Edward P. Joseph, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University and an expert on the Western Balkans, said after his testimony in the US Congress that the main condition for real and lasting stability in the region is for Serbia to accept the Western order.
At the hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe, entitled “Hot Spot: The Path to Stability in the Western Balkans,” Joseph pointed to Serbia’s destabilizing role, ties to Russia, and Western hesitation.
“I asked the main question: why does the Western Balkans, where the US, EU and NATO have a decisive influence, continue to be unstable? The main unfulfilled condition is for Serbia to accept the Western order – to accept the results of the wars and to commit to a strategic partnership with the US, EU and NATO, not with Russia or China,” Joseph said in an interview with the Bosnian newspaper Avaz.
He also criticized the Biden Administration’s approach, noting that the US should remain firm on the issue of the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS), which he said could be used as a pressure tool to orient Belgrade towards the West.
Joseph stressed that US involvement in the Balkans could end the “unfinished drama of the dissolution of Yugoslavia,” including the membership of Kosovo and Serbia in NATO, which he said would change regional relations and address historical challenges like Srebrenica.
The American expert underlined that, despite common perception, the Serbian population is more open to NATO than is thought, especially if Aleksandar Vučić’s government changes the narrative and embarks on a path towards partnership with the West.
Joseph also criticized the US’s unbalanced approach towards Kosovo and Serbia, citing incidents in northern Kosovo, including the kidnapping of Kosovo police officers and attacks on KFOR, where, according to him, responsibility is attributed exclusively to Kosovo, facilitating Serbia’s actions.
He also spoke about Republika Srpska, describing it as a cardinal mistake of the Dayton Agreement, which continues to create challenges for stability and international relations in the region, reports the Telegraph.