Riada & Jasmin Mujanovic, Harun Buljina on politics, multigenerational legacies of trauma, history, future of Bosnia & H., Western Balkans

Wow, what a truly candid and powerful conversation - on politics, history, future of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Western Balkans and so much more! Learn why Jasmin believes that the biggest threat in the Western Balkans region is the renewed Serbian ultra-nationalism as the stated government policy of the regime in Belgrade. Guests also addressed the “Open Balkan” regional market initiative and the absence of Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and why ”in the Western Balkans, the Serbian World is a fact on the ground and a threat to be confronted; concepts like the Open Balkan initiative are just fine ideas on paper” (J.M.). Harun and Jasmin shared their thoughts on the latest news (which is not news at all) from the EU that it can no longer agree to give a guarantee of future membership to the six Balkan countries that were for years led to believe they had a place in the EU. We talked a lot about the continuous gaslighting and dehumanization of Bosnian genocide survivors, as well as Bosniaks more broadly, and about the historical aspects and longevity of the anti-Muslim sentiment about the region. At the same time, the research on the denial of the Bosnian genocide shows it has moved into the academic-literary sphere at the international level, so guests shared their views about that, including on repercussions of insulting, hateful and dangerous claims such as that “Bosniak nationalists” have made Srebrenica their “chosen trauma” to avoid reconciliation with the Serbs. We talked about intergenerational legacies, representation, trauma, mutual mentorship, future prospects for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, hope, dealing with hate online and so much more. I hope that this conversation helps you learn or deepen your knowledge on these subjects, and that you see it as an invitation for more, maybe better or more thoughtful and meaningful exchanges on these topics in the future. Jasmin Mujanovic is a political scientist and analyst of southeast European and international affairs with a PhD from York University in Toronto. His career background is a unique blend of global academic and professional engagement, as he has worked as a scholar, policy analyst, consultant, researcher, and writer in both North America and Europe. His first book, ”Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans,” was published in 2018. He was the co-host of the podcast Sarajevo Calling. Harun Buljina is a historian of the late Ottoman and modern Balkans, with a focus on Muslim intellectual and socio-political networks in this region. He received his Ph.D. in History from Columbia University in May 2019, defending a dissertation on the Pan-Islamist reform movement in late 19th and early 20th century Bosnia-Herzegovina. Most recently, he was affiliated with the Center of the Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University.