The Balkans’ New Strategic Vacuum: Energy, Defence and the Retreat of Democracy
I attended the Balkan Dialogue 2026 meeting in Belgrade between 2 and 6 June. At first glance, the gathering looked like a familiar regional dialogue platform, bringing together diplomats, energy specialists, academics, media representatives and experts dealing with military-political affairs. Yet the content of the discussions and the profile of the participants pointed to something more significant: the Balkans are once again becoming one of the key arenas of great-power and middle-power...