title: Can the Balkans Join the West?
abstract: Today, the Balkans—even the enduring trouble spots in BosniaBosnia, MacedoniaMacedonia, SerbiaSerbia, and KosovoKosovo—are at peace. The region struggled through a violent post-Communist decade in the 1990s but in the early years of the new millennium made real progress in transitioning to more open, democratic societies. Balkans trade and finance are already linked to European markets, but the EUEuropean Union (EU) has stalled enlargement until 2025, when it intends to be ready to welcome addit