Les says Kosovo must take two key steps to keep its allies' attention

Tim Les from Cambridge University believes Kosovo should take two key steps to maintain its allies' attention, broadcast Periscope.

“One is active lobby in the West, promoting the idea that Serbia is a threat to it and needs to be contained. And, under two, to invest in her security, by building her army, by building her weapons reserves and so on if she has to face Serbia directly and without help from outside”, Les says.

And, with an American administration signaling less involvement in European affairs, the Kremlin can feel less pressure on its actions, whether in Ukraine or the Balkans, Professor Les says.

Donald Trump's “Inauguration on January 20th was a kind of bomb that exploded in international relations. Almost everywhere you look, you see a kind of effect of Trump”, according to him.

In this uncertain climate, the challenge for Kosovo and the Western Balkans generally seems clear: stay on the radar, or risk being excluded from geopolitical game, analysts say.

But this requires a careful balance between internal and international interests something that is never easy, especially in a region like the Balkans.