TY - CHAP

T1 - Imported Democracy and Its Fragility Without Reconciliation

AU - Bianchini, Stefano

PY - 2020/9/20

Y1 - 2020/9/20

N2 - This chapter raises a crucial challenge, that is why and to what extent the Western Balkans can emulate the EU pattern. In order to find an articulated answer to such a complicated issue, the chapter explain how reconciliation – in the case of the Western Balkans – has not only an international (regional) dimension, but also a domestic one. In fact, the level of stability of the area still depends on the persuasive role of a number of international organizations, despite the military confrontations ended in 2001. Therefore, the prospect of stability is still suffering from the social, political and cultural inability of respecting diversities, syncretism, and heterogeneity, which deeply mark the reality of the WB countries. As a result, sovranist and illiberal models manifest a significant degree of attractiveness in the region. Furthermore, the chapter explains how the persistent divisions in the geopolitical assessment of the Western Balkans may increasingly match with the growing divisions among the EU member-states and their reluctance to respect the pledge of inclusiveness made in Thessaloniki in 2003. Consequently, the chapter argues that local Western Balkans political attitudes may remain trapped in war legacies, institutional weaknesses, and confrontations, by affecting the whole process of democratization under way. A prospect, this one, that should not be underestimated and should require special efforts to support the interaction of democratization and reconciliation, if the EU pattern may play an influential role.

AB - This chapter raises a crucial challenge, that is why and to what extent the Western Balkans can emulate the EU pattern. In order to find an articulated answer to such a complicated issue, the chapter explain how reconciliation – in the case of the Western Balkans – has not only an international (regional) dimension, but also a domestic one. In fact, the level of stability of the area still depends on the persuasive role of a number of international organizations, despite the military confrontations ended in 2001. Therefore, the prospect of stability is still suffering from the social, political and cultural inability of respecting diversities, syncretism, and heterogeneity, which deeply mark the reality of the WB countries. As a result, sovranist and illiberal models manifest a significant degree of attractiveness in the region. Furthermore, the chapter explains how the persistent divisions in the geopolitical assessment of the Western Balkans may increasingly match with the growing divisions among the EU member-states and their reluctance to respect the pledge of inclusiveness made in Thessaloniki in 2003. Consequently, the chapter argues that local Western Balkans political attitudes may remain trapped in war legacies, institutional weaknesses, and confrontations, by affecting the whole process of democratization under way. A prospect, this one, that should not be underestimated and should require special efforts to support the interaction of democratization and reconciliation, if the EU pattern may play an influential role.

KW - Imported Democracy

KW - Emulated Pattern

KW - Domestic Reluctances

KW - European Union

UR - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343770223_The_Challenges_of_Democratization_and_Reconciliation_in_the_Post-Yugoslav_Space

UR - https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/9783748921516-127/chapter-5-imported-democracy-and-its-fragility-without-reconciliation

M3 - Chapter

SN - 978-3-8487-6904-9

T3 - Southeast European Integration Perspectives

SP - 127

EP - 150

BT - The Challenges of Democratization and Reconciliation in the Post-Yugoslav Space

PB - Nomos

CY - Baden Baden

ER -