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home > by publication type > other reports > Balkans 2010 (A Center for Preventive Action Report)
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| Chair: | Edward C. Meyer |
|---|---|
| Director: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
December 2002
120 pages
ISBN 0876093209
$15.00
Despite years of involvement by the United States and its allies, the Balkans region is suffering from economic stagnation and high unemployment; hundreds of thousands of refugees still await resettlement; prominent war criminals remain at large; and political and legal reform is impeded by endemic corruption, organized crime, and in some cases, a lack of political will. Yet after a decade of extensive involvement and peacemaking in the Balkans, the United States and its allies are winding down their commitment to the region. At this critical juncture, warns this independent Task Force report, if the problems besieging the Balkan states are left unresolved, they will lead to serious social and economic instability for southeastern Europe.
Neglecting these problems will lead to growing poverty, an increase in illegal economic activity, further human displacement, and a greater likelihood of political extremism, all in the heart of Europe. Furthermore, the report asserts, abandoning the Muslim populations of Bosnia and Kosovo will further reduce U.S. standing in the Muslim world and may encourage Balkan Muslims to turn to religious militants, rather than to Europe, for protection. It is therefore essential that the stakeholders in the Balkans, particularly the United States and the European Union (EU), make clear the economic, political, and security benefits of reform and cooperation with European standards and institutions and be equally explicit about the penalties--including the withholding of financial aid and international isolation--for regression, obstructionism, or the use of violence.
To help the Balkans achieve stability and integration in Europe, the Task Force makes the following key recommendations: reorganize the international community’s involvement in the Balkans around the EU’s Stabilization and Association Process and NATO’s Membership Action Plan and Partnership for Peace program, with the goal of an orderly reduction of the overall international presence in the region by 2010; use “carrots” (such as access to privileged political and economic relations and favorable trade terms with Europe) and “sticks” (such as linking financial assistance to specific performance goals) to reward or compel political, economic, social, and security reform; implement internationally led law enforcement campaigns, initially in Bosnia and Kosovo, to cripple the politico-criminal syndicates that threaten internal and regional security; and establish the rule of law and develop transparent and accountable systems of criminal and civil justice that are fair to all citizens.
December 9, 2002— After a decade of extensive involvement and peacemaking in the Balkans, the United States and its allies are winding down their commitment to the region. At this critical juncture, the Balkan states are still besieged with problems which, if left unresolved, will lead to serious social and economic instability for southeast Europe, warns the Council-Sponsored Independent Task Force: Balkans 2010.
The Task Force, chaired by General Edward C. Meyer, USA (Ret.), a former Chief of Staff of the United States Army, makes concrete and practical recommendations to put the Balkan states irreversibly and safely on the path toward integration with Europe and to reduce the international community’s presence in the region by 2010. It specifically encourages the EU to take primary responsibility for ensuring the security and success of the region.
Despite years of involvement by the United States and its allies, the region is suffering from economic stagnation and high unemployment; hundreds of thousands of refugees still await resettlement; prominent war criminals remain at large; and political and legal reform is impeded by endemic corruption, organized crime, and in some cases, a lack of political will.
Furthermore, abandoning the Muslim populations of Bosnia and Kosovo will further reduce America’s standing in the Muslim world and may encourage Balkan Muslims to turn to religious militants, rather than to Europe, for protection.
Neglecting these problems will lead to growing poverty, an increase in illegal economic activity, further human displacement, and a greater likelihood of political extremism, all in the heart of Europe. It is essential that the stakeholders in the Balkans, particularly the United States and the EU, make clear the economic, political, and security benefits of reform and cooperation with European standards and institutions; and be equally explicit about the penalties— including the withholding of financial aid and international isolation— for regression, obstructionism, or the use of violence, the Task Force concludes.
To help the Balkans achieve stability and integration in Europe, the Task Force makes the following key recommendations:
Balkans 2010, which included senior experts on the Balkans and U.S. foreign policy from a cross-section of think tanks, government, the military, international organizations, academia, and the business community, was formed by the Center for Preventive Action, a conflict prevention initiative of the Council on Foreign Relations.
A full list of Task Force members is below.
Members of the Task Force
GENERAL EDWARD C. MEYER, USA (Ret.), Chairman of the Balkans 2010 Independent Task Force, served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1979 to 1983.
KENNETH H. BACON is the President of Refugees International. Between 1994 and 2001, he served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Pentagon spokesman.
GEORGE C. BIDDLE is the Senior Vice President of the International Rescue Committee. Previously, he was Vice President of the International Crisis Group.
ALEXANDER BORAINE is the founding President of the International Center for Transitional Justice. From 1995 to 1998, Dr. Boraine was the deputy chair of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, serving under chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
GUILLERMO CHRISTENSEN was the 2001-2002 Intelligence Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
JONATHAN DAVIDSON, an Observer to the Task Force, is Senior Adviser for Political and Academic Affairs at the EC Delegation in Washington, DC, and an adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University and The American University.
HANI K. FINDAKLY is CEO of Potomac Capital Inc. He has been the Director of Investments and Chief Investment Officer at the World Bank.
JOHN G. HEIMANN is Senior Adviser to both Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. and the Financial Stability Institute of the Bank for International Settlements.
ARTHUR C. HELTON is Senior Fellow for Refugee Studies and Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is an expert on international refugee law and policy, and is the author, most recently, of The Price of Indifference: Refugees and Humanitarian Action in the New Century (2002).
KATHLEEN M. JENNINGS is a Research Associate at the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations.
JONATHAN E. LEVITSKY is an attorney with the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton in New York. He previously served as Counselor to Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke at the U.S. Mission to the UN.
THOMAS LIPPMAN is a former diplomatic correspondent of The Washington Post and was the Post's principal reporter during the NATO bombing campaign against Serbia in 1999.
ROBERT L. McCLURE is a Colonel in the United States Army and was the 2001-2002 U.S. Army Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
MARGARET F. MUDD is Senior Adviser at the Financial Services Volunteer Corps, a nongovernmental organization. Formerly, she was a banker with long experience providing financial services to banks in the Balkans and in Eastern Europe.
JANICE L. MURRAY is Senior Vice President and Treasurer of the Council on Foreign Relations.
WILLIAM L. NASH is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations.
JAMES C. O’BRIEN is a principal of The Albright Group, LLC, and served as special presidential envoy for the Balkans and senior adviser to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during the Clinton administration.
SADAKO OGATA, former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, serves as Co-Chair of the Commission on Human Security and as Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi's Special Representative for Afghanistan, and is Scholar-in-Residence at The Ford Foundation.
DAVID L. PHILLIPS is a senior fellow and deputy director of the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations.
COLETTE RAUSCH specializes in rule of law issues in peace operations at the United States Institute of Peace.
STEPHEN SAIDEMAN is an Associate Professor of Political Science at McGill University.
MARK SCHNEIDER is the Senior Vice President of the International Crisis
Group. Previously he served as Director of the Peace Corps.
DOUGLAS E. SCHOEN is a founding Partner and a Principal Strategist at the market research firm Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates.
DANIEL SERWER is the director of the Balkans Initiative at the United States Institute of Peace.
LAURA SILBER is Senior Policy Adviser at the Open Society Institute. From 1990 to 1997 she was the Financial Times Balkans correspondent, and is the co-author of the critically acclaimed book, Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation.
JULIA VADALA TAFT, an Observer to the Task Force, is the Assistant Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and Director of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery. Previously she served as Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration.
PAUL WILLIAMS is the Rebecca Grazier Professor of Law and International Relations at American University and directs the Public International Law & Policy Group, which provides pro bono legal assistance to states in transition.
Edward C. Meyer is a retired general who served as chief of staff of the U.S. Army from 1979 to 1983.
William L. Nash is senior fellow and director of the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Task Force Members:
EDWARD C. MEYER, chairman of the Balkans 2010 independent Task Force, served as chief of staff of the United States Army from 1979 to 1983. He is chairman emeritus of Mitretek Systems, president of Army Emergency Relief, and chairman of the George Marshall Foundation. He is also a partner of Cilluffo Associates, a member of the board of trustees of the Smith Richardson Foundation, and a member of the board of overseers of the Hoover Institution.
KENNETH H. BACON is the president of Refugees International. Between 1994 and 2001, he served as the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs and Pentagon spokesman.
GEORGE C. BIDDLE is the senior vice president of the International Rescue Committee. Previously, he was vice president of the International Crisis Group and president of the Institute for Central American Studies.
ALEXANDER BORAINE is the founding president of the International Center for Transitional Justice, an adjunct professor at New York University, and the author, most recently, of A Country Unmasked (2000). From 1995 to 1998, he was the deputy chair of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, serving under chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
HANI K. FINDAKLY is chief executive officer of Potomac Capital Inc. From 1986 to 2000, he held a number of senior investment banking and investment management positions on Wall Street. From 1975 to 1986 he served at the World Bank, where he was director of investments and chief investment officer. Before joining the bank, he served on the faculty of MIT.
JOHN G. HEIMANN is senior adviser to both Merrill Lynch and Co., Inc., and the Financial Stability Institute of the Bank for International Settlements. He also acts as senior adviser to the board of directors of Allied Irish Bank. He served as New York State’s superintendent of banks, U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, and a member of the board of both the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal National Mortgage Association.
JONATHAN E. LEVITSKY is an attorney with the law firm of Debevoise and Plimpton in New York. He previously served as counselor to Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke at the U.S. Mission to the U.N., as a member of the State Department’s policy planning staff, and as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.
THOMAS LIPPMAN is a former diplomatic correspondent of The Washington Post and was the Post’s principal reporter during the NATO bombing campaign against Serbia in 1999. He is the author of Understanding Islam and of Madeleine Albright and the New American Diplomacy.
ROBERT L. MCCLURE is a colonel in the U.S. Army and was the 2001–2002 U.S. Army military fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
MARGARET F. MUDD is senior adviser at the Financial Services Volunteer Corps, a nongovernmental organization. Formerly, she was a banker with long experience providing financial services to banks in the Balkans and in Eastern Europe.
WILLIAM L. NASH is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations.
JAMES C. O’BRIEN is a principal of the Albright Group,LLC, and served as special presidential envoy for the Balkans and senior adviser to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during the Clinton administration. He participated in numerous high-profile international negotiations, including a leading role in the Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosnia.
SADAKO OGATA, former United Nations high commissioner for refugees, serves as co-chair of the Commission on Human Security and as Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s special representative for Afghanistan, and is scholar-in-residence at the Ford Foundation.
DAVID L. PHILLIPS is a senior fellow and deputy director of the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations and has served as a senior adviser to the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations.
COLETTE RAUSCH specializes in rule of law issues in peace operations at the United States Institute of Peace. Before joining the institute, she was with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Kosovo, serving as the director of the Department of Human Rights and Rule of Law.
STEPHEN SAIDEMAN is an associate professor of political science at McGill University. His research largely focuses on the international and domestic politics of ethnic conflict, as does his recent book, The Ties That Divide: Ethnic Politics, Foreign Policy, and International Conflict.
MARK SCHNEIDER is the senior vice president of the International Crisis Group. Previously, he served as director of the Peace Corps. He has held senior positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development and at the Pan American Health Organization, a regional office of the World Health Organization.
DOUGLAS E. SCHOEN is a founding partner and a principal strategist at the market research firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates. He has provided strategic advice to political candidates in the United States and to leaders around the world, including heads of state of Greece, Turkey, Israel, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, and Yugoslavia.
DANIEL SERWER is the director of the Balkans Initiative at the United States Institute of Peace, where he has worked extensively on democratization in Serbia and has been deeply engaged in facilitating dialogue between Serbs and Albanians. He served from 1994 to 1996 as U.S. Special Envoy and Coordinator for the Bosnian Federation, mediating between Croats and Bosnians, and negotiating the first agreement reached at the Dayton peace talks.
LAURA SILBER, senior policy adviser at the Open Society Institute, plays a leading role in the institute’s policy advocacy, part of which includes supervising efforts to promote the Open Society’s policies and issues internationally through the media. From 1990 to 1997 she was the Financial Times’ Balkans correspondent, and she is the co-author of the critically acclaimed Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation.
PAUL WILLIAMS is the Rebecca Grazier professor of law and international relations at American University and directs the Public International Law and Policy Group, which provides pro bono legal assistance to states in transition. He has previously served in the Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser, as a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and as legal counsel to various parties during the Dayton, Rambouillet, Lake Ohrid, Key West, and Belgrade/Podgorica negotiations.
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