🔔Our BiEPAG to the point is out! 🔹Reflections on the local elections in North Macedonia 🔶The biggest losers are the citizens - Low turnout (46%) reflects deep voter apathy and disillusionment. Read the one-pager to get the whole picture👇 #Elections #NorthMacedonia www.biepag.eu/biepag-to-th...

This is an article I have co-authored with @lurapo.bsky.social, analyzing #Serbia’s recent political developments and critically examining both the potential and the limits of grassroots-driven regime change for Berliner Gazette. 👇🏻 berlinergazette.de/a-just-futur...

A Just Future for Serbia? The Potential and the Limits of Resistance to Authoritarianism · BG · berlinergazette.de · EN|DE

Contrary to expectations, the historic mobilizations in Serbia persisted uninterrupted over the summer. They continued not only in major urban centers but also in smaller towns. In this article, femin...

berlinergazette.de

📸On 13 June we gathered a distinguished crowd of Turkey experts to dicuss the topic „Mosque Politics: Re-Mapping Turkish Power and Religious Policies in the Western Balkans” at the Orient-Institut Istanbul 🕌 We thank all speakers and especially Prof. Christoph K. Neumann & Prof. Kerem Öktem

Thank you to @gresahasa.bsky.social, @uni-graz.at for organising a webinar about Albania's parliamentary elections today at 5 pm. Join us for an online discussion with Lura Pollozhani, Blerjana Bino, Florian Bieber, Besar Likmeta, Xheni Karaj, Celik Rruplli today👇 uni-graz.zoom.us/j/6802260008...

Join us on Monday, May 19 at 17:00 CET, for a critical assessment of Albania’s parliamentary elections, held the previous Sunday! The event will be held via Zoom, and participants can join using the link provided: uni-graz.zoom.us/j/6802260008... Meeting ID: 680 2260 0082 Passcode: 559771

What does the new German government mean for the Western Balkans? Listen to the latest @biepag.bsky.social podcast with Frauke Seebass (@swp-europe.bsky.social @dgap.org) & @adicerimagic.bsky.social .

Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG)@biepag.bsky.social · last yr.

🔊Listen to the ep.15 of 🎙️Seriously Balkans - The #BiEPAGtalks 🔹What the new German Government means for the Balkans Host: @fbieber.bsky.social Guests: Frauke Seebass, Fellow at @swp-berlin.org & Researcher @dgap.org Adnan Ćeramagić, Senior Analyst, ESI 🎧 tinyurl.com/5n9y55u8

📣BiEPAG blog with focus on #TrumpsTariffs 🖊 Branimir Jovanović @wiiw.ac.at "The current situation looks like a black swan – an unpredictable shock for which standard models offer limited guidance – meaning that the impact might be much bigger." More data-driven insights👇 tinyurl.com/mt2kfwhr

“Democracy may be in retreat, but resistance to autocratisation is vibrant and evolving." Our TWQ special issue on the "Limits of Autocratisation" featured on @globalsouthshub.bsky.social 👇

Global Souths Hub@globalsouthshub.bsky.social · last yr.

Third World Quarterly's #SpecialIssue explores how political parties and #socialmovements resist autocratisation in #Africa, #Asia, #LatinAmerica, and #SoutheastEurope, with insights from Guest Editors @bilgeyabanci.bsky.social, @karabekir.bsky.social, and @keremoxford.bsky.social 🔽

Arjun Appadurai and Sheldon Pollock on boards of trustees: “Who actually runs Columbia University?” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Anyone not deeply disturbed by this is either an authoritarian or delusional about their own protections.

Tori Bedford@bedford.bsky.social · last yr.

A video shared with GBH News shows Ozturk walking as several people in plain clothes with their faces covered walk nearby. A man in a hoodie approaches her, then grabs her wrists. Ozturk screams, then asks “Can I call the police?” before being told “We’re the police.” @gbhnews.bsky.social

#REUNIR researchers have successfully wrapped up their fieldwork in Skopje, North Macedonia, after conducting insightful interviews & focus groups with experts & citizens. Now, we’re heading to our final stop: Belgrade, Serbia! 🇷🇸 @horizoneu.bsky.social @lurapo.bsky.social @bezbednost.bsky.social

#REUNIR Balkan Trip Continues: Pristina, Kosovo 🇽🇰 Our researchers conducted interviews with experts & policymakers in Pristina. In addition to these in-depth interviews, our experts participated in a compelling panel discussion @horizoneu.bsky.social @fbieber.bsky.social @lurapo.bsky.social

Join us next week in Prishtina!

A self-coup happening in Turkey! Istanbul mayor and the man to beat Erdoğan--Ekrem İmamoğlu--is arrested. Social media restrictions and ban on demonstrations in place... Threatened by surging opposition, Erdoğan is taking advantage of geopolitics & going full authoritarian! 1/2

1/ Latest article by DPC senior associate @valeryperry.bsky.social for @projectsyndicate.bsky.social, tying the Western Balkans to numerous processes and phenomena in the Trump 2.0 age: www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/wes...

The Western Balkan Bellwether | by Valery Perry - Project Syndicate

Valery Perry sees the region as a window into three interconnected phenomena that will shape Europe's near-term future.

project-syndicate.org

See you tomorrow in Podgorica 👇

Recommended reading as #Serbia heads toward another massive protest tomorrow amid heightened tensions and the regime’s threats of violence. 👇🏻

Florian Bieber@fbieber.bsky.social · last yr.

open.substack.com/pub/florianb...

6. When do protests succeed in challenging autocratisers? @lurapo.bsky.social & @fbieber.bsky.social examine the dynamics behind mass mobilisation & resistance in Serbia, North Macedonia & Montenegro: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Protests for change: mass protests against competitive authoritarian regimes in the Western Balkans

The Western Balkans have experienced several competitive authoritarian regimes in the past two decades. The article examines the strategies of opposition movements and parties in challenging these ...

tandfonline.com

#TerrorInGeorgia: Students Fined 5,000 GEL ($1,800) and Forcibly Removed from Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film University After 80 Days of Nonstop Protest

Trump berates Zelensky, the leader of a democratic country courageously fighting Russian imperialism, while he allies himself with Putin, a dictator who started the bloodiest European war in 80 years. Sorry, President Trump. We believe in democracy, not authoritarianism.

Slava Ukraini! Trump and his administration will never understand what it means to fight for freedom or to be ready to die for their country.

🚀 Come work with us! 🌍📚 The PhD call for applications in Political and Social Sciences at the University of Bologna is now open! Find all the details and apply here 👉 www.unibo.it/en/study/phd... 📅 Deadline: April 3

Political and Social Sciences - University of Bologna

unibo.it

Thank you to my @biepag.bsky.social colleagues, who’ve done a lot throughout the years to keep the attention high on the rule of law in the Balkans — domestic issues and foreign linkages alike. If you don’t follow their work yet, now is a great moment to start: BiEPAG.eu

Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG)@biepag.bsky.social · last yr.

Congrats to our BiEPAG member @tenaprelec.bsky.social on her book 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙆𝙡𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮, co-authored w/ @jheathershaw.bsky.social and Tom Mayne. 🔎 Examining the dangerous patterns of corruption that have enabled Russian and Eurasian kleptocratic elites. 📔 tinyurl.com/2dyvzja6

A police crackdown is underway against civil society organizations in Serbia, allegedly investigating fraud related to USAID grants. www.nedeljnik.rs/tuzilastvo-p...

Police raid on 4 NGOs in Belgrade. Tabloids published that information even before police arrived to premises. Full support and solidarity with CRTA, Trag foundation, Civic initiatives (gradjanske) and the Center for practical policies.

CRTA@crta.bsky.social · last yr.

Kako bismo stali na put dezinformacijama, ovim putem potvrđujemo da je policija danas došla u našu kancelariju. Crta u potpunosti sarađuje sa državnim organima. Pitanje koje postavljamo je kako to da su tablodi tu informaciju objavili pre nego što je policija i došla u našu kancelariju.

So happy that this article we worked on together with @fbieber.bsky.social is now published (open access) in Third World Quarterly. We explore social movements and protests in North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia drawing lessons on mobilization in the context of competitive authoritarian regimes.

Florian Bieber@fbieber.bsky.social · last yr.

I am delighted to announce that the article "Protests for change: mass protests against competitive authoritarian regimes in the Western Balkans", co-authored with @lurapo.bsky.social, was published in Third World Quarterly. ohttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01436597.2025.2462250

Finally did an analysis with dear Donika Emini on the Kosovo elections for @biepag.bsky.social . You can read the piece below 👇🏼

Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG)@biepag.bsky.social · last yr.

✍️ A joint BiEPAG blog by Donika Emini and @lurapo.bsky.social 🔹#KosovoElections: A Step Toward Pluralism, but Stability Remains Elusive 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵? #Kosovo #EU #Vetëvendosje #AlbinKurti Read it at 👉 tinyurl.com/34av47tx

✍️ A joint BiEPAG blog by Donika Emini and @lurapo.bsky.social 🔹#KosovoElections: A Step Toward Pluralism, but Stability Remains Elusive 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵? #Kosovo #EU #Vetëvendosje #AlbinKurti Read it at 👉 tinyurl.com/34av47tx

I launched my Substack with a reflection on the 10 years since I wrote the Balkan Prince. open.substack.com/pub/florianb...

Balkan Prince Revisited

Ten years ago, I wrote a short piece for an LSE Blog entitled Ten rules by a 21st­century Machiavelli for the Balkan Prince, based on a talk I had given a few weeks earlier at LSE.

open.substack.com