OPINION - CIVIL Today

250 years and one day
At 250 years and one day, the USA faces a defining question: renewal of democracy, or surrender to authoritarianism and oligarchy.

Jul 5, 2026 | OPINION, DEMOCRACY, NEWSLETTER

By Xhabir Deralla The fireworks are over. The parade banners have been rolled up. The speeches...

European facade, Balkan mud: The illusion of a multiethnic society and nationalism as the most profitable businesses in a captured state
Hatred here is not innate—it is systemically designed, politically sponsored, and heavily paid for on the backs of the citizens.

Jun 22, 2026 | MULTICULTURE, NEWSLETTER, OPINION

Xhabir Deralla For decades, the society in North Macedonia has been living in a dangerous...

The constant return of the “Biolabs” lie – how Russia recycles disinformation to distort reality
Debunked by international institutions, revived by propaganda networks – the enduring life of one of the Kremlin’s most useful lies.

Jun 14, 2026 | PROPAGANDA, ANALYSIS, DISINFORMATION, NEWSLETTER, OPINION, WAR IN UKRAINE

By Xhabir Deralla As Russian missiles and drones continue to strike Ukrainian cities, another...

The Phoenix of the Balkans – Kosovo’s rebirth from the ashes of war
Reflections on a vibrant Prishtina, twenty-seven years after the exodus. How Europe’s youngest democracy transformed a legacy of destruction into a thriving present, and a hope for a European future.

Jun 13, 2026 | ESSAYS, NEWSLETTER, OPINION, REGION

By Xhabir Deralla I arrived in Prishtina on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 10, to attend a...

Putin’s delusional response to Zelenskyy’s open letter
The Kremlin’s cynical dismissal of the ceasefire proposal exposes a widening gap between Putin's projected dominance and Russia's actual vulnerability. Moscow retreats into imperial fantasies, disinformation, and geopolitical blackmail. Again.

Jun 5, 2026 | OPINION, ANALYSIS, EUROPE, NEWSLETTER, WAR IN UKRAINE

By Xhabir Deralla The immediate response by Vladimir Putin, delivered on June 4, 2026, right after...

A note on equality in a civic state, not a state of “natural” owners
On false civicness, the hierarchy of belonging, and the right of all communities to be visible, recognized, and equal

Jun 1, 2026 | NEWSLETTER, OPINION, POLITICS

By Xhabir Deralla It is not unknown, but it must be repeated constantly: Balkan societies suffer...

The sirens of “brotherhood and unity”
The long shadow of a "soft" dictatorship – Josip Broz Tito, the legacy

May 27, 2026 | OPINION, ESSAYS, HISTORY, NEWSLETTER, POLITICS

By Xhabir Deralla I grew up as one of Tito’s Pioneers (Titov pionir), wrapped in an ideology where...

Why Russia Is Bombing Kyiv Harder Than Ever
The answer is not complicated and cynical. It is incentives.

May 26, 2026 | OPINION, NEWSLETTER, WAR IN UKRAINE, WARS & CONFLICTS

By Roman Sheremeta Kyiv burned last night. For most of seven hours, between 1 a.m. and dawn,...

Mickoski’s policy toward the EU is not a mistake
The blockade of North Macedonia’s European path is not accidental. It is a systematic policy sold as dignity, but ending in isolation.

May 16, 2026 | OPINION, EUROPEAN UNION, NEWSLETTER, POLITICS

By Xhabir Deralla Several recent developments and statements reveal the main features of Prime...

The Blood Brotherhood They Want the World to Forget
The Nazi–Soviet alliance was buried, tolerated, and weaponized – a hard look at how the Kremlin erased Stalin’s alliance with Hitler and how the West learned to live with the lie.

May 9, 2026 | OPINION, ANALYSIS, HISTORY, NEWSLETTER

By Xhabir Deralla I grew up under the “soft” dictatorship of Tito’s socialist Yugoslavia. Soft, at...

If it’s written in the Balkans, it is not less true
Notes from the Balkans

May 8, 2026 | ESSAYS, DEMOCRACY, HYBRID THREATS, NEWSLETTER, OPINION, POLITICS

By Xhabir Deralla The Balkans are not behind the world. They are where the world arrives too late....

Between Deception and War: How the Kremlin Turns Ceasefires and Peace into Weapons
From Lavrov’s denials in 2022 to today’s “pause for a parade,” diplomacy remains part of the Kremlin’s war strategy, not a path to peace

May 5, 2026 | OPINION, ANALYSIS, NEWSLETTER, POLITICS, WAR IN UKRAINE

By Xhabir Deralla Russia’s proposal for a brief ceasefire around its 9 May military parade raises...

Category: OPINION

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