Ian Bancroft - openDemocracy

As Russia invades Ukraine, the EU must seek to protect the Western Balkans

The region remains vulnerable to contagion from the crises in eastern Europe, and unattended problems will fester and mutate until it is too late

By Ian Bancroft

/ 27 Feb 2022

As Russia invades Ukraine, the EU must seek to protect the Western Balkans

With its EU and US anchors dislodged, Bosnia-Herzegovina is cast adrift

Though the possibility of full-scale war is only slight, the country must brace itself for outbreaks of violence and further crises

By Ian Bancroft

/ 12 Nov 2021

With its EU and US anchors dislodged, Bosnia-Herzegovina is cast adrift

The tale of Maglaj: a story of war and peace

How a documentary film bringing together war veterans from opposing sides of the Bosnian War can help heal national trauma

By Ian Bancroft

/ 20 Oct 2021

The tale of Maglaj: a story of war and peace

EU solidarity with the Western Balkans during the times of COVID

Solidarity is not just about the sharing of resources, but about galvanizing a genuine sense of unity of purpose centered around common issues and values.

By Ian Bancroft

/ 1 Apr 2021

EU solidarity with the Western Balkans during the times of COVID

The EU and Kosovo a decade on

The EEAS must capitalize on the sizeable financial and human resources the EU has committed to the region.

By Ian Bancroft

/ 14 Dec 2020

Srebrenica – the obliteration of memory

It is time to declare July 11 an official day of remembrance of the Srebrenica genocide; a day on which to remember the victims and to reflect upon the notion of ‘Never Again’.

By Ian Bancroft

/ 10 Jul 2020

EU solidarity in the time of coronavirus

Many of the region’s politicians are now beginning to wonder out loud – and often opportunistically – just what the benefits of a European future really are.

By Ian Bancroft

/ 24 Mar 2020

EU solidarity in the time of coronavirus

The growing political impotence of images

Are photographs of war and atrocity losing the power to move us?

By Ian Bancroft

/ 23 Jan 2017

DiEM25 - between movement and manifesto

What can the DiEM25 movement learn from the Bosnian plenums of 2014?

By Ian Bancroft

/ 4 Jun 2016

DiEM25 - between movement and manifesto

What can the DiEM25 movement learn from the Bosnian plenums of 2014?

By Ian Bancroft

/ 4 Jun 2016

Europe's day: a reflection

On Europe Day, let us remember that peace is not achieved simply through an absence of war, but through an end to the very antagonisms and contradictions driving conflict in all its guises.

By Ian Bancroft

/ 8 May 2016

Europe's day: a reflection

On Europe Day, let us remember that peace is not achieved simply through an absence of war, but through an end to the very antagonisms and contradictions driving conflict in all its guises.

By Ian Bancroft

/ 8 May 2016