Calling

Aleksandar Brezar

A podcast on everything that is East of something. Produced and hosted by Aleksandar Brezar.

Episodes

  1. Balkan Leaders: Milorad Dodik

    12/18/2022

    Balkan Leaders: Milorad Dodik

    Thought by many to be the most openly nationalist politician in the Balkans, Milorad Dodik is a staunch supporter of Bosnian Serb separatism and continues to threaten with seceding the entity of the Republika Srpska, or what amounts to about half of Bosnia’s territory. For years, the president of the Serb-dominated entity has been instrumental in institutionalising genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals. Things got so bad that Bosnia needed its foreign peace envoy to circumvent institutions and pass a law banning the practice. And then there’s his friendship with the Kremlin. Although a two-bit player on the global scene, Dodik has made international headlines by meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin twice since the February invasion of Ukraine. And he was Bosnia’s head of state at the time. Who is Milorad Dodik, and how did he become the alpha and omega of Serb nationalism?  We called Florian Bieber, a professor of Southeast European History and Politics and the director of the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz to help us untangle it. Supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Gesellschaftsanalyse und Politische Bildung e.V. – Ured u Bosni i Hercegovini with funds of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This publication or parts of it can be used by others for free as long as they provide a proper reference to the original publication. The content of the publication is the sole responsibility of Calling Podcast and does not necessarily reflect the position of RLS. All music used for educational and informative purposes, and rights retained by its respective owners: Halid Bešlić - Romanija

    51 min
  2. Balkan Leaders: Albin Kurti

    12/05/2022

    Balkan Leaders: Albin Kurti

    Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti was enthusiastically voted into power two years ago after pushing out entrenched establishment parties, winning by the highest margin in Kosovo's democratic history. Since then, he's become a persistent thorn in the side of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in the dialogue between the two countries in Brussels. Kurti went from being perhaps the most famous political protester in the Western Balkans, whose party was known for stunts ranging from turning over UN cars, setting the government building on fire and smuggling tear gas into parliament. Now, he's translated the same take-no-prisoners attitude towards protesting to politics, and some believe that he might be hurting Kosovo in the process. Aleksandar calls journalist Una Hajdari to talk about the enigmatic leader of Kosovo, especially as Prishtina and Belgrade are rumored to be close to signing a final agreement to solve the ongoing issues between the two. Supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Gesellschaftsanalyse und Politische Bildung e.V. – Ured u Bosni i Hercegovini with funds of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This publication or parts of it can be used by others for free as long as they provide a proper reference to the original publication. The content of the publication is the sole responsibility of Calling Podcast and does not necessarily reflect the position of RLS. All music used for educational and informative purposes, and rights retained by its respective owners: Era Istrefi - Bonbon

    52 min
  3. Balkan Leaders: Edi Rama

    11/27/2022

    Balkan Leaders: Edi Rama

    Who better to start the new series off with than the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama? Charming and colorful, sometimes literally, direct yet eloquent, Rama has captured the imagination of those less in the know by telling Brussels like it is, and wearing sneakers while doing it. In the eyes of those with a soft spot for the talented artist, towering basketball player and expert at showboating, Rama is perhaps the most charismatic of the Western Balkan leaders. Yet, some in Albania would disagree. Domestically, Rama has been accused of everything from corruption to nepotism and is said to have an abrasive public personality to boot. From his time as the mayor of Tirana to his third stint as the most powerful official in the country, we will be taking a closer look at how Rama came to politics, what his ambitions are and whether he intends to rule Albania — and possibly the region — forever. Guest: Gjergji Vurmo, senior researcher at IDM Tirana. Supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Gesellschaftsanalyse und Politische Bildung e.V. – Ured u Bosni i Hercegovini with funds of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This publication or parts of it can be used by others for free as long as they provide a proper reference to the original publication. The content of the publication is the sole responsibility of Calling Podcast and does not necessarily reflect the position of RLS. All music used for educational and informative purposes, and rights retained by its respective owners: Aurela Gaçe - Hape Veten

    50 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

A podcast on everything that is East of something. Produced and hosted by Aleksandar Brezar.