In 2018, the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP), in cooperation with the East West Institute, published an analytical report and set of policy recommendations for the future of U.S. policy vis-à-vis the Western Balkans. While some prescriptions laid out by this report have come to pass, many continue to require careful attention from policymakers both in the United States and Europe. As such, the deepened uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued interference of malicious external actors in the domestic affairs of Western Balkan nations, the NCAFP, in partnership with the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and the Foundation Shared Societies and Values Sarajevo believes it is a particularly apt moment to reexamine and assess the path forward for the region.
Coming together on September 16, 2020, a panel of distinguished former officials from the United States and the Western Balkans sought to chart out 2 key questions. First, how do these officials view the ‘state of play’ in the region given a series of recent developments? Second, what policy recommendations do they propose to address concerns raised?