The Western Balkans at the Crossroads: Democratic Backsliding and External Actors' Influence
In February 2022 PSSI launched a third project focused on the role of external foreign actors in the Western Balkan region, titled “The Western Balkans at the Crossroads: Democratic Backsliding and External Actors' Influence”.
- The project aims to focus on how external actors influence the countries in the region and analyze how the local political actors have contributed to in/stability of the region, including the democratic backsliding.
- The goal is to identify and describe various influence activities utilized by Russia, China, Turkey, and the Gulf States in Albania, BiH, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia including the specific tactics/mechanisms of their projection of influence.
- The project also aims to identify (potentially) malign influences in the Western Balkans and Croatia, such as disinformation campaigns, corruption of the political decision-makers and economic and financial activities which have fueled the rise of extremist and radical tendencies in the Western Balkans and Croatia.
The project is coordinated by 4 core team members:
- Project Manager - Anja Grabovac
- Project Coordinator - Markéta Slavková
- Project Assistant - Tamara Grabovac
- Scientific Advisor - Adnan Huskić
The project research team consists of 7 experts from the region. Research findings are going to be continuously published on the project's website and in other relevant media.
You can find more information on the project's website here.
