After the interventions of the international community during the 1990s, nationalism seemed to have vanished from the map of politically acceptable ideas, parties and leaders in the Balkans. Its rebirth today is marked by a radical transformation. Unlike the nationalistic sentiments from the beginning of the 1990es, the new nationalism in the Balkans is no more territorially fixed. The driving force behind it is very often the younger generation - the one that was expected to be more open and cosmopolitan than Milosevic's fellow travelers. And again, unlike in the 1990s, where nationalism was an element of a less democratic context, today's nationalistic revival in the region is a part of the democratic electoral processes, as show recent examples from Serbia, Macedonia and Greece. Confronted with the reality of these new Balkan nationalisms, one would inevitably ask: What is the nature of today's Balkan nationalisms? Has the West failed to de-legitimize Balkan nationalism? Can we compare the new Western xenophobic nationalist movements to the situation in the Balkans? These are some of the questions that a limited number of prominent Western journalists, in their role as public intellectuals, and South-East European academics, scholars and opinion makers addressed during the second Blue Bird Club meeting on 6-7June 2008 in Belgrade. Main topics:
Is Nationalism Coming Back in Europe in 21st century? How different are the Balkans?
Introductory remarks by Sahin Alpay, Turkey
The Nationalism of the Yugoslav Wars
Introductory remarks by Vesna Pusic, Croatia, and Dusan Pavlovic, Serbia
Nationalism, Populism and Media
Introductory remarks by Saso Ordanoski, Macedonia
Nationalism, Democracy and State Building in the Balkans
Introductory remarks by Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, Romania