Biden decided to clean up the European Balkan court

Joe Biden / Photo: EPA-EFE / JIM LO SCALZO

The American intensification of the Balkan strategy is just a repetition of history, when Europe gets stuck in the Balkan mud, the American bulldozer comes.

Following messages from the US administration about increased US interest in the Balkans and the formal inclusion of the Balkan Peninsula in one of the US's top 5 priorities, US President Joe Biden took a step further.

Next week, the head of the world's most powerful power will arrive in Brussels to sign a joint declaration with European leaders addressing major Balkan issues: unresolved historical issues and corruption.

The Americans are already quite directly asking the European Union to restore credibility in the Balkans and take the (lost) things into their own hands. The Kosovo issue is a priority in resolving the problems, and it is more than certain that Washington and Brussels will insist on increasing the intensity of the search for a solution. The second priority is the EU integration of the Balkan countries, and it is stuck in Serbia and Montenegro, but also in Albania and Northern Macedonia. The connective tissue for all these unresolved issues is the endemic corruption that eats away at the Balkans.

The great eastern powers Russia and China quite successfully use the endless appetites of the Balkan kleptomaniacs and use corruption as a tool to achieve their political and economic goals. We in Macedonia could personally hear what it looks like, when former Prime Minister Gruevski talked to the then Minister Janakieski about Chinese loans and asked "how many millions is not much to take."

Americans now see corruption not just as a criminal but also as a security problem, because corruption causes destabilization of countries and, according to Washington, must be tackled effectively. The American intensification of the Balkan strategy is just a repetition of history, when Europe gets stuck in the Balkan mud, the American bulldozer comes. Macedonia is also an example of what happens when European and world geopolitical interests mix and processes that affect a broader and longer-term strategy get stuck.

At the same time, neighboring Bulgaria has been hit by sanctions on politicians, businessmen and companies directly linked to the corrupt activities that are an integral part of Borisov's governments. Sanctions are also announced for Macedonia, but in this case no names have been announced and thus the sword of Damocles is placed over the heads of those who endanger Western interests.

It is also influenced by Turkish President Erdogan, who, using his influence on the Bulgarian Turks, opens another front against the Bulgarian blockade, which is a dangerous weapon because the Turkish DSP party in Bulgaria has a rating of around 12% and usually participates in every government. With the current tight situation without the support of the DPS in Sofia, it is difficult to form a government, and it will be a heavy bite for the Bulgarian elites.

Aside from local action, Washington is sending political bombers into the heart of Europe with messages that "the EU must restore credibility and take responsibility for Balkan affairs." It is clear that Washington sees that Brussels' inability to manage the disobedient Balkan children produces a bigger problem that also reflects on NATO's South Wing and creates room for Russian and Chinese interests to enter.

The speed of Prime Minister Zaev's meetings in the last month, where the Macedonian Prime Minister suddenly flies to Brussels, Istanbul and Paris, is fascinating, and even more fascinating is Macron's message that he will personally work for a solution to the problem with Bulgaria.

It all comes down to the strong involvement of otherwise distant Portugal in Balkan affairs, and in all this political stew there is a strong American spice that is both mild and spicy, and can be used in combination with carrot and stick.

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