Rio Tinto’s Jadar lithium and boron project in Serbia on hold

Rio Tinto has paused its Jadar lithium and boron project in Serbia. The company aims to support employees during this transition while adhering to local laws. Activists welcome the pause but seek a permanent ban on lithium and boron exploitation in Serbia.

In the literal abstract foyer of civil war verges

With both alt-right camps of Serbian politics losing legitimacy, the media and influencers associated with them are trying to breath some scary air into their incompetent lungs. It's not working. Liberal Serbs have a saying: "Once a radical, always a radical".

Fear and loathing factories of the Serbian internal media warfare

The overdramatized scenes of riots like the ones in Serbia, shared by rather clueless agency news and often manipulative social media content creators, without actual context and placed into narratives without delving into the specifics of the local events are not doing anyone any justice and do not help the situation.

Weep for me, said the Tu-95 bomber

There's a Serbian joke about how the Serbian ship of lunatics is the pride and joy of the Russian Navy. Whether it's the news about arms sales to Ukraine, the purchase of the French Rafale jets, or the recent visit of president Vucic to Odessa, there is always speculation about Serbia's possible departure from the orbit of Russia and China.

Serbia is a corruption problem

Corruption problem in Serbia comes down to our own version of the end times fascism, when common people here decided to snatch what they can, while they can, drink and be merry, for tomorrow they might die, amplified by chest-thumping demagogues from national media outlets, social media and real life peer pressure from common folk who insist that the best cure for corruption is having ultra-nationalists in power.

Marta Kos is still right about Serbia

European Commissioner Marta Kos emphasized that EU enlargement requires strong civil society, which Serbia lacks. Public opinion shows support for leaders like Hungary's Orbán and Russia's Putin, while many Serbians view the EU as imposing unacceptable conditions. This raises questions about Serbia's commitment to EU membership amid conflicting loyalties.

Vucic scored a major win on Saturday

Serbian conservative electorate that voted for Aleksandar Vučić for decades firmly believes that might is right and that public order supersedes the right to gathering and protests. The ruling coalition in Serbia will likely not lose any support by using repressive methods like the sonic cannon.

EU is right for ignoring Serbian protests

The EU faces challenges in supporting democracy in Serbia due to a lack of pro-democracy advocates within the country. An open letter from Commissioner Marta Kos emphasizes the need for inclusive dialogue and societal ownership in the EU accession process. Serbian society's blame towards the EU highlights deep-rooted nationalism and political conflict.

Lithium of discord

The Serbian protests against the lithium mining project proposed by Rio Tinto were not motivated by environmentalism but instead were aimed against the Serbian ruling kleptocratic coalition with an outpouring of anti-Western hysteria. Protesting against a non-existent, "neo-colonial" mining project is fashionable and safe over here. But it's an exercise in futility to try to damage President Vucic's standing by using his own rhetoric and methods.

The square circle logic of Serbian protests

Recent protests in Serbia, notably the general strike, aim to challenge the autocratic regime of President Vucic. However, the protests often lack effective impact as many businesses remain operational. Official demands focus on transparency and university funding, but protesters avoid directly calling for regime change due to socio-political taboos. The discontent reflects a deeper sense of national identity and responsibility.