Events
In early 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia; more than a decade on, Serbia refuses to acknowledge Kosovo as an independent state.
While some aspects of bilateral relations have improved – the two parties signed an agreement on normalizing economic relations in September – this dispute remains fraught and critical questions remain to be answered.
What are the realistic prospects for reaching a deal that the populations of both countries support? What would the inability to reach a compromise mean for future political stability in the Balkans, a historically volatile region?
At this virtual event, Penn Biden Center visiting scholar Austin Doehler will explore these questions and more with two of the world’s leading experts on this pressing issue – Filip Ejdus, Associate Professor of International Security at the University of Belgrade, and Nora Weller, a lawyer and the founding director of Cambridge Academy of Global Affairs (CAMGA).
Sign up for this virtual event, and details of how to take part will be in your order confirmation email.
SPEAKERS
Austin Doehler is a visiting scholar at the Penn Biden Center. His research focuses on issues pertaining to right-wing nationalism, public corruption, and great power competition, with a focus on the European Union and the Western Balkans. Before joining the Penn Biden Center, he served as an area studies fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis and as a research consultant with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. He holds an M.A. from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
Filip Ejdus is Associate Professor of International Security at the University of Belgrade. His most recent book is Crisis and Ontological Insecurity: Serbia's Anxiety over Kosovo’s Secession . He is President of the Board of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and (co)Editor in Chief of Journal of Regional Security.
Nora Weller is a lawyer and the founding director of Cambridge Academy of Global Affairs (CAMGA), based in Cambridge, UK. She has extensive experience in peace negotiations, security sector reform and cultural heritage protection. She has served as Chief Technical Advisor to United Nations for numerous years, on Small Arms and Light Weapons Control and in a number of capacities relating to post conflict reconciliation, diplomatic negotiations, transitional justice and the rule of law. She has spent lengthy periods of time in the Balkans, Middle East, Cyprus and in South Africa. Nora has received commendations from the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations for her contribution to conflict prevention during the war in Kosovo. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has been nominated for the prestigious award “An inspiring woman leader” by the Global Women’s Network London, in 2017. She is at present doing research on international policies of heritage protection in post war societies, at Selwyn College, University of Cambridge. Her research looks at Special Protective Zones and the protection of Serb Orthodox Monasteries in Kosovo.
