We would like to cordially invite you to two online debates covering the influence of foreign actors in the Western Balkans. The events will present and discuss the findings of the studies written within the framework of the 18-month long project “Western Balkans at the Crossroads: Ways Forward in Analyzing External Actors' Influence” led by the Prague Security Studies Institute.

The project incorporates fifteen in-depth studies that go beyond existing research on the issue and thus contribute to a better understanding of various aspects and mechanisms of foreign presences in the Western Balkans, particularly Russian, Chinese and Turkish.

The debates aim to elaborate on the project’s most important findings and will focus on two cross-cutting issues, identified as crucial for the debate on external actors' presence in the region:

Time: 18:00 – 19:30 CET
Please register HERE and follow a Facebook event for more details.
 

Analyses and reports on external influences in the Western Balkans typically investigate activities by Russian, Chinese or Turkish state actors, companies, official representatives or other stakeholders, while little attention has been put on the domestic responses to these actors’ presences. The studies, written within the framework of the Western Balkans at the Crossroads project, however, attest to the need for refocusing attention on the local dimension of external influences, as the ‘demand side’ on the part of the ruling elites and other stakeholders crucially shapes the field of action and also visibility of foreign engagements. The debate will explore the following questions: How do local political actors perceive the presence and activity of external actors? How do they use it for their own purposes and internal power struggles? What narratives and framing strategies do they apply to capitalize on foreign actors’ presences?

Moderator: Senada Šelo Šabić, Senior Research Associate at Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO)
Speakers: