raising risks of violence in northern Kosovo.

The Threat of Russian Influence Operations in Serbia and Kosovo

NATO soldiers serving in Kosovo patrol next to a road barricade set up by ethnic Serbs near the town of Zubin Potok on Aug. 1, 2022. 

The Balkan neighbors' latest flare-up in tensions will undermine an EU-brokered normalization plan and risks spurring more violence in northern Kosovo.

Are Serbia and Kosovo Headed for Another War?

People walk past a mural reading ''Republic of Kosova'' in Pristina on Feb. 27, 2023, as the European Union hosts talks between the rival leaders of Kosovo and Serbia.

The deal marks a key first step in avoiding another conflict in the Balkans. But the true test will be getting Belgrade and Pristina to ink a legally binding comprehensive agreement.

The Promise and Potential Pitfalls of the EU-Sponsored Pact Between Serbia and Kosovo

Vietnam

India

Officials stand near flags of participating countries and organizations at the venue where the second meeting of the G-20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies under India's G-20 presidency has begun Feb. 22, 2023, in Bengaluru, India.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Serbian and Kosovar Leaders Meet, G-20 Meetings Reveal Divergent Global Priorities

Media

Podcasts

In this episode of the Essential Geopolitics podcast, we look at rising tensions between Kosovo and Serbia.

Essential Geopolitics: Could Kosovo-Serbia Tensions Bring a New War to Europe?

NATO soldiers patrol a road near the town of Zvecan in northern Kosovo on Oct. 12, 2022.

EU diplomatic pressure and the presence of NATO troops in the region will deter Serbia and Kosovo from letting recent border clashes devolve into mass violence.

Escalating Unrest in North Kosovo Does Not Portend a Return to War

Graphics

Trucks loaded with sand form a barricade in a road near the Kosovar town of Zubin Potok on Aug. 1.

The recent flare-up in tensions between Kosovo and Serbia does not suggest that Kosovo or the wider Western Balkans region is in imminent danger of collapsing into widespread violence, but such ethnic grievances will continue to destabilize the area.

Talks in Brussels to Keep Serbia and Kosovo Looking Westward 

Columns

On Security

Turkey

North Macedonia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatia

Albania

Montenegro

Demonstrators in Belgrade, Serbia, hold up Serbian flags and a photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 24, 2022, during a rally in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

In the second part of this series, we explore China and Russia's interests in the Balkans and what their activities may mean for the region's long-term stability.

The Risk of Another Balkans War, Part 2: Russian and Chinese Influence

Greece

Slovenia

NATO soldiers patrol a roadblock set up by ethnic Serbs near Zubin Potok, a town in northern Kosovo, on Aug. 1, 2022. 

Social Issues

Despite ethnically-tinged tensions between Kosovo and Serbia that most recently made the news, there appear to be numerous restraints on a potential return to widespread regional conflict. 

SITUATION REPORTS

China, Hungary: Xi and Orban Announce New Investment in Hungary, Enhance Bilateral Relations

EU, China: Brussels Raises Pressure on Beijing After Meeting With Xi

Serbia: Thousands Gather in Belgrade to Protest Election Results

Serbia: Mass Demonstrations Will Continue Amid Accusations of Vote-Rigging

Serbia, China: Countries Sign Free Trade Agreement, Infrastructure Development Deals

Kosovo, Serbia: Serbia Scales Back Military Presence at Border With Kosovo

Kosovo: Serbia Reportedly Deploys Large Military Contingent Toward Kosovo Border

Kosovo, Serbia: New Clashes May Indicate Worsening Security Environment

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