What the US Aims for in the Balkans

The Atlantic Council, a forum for international affairs, will gather on Wednesday in Washington the foreign ministers of the Balkan countries and experts known from both sides of the Atlantic, to present new ideas and proposals about policies that can be followed in the Balkans and to promote a new American engagement in the region, the Voice of America suggests.

Before the meeting, the forum released a report on the new American Strategy in the Balkans that assesses the current situation in the region and proposes concrete steps for the United States' engagement.

The report says that after a decade of violence in the 1990s, it was thought that the Western Balkans are on the track for sustainability. The promise of Euro-Atlantic integration would help countries emerging from the former Yugoslavia implement painful domestic reforms and push the region towards closer co-operation that would help heal the wounds of war.

The report stresses that there has been progress by citing the membership of Slovenia and Croatia in NATO and the European Union, as well as Albania and Montenegro in NATO.

Enraged by these successes, the European and American engagement waned over time, it appears due to a passive belief in the region's imminent migration, the report said. The results were predictable.

The weak subx0 institutions were also hit by the wave of migrations and refugees fleeing to Europe. Continued unemployment, political strife and widespread corruption are a recipe for radicalising the new Muslim population. And over the past two years, Russia's shocking efforts have been seen to exploit the region's continuing pathologies to destroy the European project”.

Although the region further aims to join the West, the final result should not be taken for granted. The United States, especially, can and should play an essential role.

“We must give voice to clear and common view of the region and co-ordinate with the European Union to restore the clarity of common transatlantic goals”.

Beyond that, the report is highlighted, there are some concrete steps the United States must take to help much needed sustainability in the region:

The establishment of a permanent military presence in Southeast Europe;

Such a move would demonstrate a continued commitment by the United States to security in the region and strengthen the long-term ability of the United States to influence developments. Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo is ideal for that purpose. The troops would help strengthen the opportunities of local authorities to prevent terrorism through training and exchange of better practices and offer aid in case of humanitarian disasters. The move would also send a clear message to the region that the United States is committed to preventing the overturning of existing orders that Russian adventure has braved.

Following a historical approach with Serbia: This is not a new approach at all, but it needs a stronger effort in the context of renewed engagement in the region. Belgrade can and should be a close partner and ally in the region, but it can only be so if it starts its meaningful distance from Russia and in this matter the United States and the European Union should not compromise.

) Restore the reputation of the United States as an honest mediator: Closed eyes on the authoritarianism of the region's leaders could be beneficial for a short time. But blind pursuit of stability with the price of progress in democratic development practically guarantees the continuation of pathology that has plagued the region. Montenegro's NATO membership presents an opportunity to help a developing partner act directly on his commitment to deep democratic reforms. The insight into pro-European reformers in Macedonia presents another possibility. The United States should boost efforts to prepare Athens and Skopje to become allies and join the EU to bring talks between Belgrade and Pristina towards completion.

) support for entrepreneurs and young people in the region: None of these steps make sense without addressing long-term economic prospects for young people in the region, says the report underlining that the United States must engage with European partners to create meaningful economic opportunities for citizens of the region.

The European Union, said the report, is and must remain the key player in the Western Balkans, dedicating more resources, tools, human capital and political attention to the region than the United States.

There will be no bright future for Southeast Europe without the EU and its leadership.

However, the United States has a special authority that can be used to advance its interests to ensure that the region is no longer exporter of serious problems, less conflict.