How to Sleepwalk Into a War
America’s experiment with its first Twitter presidency hasn’t inspired faith in our political institutions. What have long been long policy processes are now condensed to visual aids, 280-character thoughts, and as many…
Memories of a Bombardment: Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of the NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia
It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. From today’s vantage point, those 78 days seem like a foreign world, and one that I sometimes…
Bosnian Higher Education is in the Jaws of Politicians
Last September, when the institutional accreditation for six Bosnian universities expired, few of us thought it would become a serious issue. Despite university efforts to re-apply for accreditation through the Agency for…
A Farewell to Yugoslav Cinema’s Greatest Antagonist: Dušan Makavejev (1932-2019)
Sweet Movie (1974) was the first Dušan Makavejev film that I ever watched. I remember the mixture of thrill, excitement and disgust that I felt as I watched the film, rooted to…
From Belgrade to the East Village: A Q & A with Vladimir Ocokoljic, Owner of Kafana NYC
As the sun sets, Avenue C in the East Village starts to spring to life. Vladimir Ocokoljic is the owner of Kafana NYC, a traditional Serbian restaurant that specializes in cuisine like…
My Jewish Family in Romania, Past and Present
In the 1890s, two Jewish men from Moldavian towns roughly 230 kilometers apart left Romania for the United States. Following in the footsteps of roughly 70,000 of their compatriots, these men left…
Bulgarian Habibi: How Orientalist Stereotypes in Chalga Music Recover Memories of the Balkans’ Ottoman Past
The tension inherent to chalga and turbofolk music – is it local or foreign? – hints at the deeper paradox beneath contemporary Balkan nationalism and its ambiguous relationship to the Ottoman past.…
How Serbia Saves Its Children With Text Messages
Serbia’s broken health care system means that sick children must often rely on the charity of strangers to send text message donations to finance expensive treatments abroad. Fearing exposure of its own…
No Order Without Justice: Kosovo Needs a Social Revolution
When we hear the word revolution, we typically think of dictatorships, violence, and chaos. However, social revolutions can also be non-violent; their best army and arms are the people and voices that…
World Cup 2018: When Nationalist Politics and Sports Collide
Damir Kulas on the dangers of mixing nationalism and football In 2015, the satirical Montenegrin musician Rambo Amadeus claimed nationalism was the main topic of conversation for those in the Balkans…