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As Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on, the conflict has destabilized other regions of Eurasia that have recently experienced civil war and ethnic cleansing, including the Western Balkans. This is a region where Russia remains an active player and where escalated conflict risks radicalizing violent elements among Europe’s Christian far right and Islamists. The institutions and established mechanisms to avert a bloody return to the conflicts of the dissolution of Yugoslavia are failing. Given these dynamics, a new initiative to analyze this changing landscape is necessary. The Balkans Observatory is an initiative by New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy to provide rigorous, non-partisan analysis for policymakers on the Western Balkans. The Observatory is a hub for policymakers, legislators, and academics to discuss emerging challenges and crises in the region through essays, events, and roundtables. The Observatory seeks to fill the void in policy-oriented research on the Western Balkans amid broadening concern over the region’s deteriorating security dynamics. Please check this page regularly for new essays and events.