Reconciliation by Stealth advances a novel approach to evaluating the effects of transitional justice in postconflict societies. Through her examination of the Balkan conflicts, Denisa Kostovicova ...asks what happens when former adversaries discuss legacies of violence and atrocity, and whether it is possible to do so without further deepening animosities.Reconciliation by Stealth shifts our attention from what people say about war crimes, to how they deliberate past wrongs. Bringing together theories of democratic deliberation and peacebuilding, Kostovicova demonstrates how people from opposing ethnic groups reconcile through reasoned, respectful, and empathetic deliberation about a difficult legacy. She finds that expression of ethnic difference plays a role in good-quality deliberation across ethnic lines, while revealed intraethnic divisions help deliberators expand moral horizons previously narrowed by conflict. In the process, people forge bonds of solidarity and offset divisive identity politics that bears upon their deliberations. Reconciliation by Stealth shows us the importance of theoretical and methodological innovation in capturing how transitional justice can promote reconciliation, and points to the untapped potential of deliberative problem-solving to repair relationships fractured by conflict.
Jumping plant-lice (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Psylloidea) are small phloemfeeding insects. With about 400 species distributed in Europe, the European fauna is considered well-studied. However, ...information on psyllids occurring in the eastern Balkan Peninsula is insufficient. So far, less than a hundred psyllid species are known for Bulgaria, most of which have been reported only from a few regions. Knowledge on the psyllid fauna of the Sarnena Sredna Gora Mountains in central Bulgaria is sparse and relatively old, with only a handful of recorded species. The aim of the present study is to summarise the information on Psylloidea from this region, including recently collected material kept in the zoological collection of Sofia University. A total of 17 species were found of which 7 species had been previously published and 10 species from 3 families are new to the region: Aphalara freji Burckhardt & Lauterer, 1997 (Aphalaridae), Diaphorina lycii Loginova, 1978, Arytaina maculata (Löw, 1886), Cacopsylla bidens (Šulc, 1907), Cacopsylla melanoneura (Foerster, 1848), Cacopsylla pulchra (Zetterstedt, 1838), Livilla horvathi (Scott, 1879), Psylla foersteri Flor, 1861 (all Psyllidae), Bactericera modesta (Foerster, 1848) and Trioza rotundata Flor, 1861 (Triozidae).
Chara gymnophylla is one of the first charophyte species reported for Serbia during the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, and at that time it was the second in terms of the frequency of its ...occurrence in the country. General taxonomic misinterpretations in the past resulted in the concealment of another species, C. squamosa, within the findings attributed to C. gymnophylla. In Serbia, Chara gymnophylla was treated as C. vulgaris var. gymnophylla, and as such was not listed as a species inhabiting the country. Recent improvements in the taxonomic concept for C. squamosa prompted a revision of the rich material of C. gymnophylla, C. vulgaris var. gymnophylla, C. vulgaris var. nitelloides, and C. rohlenae, deposited in the BEOU collection. The revision process was conducted concurrently with fieldwork and the collection of new material. Our study confirmed the presence of C. squamosa in Serbia for the first time. Based on numerous revised samples from the BEOU collection, as well as recently collected specimens, the species? continuous presence in Serbia since 1976 was confirmed. Chara squamosa and C. gymnophylla were thus added to the list of Characeae species inhabiting Serbia, and categorised as Critically Endangered according to the criteria outlined by IUCN. An overview of the biogeography, ecology and taxonomy of C. squamosa in Serbia is provided, particularly in relation to C. gymnophylla. The BEOU charophyte collection proved to represent a valuable and relevant resource for critical taxonomic revisions. The results presented in this study strongly encourage further studies on C. squamosa and C. gymnophylla distribution in the Balkan region and wider area in order to gain a deeper understanding of the species? ecology and the further improvement of their taxonomic concepts.
Despite the focus in recent years on developments in the Middle East, North Africa, South Caucasus, the Balkans still play a crucial role in Turkey’s new foreign policy of trying to become a regional ...power using a personalized foreign policy, soft power, trade. The COVID-19 crisis also presented an opportunity for Turkey to represent itself as a «savior» in tough times. During the COVID-19 outbreak Turkey took steps to expand its influence in different regions, including the Balkans, by means of using the tools of «mask» and «vaccine» diplomacy. As a result, Turkey was one of the first countries to start delivering medical supplies to the region, frequently pointing out the failure of the EU’s performance as a crisis manager. In 2021, this is the point where Turkey’s policy limits become evident because of a lack of its COVID vaccine and the deterioration of the internal economic and financial climate. Thus, the purpose of the study is to examine the effectiveness of Turkey’s COVID-diplomacy towards the several Balkan states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo). Moreover, the launch of the special military operation in Ukraine has revealed new opportunities for Turkey to promote itself as a mediator in diplomacy, energy, trade, transport, etc., including towards the Balkans.
The article discusses the reflection of the features of the own — alien dichotomy in the Balkan model of the world in the xenologic pejorative vocabulary of the Balkan sprachbund languages: Albanian, ...Aromanian, Bulgarian, Modern Greek, Macedonian, Romanian and Serbo-Croatian. The author gives a brief review of the historical, cultural and geopolitical specifics of the Balkan-Carpathian region, which influenced the local peoples’ ideas about strangers; some traditional mythological beliefs of the Balkanians related to the conceptual field of otherness are also presented. Based on the analysis of the internal history of the word, an attempt is made to define the main models for constructing derogatory names for strangers in order to compare the data for various Balkan languages and, to the extent possible, build an integral image of the concept of alien in the Balkan conceptual worldview. According to the results of the study, the xenopejorative vocabulary of languages of the Balkan sprachbund shows significant similarities both in terms of form and content. Pejoratives with undifferentiated evaluativity absolutely predominate, which could account for the richness of the Balkan derivational morphology and a large number of lexical borrowings in each of the languages; pejoratives with an indication of appearance, features of language and peculiarities of behavior are also widely represented, however, the first are referentially limited, while the second and the third are universal, from which it is concluded that the prototypical Balkan alien is someone who speaks differently and behaves differently. At the same time, the most common target for pejorative vocabulary in the Balkan languages among all strangers is Roma people, which is bound both to a number of stereotyped ideas about the physical and behavioral distinctive features of this ethnic group, and to the historical isolation caused by the nomadic way of life and the closedness of the Roma community from outsiders.
Analysing the speech of Aleksandar Vučić delivered in the National Assembly on 28 May 2019, this paper argues that his aim is to re-establish nationalist discourse in Serbia. Vučić uses only the ...negative common features of Serbs as a foundation for the emotional continuity of the nation while ignoring existing attachments such as the territorialization of memory and sanctification of territory. Furthermore, since he believes that the question of Kosovo's status (a central theme of both attachments), and political continuity have been lost because of the irresponsible politics of previous governments and severe pressure from the Western powers, Vučić links a compromise with the Kosovo Albanians to the question of Serbia's survival. The paper leaves it to the reader to assess whether this change would be ideal for Serbia or morally permissible. In addition, the question of whether the existing attachments, built through education and collective memory for decades - even centuries - are sufficiently solidified to reject the change, remains largely unexplored.
Metal shaft-hole axes were an important status tool for the Balkan Bronze Age societies. These axes are spread over a wide geographical area and are divided into many different subclasses. One of ...these subclasses is the Veselinovo group. Several bronze axes were donated to the Edirne Museum in 2020, five of which were of Veselinovo I type. It was recorded that these axes were found in a field near the Uzunköprü district of Edirne province. The geographical area where this type of axe is most frequently found is northern Greece, Thrace, the Carpathians, the steppe and forest-steppe regions of Ukraine, the Caucasus and Anatolia. These artefacts provide important information about the distribution routes of similar axes that spread in these regions in the Bronze Age. Two axes with similar form have been recorded in Anatolia. One comes from northeastern Anatolia, close to the Caucasus Region, and the other is from inner western Anatolia. It is known that western Anatolia was in contact with the cultures of the Thracian region during the Bronze Age. The bronze axes in the Edirne Museum shed new light on this communication network. There is a very strong possibility that the Vesselinovo I type axes from central western Anatolia were brought to the region from Thrace. It is noteworthy that the Uzunköprü-Keşan valley line in Eastern Thrace was decisive in the transport of this axe type from Thrace to Anatolia.
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