Kanin: The essential problems in the Balkans are not important to the current US administration

Former CIA analyst for the Balkans David B. Kanin, commenting on the new United States National Security Strategy, told Kosovo Online that it is clear the US is withdrawing from global leadership and wants to be as friendly with the Russians as possible. When it comes to our region, he assesses that the language about the Balkans in the strategy is “language without meaning”.

“It is clear that the language in the document is really formulaic, except when it comes to Europe, that the United States wants to be closer to Russia and is opposed to its European allies”, Kanin says, adding that the new strategy is essentially a branding exercise rather than a serious policy exercise.

He notes that the Balkans are not a central topic in the strategy, and that the language about the Balkans is “language without meaning”.

“All the so-called wars he (Trump) says he ended, none of that is true. The Balkan knot is not important to this administration. What matters in the administration is what works for Mr. Trump’s personal glory. He wants a Nobel Peace Prize. He would like to get it for Kosovo and for many other things. It reminds us of the Washington Agreement from 2020, which everyone else has forgotten. The region as a whole and the essential problems in the region simply are not important to the current administration”, Kanin assesses.

He says there has been no fighting since the 1999 bombing, which has nothing to do with Trump.

“The fact that there is no war is a good thing, but the problems between Serbia and Kosovo have not been resolved. The unilateral declaration of independence did not solve them. Five EU member states still do not recognize Kosovo, and as long as that remains the case, the region will remain tense”, Kanin concludes.