
This week on Sarajevo Calling, the guys chat with Montenegrin political analysts Ljubomir Filipović about the country’s historic elections. What are the prospects for a heterodox coalition government between right wing nationalists and left wing reformers? What has been the role of outside actors like Serbia and Russia in the apparent defeat of the long ruling DPS? And what are the prospects for continued instability in Montenegro in the months to come? All this and a thing about unicorns on this edition of Sarajevo Calling.
Sep 7, 2020
50 min

The boys return from a brief hiatus to discuss the resurgence of coronavirus in the Western Balkans, and how local governments have pressed on with ill-advised elections of (in Serbia’s case, at least) dubious democratic legitimacy. Also, the contested legacy of Croatia’s “Operation Storm”; whose experiences are commemorated 25 years later and why? All this and a nice little flatbread, warm right out of the oven, on Episode 29 of Sarajevo Calling.
Aug 11, 2020
58 min

It's Episode 28 of Sarajevo Calling, wherein Aleksandar and Jasmin discuss Balkan cuisine. Sogan dolma, klepe, ajvar, njeguški pršut, tulumbe, baklava; it's our most sensual and syrupiest episode yet. It'll make you light up a cigarette and maybe make you feel a bit uncomfortable.
Jul 4, 2020
57 min

This week the boys discuss the apparent landmark elections deal in the city of Mostar, the bizarre campaign trail antics of Serbia's Deputy PM, the (re)arrest of war criminal Fikret Abdić, and - at long last! - the return of TANK TALK. All this and our views on donkeys, nature's most noble ungulate on this week's Sarajevo Calling.
Jun 21, 2020
50 min

Slovenia's illiberal PM is posting bizarre conspiracy theories and attacking journalists on Twitter, while Bosnia's entity governments are embroiled in raspberry and tent-related corruption scandals. It's been a weird few weeks in Balkan politics, and Sarajevo Calling is back to make (try to) sense of it all.
Jun 15, 2020
55 min

Aleksandar and Jasmin discuss: Sarajevo - the place, the myth, the spite, and the spirit. An intimate, personal dialogue on what Sarajevo means to the guys, its "parallel universes", and the city as "philosophical absolute".
May 29, 2020
58 min

The boys sit down and chat with the renowned scholar Florian Bieber of the University of Graz about the origins of his academic career studying the Western Balkans, the rise of authoritarianism and illiberalism in the region, and the future of European enlargement. And we ask him to go on the record with all the tough questions: is Luxembourg a Balkan state and what exactly is his relation to Justin?!
May 7, 2020
56 min

The boys discuss the ongoing political drama in Kosovo between (Acting) Prime Minister Albin Kurti and President Hashim Thaçi, and their respective supporters. Why did Kurti's government fall and what has been the role of the international community in these events, in particular as concerns the U.S.' Amb. Richard Grenell?
Apr 23, 2020
54 min

The boys discuss some of their favorite narrative and scholarly literature about the Western Balkans, while both having an emotional meltdown. Featuring a collection of texts by both local authors and foreign experts on the region.
Apr 18, 2020
49 min

How have regional leaders responded to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic to the Western Balkans? Are restrictions on media freedom and public discourse the the way to deal with a viral contagion - or is this another alarming moment of regional democratic backsliding? And what exactly is a "zeljanik"? All this and more on Episode 21.
Apr 10, 2020
55 min
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