This books draws a comparative balance of twenty years' international media assistance in the five countries of the Western Balkans. The central question was what happens to imported models when they are transposed onto the newly evolving media systems of transitional societies. Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia undertook a range of media reforms to conform with accession requirements of the European Union and the standards of the Council of Europe, among others. The essays explore the nexus between the democratic transformation of the media and international media assistance. The cross-national analysis concludes that the effects of international assistance are highly constrained by the local context. From today's vantage point it becomes obvious, that scaling media assistance does not necessarily improve outcomes. The experiences in the region suggest that imported solutions have not been very cognitive in all aspects of local conditions but international strategies tent to be rather schematic and lacked strategic approaches to promote media policy stability, credible media reform and implementation. The book offers valuable insights into the nature and effects of media assistance and the strategies deployed by international aid agencies, local political forces, media professionals, civil society organizations and other actors.

This book tells a story about the stigmatization of Serbia and how the country has managed its stigma since 2001. It contributes to the theoretical understanding of the foreign policy of stigmatized states by examining how they select stigma-management strategies in relations with former adversaries. It also offers a stigma-centered lens for analyzing the political dynamics in the Western Balkans.

The central argument is that Serbia’s decision-makers grappled with a “destigmatization dilemma,” perceiving that actions aimed at facilitating Serbia’s destigmatization within international society could simultaneously undermine its security in regional relations with former adversaries. This produced a dillema between prioritizing destigmatization or security concerns. Through an examination of Serbia’s relations with Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the book explores how decision-makers navigated this dilemma, focusing on two key perceptions: the level of threat posed by the former adversary, and the perceived importance of the bilateral relationship for its destigmatization goals.

This book tells a story about the stigmatization of Serbia and how the country has managed its stigma since 2001. It contributes to the theoretical understanding of the foreign policy of stigmatized states by examining how they select stigma-management strategies in relations with former adversaries. It also offers a stigma-centered lens for analyzing the political dynamics in the Western Balkans.

The central argument is that Serbia’s decision-makers grappled with a “destigmatization dilemma,” perceiving that actions aimed at facilitating Serbia’s destigmatization within international society could simultaneously undermine its security in regional relations with former adversaries. This produced a dillema between prioritizing destigmatization or security concerns. Through an examination of Serbia’s relations with Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the book explores how decision-makers navigated this dilemma, focusing on two key perceptions: the level of threat posed by the former adversary, and the perceived importance of the bilateral relationship for its destigmatization goals.