MVZb2010 The Western Balkans in Transition: Post-Conflict Transformation of BiH, Croatia and Serbia

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Vladimir Dordevic, Ph.D. (lecturer), Mgr. Jana Urbanovská, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Jana Urbanovská, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Wed 18:00–19:40 U42
Prerequisites
! MVZ210 The Western Balkans in Trans. && !NOW( MVZ210 The Western Balkans in Trans. )
The course is intended to provide the students with comprehensive information concerning the post-conflict transformation of three Western Balkan states, BiH, Croatia, and Serbia. The course is envisaged as a case study approach presenting a comparative analysis of the democratic transition of the three largest ex-Yugoslav republics. In that respect, the course is to instruct students in the following: 1- Explanatory approaches on the disintegration of SFR Yugoslavia and its impact upon the successor states as well as the Yugoslav relations with the European Community, 2- Theoretical and conceptual framework to the study of the post-conflict transformation of the Western Balkans, 3- Democratic transition and current political and societal realities in BiH, Croatia, and Serbia, and 4- International perspective of Euro-Atlantic integrations and more recent issues, such as irregular migration, Brexit, non-EU actors’ influence, Russian propaganda in the region, and, among others, Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 40 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 23/40, only registered: 0/40
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The students attending the course will learn about the region's post-conflict transformation. In that respect, they will be instructed into (1)the analysis of factors that caused the dissolution of Yugoslavia and its impact upon the successor states as well as the Yugoslav relations with the European Community, (2) the processes of democratization following the breakup of the joint Yugoslav state, (3) current politico-societal realities in the three biggest and most conflict-affected republics (as well as the region as a whole), and (4) international perspectives vested in Euro-Atlantic integrations and current challenges posed by, among others, Russian invasion of Ukraine, the growing influence of external, chiefly non-EU, actors, new security challenges, and irregular migration. Consequently, the students will be able to grasp the changes that have taken place in the Western Balkans from the end of the Yugoslav wars to the present, being introduced to international aspects that have had an important influence on the situation in the given region.
Learning outcomes
Students attending the course will gain knowledge in the post-conflict transformation of the Western Balkans, learning about the dissolution of Yugoslavia, democratization of the post-Yugoslav space, and current challenges and issues in the region at hand.
Syllabus
  • *Presentations and course activity *Readings (45 pages per week) and lectures (discussions) Program: 1. Introduction (general info on the course) 2. Dissolution of Socialist Yugoslavia: Review of Explanatory Approaches/Socialist Yugoslavia and the European Community Required readings: - Jović, Dejan. 2009. Yugoslavia: A State that Withered Away. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press *Introduction and Chapter 1, pp. 1-33. - Radeljić, Branislav. 2020. “The European Community and Yugoslavia's Non-Alignment Policy: from acceptance and collaboration to disillusionment and confrontation." Eastern Journal of European Studies 11: 312-333. Optional information: - BBC documentary ‘The Death of Yugoslavia’ available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj9Zw5fN3rE&list=PLdw7wnKe0wiUSNdugFGpnSfm6wt-9gvUt&index=1 (please follow all six links for the complete documentary) 3. Democratization and Post-Communist Diversity: The Case of Yugoslav Successor States Required readings: - Zakošek, Nenad. 2008. “Democratization, State-building and War: The Cases of Serbia and Croatia.” Democratization 15 (3): 588–610. - Zakošek, Nenad. “The Dynamics of Changes: How different are the Transformation Results in Post-Yugoslav Countries,” pp. 159-166, in Proceedings from the Heinrich Böll Stiftung conference: 1989–2009 Years of Upheaval: Beginning of Inclusion or Exclusion?. Heinrich Böll Foundation, Sarajevo, 2009. - Ramet, Sabrina, P. 2011. “Croatia and Serbia since 1991: An Assessment of Their Similarities and Differences,” Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics 27 (2): 263-290. 4. Comparative Perspective I: Post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina Required readings: - Bieber, Florian. 2006. Post-War Bosnia: Ethnicity, Inequality and Public Sector Governance. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York: Palgrave Macmillan *Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6, pp. 29-93, and 108-122. 5. Comparative Perspective II: Post-war Croatia Required readings: - Clewing, Konrad, Lukic, Reneo and Ramet, Sabrina, P. ed. 2008. Croatia since Independence: War, Politics, Society, Foreign Relations. München: Oldenbourg Verlagsgruppe *Chapter 2, pp. 31-51. - Dawisha, Karen and Parrott, Bruce. ed. 1997. Politics, Power, and the Struggle for Democracy in South-East Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press *Chapter 3, pp. 100-113. Optional information: - Prof. James Ker-Lindsay’s YouTube video on Croatia at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJm0PKX5Sag 6. Comparative Perspective III: Post-conflict Serbia Required readings: - Gordy, Eric, D. 1997. “Investigating the Destruction of Alternatives.” Problems of Post-Communism 44 (4), pp. 1-18. - Dawisha, Karen and Parrott, Bruce. ed. 1997. Politics, Power, and the Struggle for Democracy in South-East Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press *Chapter 5, pp. 179-184. - Morus, Christina M. 2007. “Slobo the Redeemer: The Rhetoric of Slobodan Milosevic and the Construction of the Serbian ‘People.’” Southern Communication Journal 72 (1): 1–19. 7. Different Roads to Democracy I: Is Bosnia and Herzegovina a Case of Failed Democratization? Required readings: - Gilbert, Andrew, and Jasmin Mujanović. 2015. “Dayton at Twenty: Towards New Politics in Bosnia-Herzegovina.” Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 15 (4): 605–10. - Keil, Soeren, and Anastasiia Kudlenko. 2015. “Bosnia and Herzegovina 20 Years after Dayton: Complexity Born of Paradoxes.” International Peacekeeping 22 (5): 471–89. - Mocnik, Nena. 2024. “Empowering New Survivors with Old Lessons? Insights from the Bosnian War Aftermath Applied to Upcoming Ukrainian Post-Realities.” Canadian Slavonic Papers 66 (1–2): 107–29. Optional information: - Prof. James Ker-Lindsay’s YouTube videos on BiH at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPeZboZxZ6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsUW-GZSPbA&t=10s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9IteoUSEqU 8. Different Roads to Democracy II: ‘Restarting’ Croatia after Tudjman Required readings: - Grittersová, Jana. 2013. “The International Dimensions of Democratization in Slovakia and Croatia.” Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 13 (1): 1–24. - Milačić, Filip. 2017. “A Painful Break or Agony without End? The Stateness Problem and Its Influence on Democratization in Croatia and Serbia.” Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 17 (3): 369–87. - Šelo-Šabić, Senada. 2019. “(Ir)relevance of Croatian Experience for Further EU Enlargement,” Insight Turkey (Spring): 171-189. Optional readings: - Bellamy, Alex, J. 2001. "Croatia after Tudjman," Problems of Post-Communism 48 (5), pp. 18-31. - Ramet, Sabrina, P. and Matić, Davorka ed. 2007. Democratic Transition in Croatia: Value Transformation, Education & Media. Texas A&M University Press *Conclusion, pp. 354-379. 9. Different Roads to Democracy III: Is Post-Milošević Serbia a Democracy Going Backwards? Required readings: - Ramet, Sabrina, P. 2007. “The Denial Syndrome and its Consequences: Serbian Political Culture since 2000,” Communist and Post-Communist Studies 40: 41- 58. - Radeljić, Branislav. 2014. “The Politics of (No) Alternatives in Post-Milošević Serbia.” Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies 16 (2): 243–59. - Soyaltin-Colella, Digdem. 2022. “The EU Accession Process, Chinese Finance and Rising Corruption in Western Balkan Stabilitocracies: Serbia and Montenegro.” Europe-Asia Studies 75 (8): 1311–35. - Radeljić, Branislav, and M. Cüneyt Özşahin. 2023. “The Inefficiency of EU Leverage in Serbia during the Russia-Ukraine War.” Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 23 (4): 697–716. Optional information: - Prof. James Ker-Lindsay’s YouTube videos on Serbia at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdiSU9-Fge4&t=2s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N1sxLiqCiY 10. Current Political Outlooks: From External Actors to Authoritarianism to New Security Challenges and Beyond Required readings: - Bieber, Florian. 2018. “Patterns of Competitive Authoritarianism in the Western Balkans.” East European Politics 34 (3): 337–54. - Panagiotou, Ritsa. 2020. “The Western Balkans between Russia and the European Union: Perceptions, Reality, and Impact on Enlargement.” Journal of Contemporary European Studies 29 (2): 219–33. - Bechev, Dimitar. 2022. “A Rival or an Awkward Partner? Turkey’s Relationship with the West in the Balkans.” Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 22 (1): 11–24. - Jaćimović, Danijela, Joel I. Deichmann, and Kong Tianping. 2023. “The Western Balkans and Geopolitics: Leveraging the European Union and China.” Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies 25 (4): 626–43. 11. International Perspective: Euro-Atlantic Integrations and Regional Cooperation Required readings: - Bieber, Florian. 2016. Even Farther Union: The Balkans and the Brexit. Freedom House. https://freedomhouse.org/report/analytical-brief/2016/ever-farther-union-balkans-and-brexit - Ana Krstinovska. 2023. Could NATO Membership Be a Game-Changer for the Western Balkans Engagement with China?. China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe (CHOICE). https://chinaobservers.eu/could-nato-membership-be-a-game-changer-for-the-western-balkans-engagement-with-china/ - Bechev, Dimitar. 2024. Can EU Enlargement Work? Carnegie Europe. https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/06/can-eu-enlargement-work?lang=en - Braun, Mats, Metodieva, Asya, Halás, Matúš, Šitera, Daniel, and Martin Laryš. 2024. The Future of EU Enlargement in a Geopolitical Perspective. Policy Paper. Institute of International Relations Prague. https://www.iir.cz/en/the-future-of-eu-enlargement-in-a-geopolitical-perspective-1 12. Course wrap-up: Closing remarks and Final (online) exam
Literature
  • Materials as given in the syllabus and provided in the IS
Teaching methods
1) The students are expected to attend the lectures (in the online form also), and those who have attended at least 60% of these (7 lectures) will be allowed to sit the final exam. The students shall sign the attendance form each time they come to the class. 2) The students are invited to contribute actively to in-class discussions if they wish to do so. Their active participation is recommended but optional. Those actively contributing by discussing the cases at hand shall be granted additional points at the end of the course (precisely a week before the final exam). The class activity is recommended, especially if one is to achieve a grade higher than ‘B.’ 3) The students are expected to read all required readings, and it will be assumed that they have read them (approximately 45 pages per week). The background information is listed as an additional source of information on the topics at hand. Thus, the students are advised to address this information to understand the issues discussed in the course. The first and the last seminar have no assigned readings. 4) The students are required to contribute to the class by applying for presentation groups and working with their peers towards a common goal. There will be 8 presentation groups (5 students max per group) on topics 4-11, respectively, that the students need to apply via the IS (use the ‘Topic lists’ option in your IS after logging into the system and choosing this course, then choose the group you are interested in). The presentations are about 25-30 minutes long; they are compulsory for all students and shall be uploaded into the Student Presentations folder in the IS before taking place. The students will have applied in the IS for the topics of their choice and the presentation groups by October 9, with no possibility of changing the group later. It is only possible to pass the course by registering for and participating in the presentation groups, and one shall receive an immediate failing grade if they do not abide by this rule. 5) Each presentation is to have the following structure (with points deducted if the structure/content is not respected; each of the sections below is worth 4 points) a) Introduction/background of the problem/issue at hand, b) Relevance, c) Specificity, d) The main feats of the problem concerning its influence on domestic politics, e) Main feats of the problem concerning its influence on international politics (foreign policy, if necessary), f) Sources used (academic literature of at least 70%). 6) The final online exam (40min long) shall be taken by all students at the end of the course, and if one chooses not to take the exam, they shall fail the course.
Assessment methods
Grading: The final grade will be calculated as a composite evaluation of three elements: a) Presentation>> 24 points max (6 sections each worth 4 points max), b) Activity points>> students active on or more than 8 lectures= 11 points, students active on 4-7 lectures= 8 points, those active on less than 2-3 lectures= 4 points, with those active on less than 2 lectures getting 0 points, c) Final exam>> 3 open-type questions, 24 points max. *Grades: A> 50 or more B> 44 – 49 C> 37– 43 D> 31 – 36 E> 25 – 30 F> 24 points or less
Náhradní absolvování
It is not possible to take this course while studying abroad or while taking part in a foreign study/research stay.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
https://is.muni.cz/auth/person/268162
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023.
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