Europe’s Dangerous Hinterlands

Europe’s eastern and south-eastern borderlands are once again moving to the centre of global politics. As the war in Ukraine continues, we look across the wider region — from political turmoil in Georgia and Armenia’s changing relationship with Moscow to Moldova, Transnistria and the Western Balkans — where unresolved disputes, competing nationalisms and shifting alliances continue to shape Europe’s security.

These are places often treated as Europe’s periphery. Yet history suggests otherwise. The Balkans helped ignite the First World War. Today, the region is again under strain. After years of mass anti-government protests, Serbia remains in political crisis, while the death and glorification of Ratko Mladić has brought the unresolved legacy of the Yugoslav wars back into view, deepening tensions with the EU and reopening painful divisions with Bosnia, itself approaching elections amid continuing political and ethnic tensions.

Relations between Serbia and Kosovo remain another potential flashpoint. Kosovo has been…