AlwaysGo

East of Center: Bosnia: A Model Intervention?

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 13:07:06 -0400

To many interventionists, Bosnia offers hope for other humanitarian efforts. Are they right?

In Dana Point, California, for my friend Ross’ wedding

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 13:02:08 -0400

In Dana Point, California, for my friend Ross’ wedding

Word of the Week

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 16:37:00 -0400

Snickersnee - n. the act of fighting with knives

The Rugova Memorial, Velania, Pristina

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 16:32:49 -0400

The Rugova Memorial, Velania, Pristina

The EU's (crafty) Kosovo foreign policy

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:26:00 -0400

In my new job as a Transitions Online contributing editor, I will contribute to the East of Center blog on politics, economics and culture in Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. Click here to read my first post.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” - Gandhi"

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:50:02 -0400

““You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” - Gandhi”

The Bill Clinton Statue, Pristina President Clinton is a hero to...

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:49:00 -0400

The Bill Clinton Statue, Pristina

President Clinton is a hero to Kosovars, who believe NATO intervention in the 1998-99 conflict prevented genocide. “Bill Clinton is my father,” one Kosovar recently told me.

Kosovars fawn over Americans. While I was eating lunch today at a qebapa (Albanian BBQ) joint in Mitrovica south, the cook called to me from the grill: “American?” I nodded. “Good,” he said with a thumbs up.

"As a youth I used to weep in butcher’s shops.” - Monty, Withnail and I"

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:15:58 -0400

““As a youth I used to weep in butcher’s shops.” - Monty, Withnail and I”

A legacy of the former Yugoslavia, the panel housing in Pristina

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:13:00 -0400

A legacy of the former Yugoslavia, the panel housing in Pristina

"Ever stalwart!” - LaBoeuf, True Grit"

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:35:44 -0400

““Ever stalwart!” - LaBoeuf, True Grit”

Ali Hadri Street Most families in this part of Pristina, the...

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:40:00 -0400

Ali Hadri Street

Most families in this part of Pristina, the oldest quarter in the city, live in make-shift walled compounds with as many as three generations to a home. The first gray steel door on the left is the entrance to my compound.

"Express a mean opinion of yourself occasionally; it will show your friends that you know how to tell..."

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 06:40:40 -0400

““Express a mean opinion of yourself occasionally; it will show your friends that you know how to tell the truth.” - Edgar Watson Howe”

With the guys from North Side Records, a new rap label in...

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 06:39:48 -0400

With the guys from North Side Records, a new rap label in Mitrovica

"If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a..."

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:33:14 -0400

““If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” - John Wooden”

International peacekeeping forces and local police guard the...

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:30:03 -0400

International peacekeeping forces and local police guard the Mitrovica Bridge, which sees very little traffic these days.

The Mitrovica Bridge A city in northern Kosovo, Mitrovica is...

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:25:00 -0400

The Mitrovica Bridge

A city in northern Kosovo, Mitrovica is Kosovo’s Cyprus, except that it’s divided by a river rather than a wall, with a majority Serb population in the north and a majority Albanian population in the south. Most locals live their entire lives without crossing the bridge.

A symbol of lingering inter-ethnic division in Kosovo, the bridge is also a locus of potential conflict. So-called “bridge watchers,” or nationalist extremists, monitor everyone who crosses, while European, Kosovo and Serbian troops stand guard around the clock. I was in northern Mitrovica a few days before a violent border conflict between Kosovo and Serbia saw the north effectively closed to outsiders.

"The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.” -..."

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:52:02 -0400

““The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.” - Ben Stein”

Memories: In Warsaw, 2007, for the launch of filming on my...

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:51:26 -0400

Memories: In Warsaw, 2007, for the launch of filming on my friend’s documentary, The Great Wing Hunt

"Writing is the art of the second thought.” - Rene J. Cappon"

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:54:00 -0400

““Writing is the art of the second thought.” - Rene J. Cappon”

At Rugova Gorge, western Kosovo

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:53:02 -0400

At Rugova Gorge, western Kosovo