Summer Universities in Mitrovica & Ohrid

International Summer Universities in the Balkans.

The third edition of Mitrovica Summer Courses (MSC) and the fourth International Summer University Macedonia (ISUM) will be organized this year by SPARK (formerly ATA) and its local partners.  These Summer Universities offer students - from local to international - the opportunity to participate in an exciting academic program.

Mitrovica Summer Courses 2008

SPARK  together with its local partners, is currently preparing the third edition of the MSC which will be organized from the 12^th  - 26^th of July 2008 in Mitrovica, Kosovo (1244). Intensive academic courses will be offered in the fields of international relations and conflict studies, among others. Rewarding each successful student with 3 ECTS. Each course will be taught by an international professor and a local co-professor.  Additionally, for each course an assistant professor is appointed who will lead workshops and homework classes in the afternoons. All courses will be taught in English. In some courses, translation into Serbian will be provided. Around 150 students will participate and there is no tuition fee. Books, readers, accommodation, and food will be provided free of charge for local and students from South East Europe. Travel costs will be remunerated. For International Students food and accommodation can be provided for a modest price.: around 130 euro's in total for 2 weeks. Besides an extensive academic program, exciting leisure activities such as parties, excursions, public debates, field trips and more will be organized. The deadline for application is the 30^th of may 2008.

For more information please see: http://www.my-program.org & http://www.spark-online.org.

 International Summer University Macedonia 2008

ISUM 2008 will be held from the 7^th of till the 20^th of July. This year it will be organized in Ohrid, a beautiful resort also known as 'the pearl of the Balkans'. 12 courses will be offered in the fields of Law, Economics, Business & Public Administration, Gender, Education Science and Teacher Training. Students who successfully complete their course receive 3 ECTS. Each course will be taught by an International professor, a local co-professor and a student assistant. 320 local and international students will participate. A small participation fee of 50 Euros is required but scholarships will be provided for 80 applicants from South East Europe. The scholarship will cover travel expenses, accommodation, and food.  Besides the rich educational program, a diverse recreational program with activities such as sports, excursions, course lunches, field trips and parties will be organized.

For more information please see: http://www.spark-online.org

 

Summer Universities in Mitrovica & Ohrid

International Summer Universities in the Balkans.

The third edition of Mitrovica Summer Courses (MSC) and the fourth International Summer University Macedonia (ISUM) will be organized this year by SPARK (formerly ATA) and its local partners.  These Summer Universities offer students - from local to international - the opportunity to participate in an exciting academic program.

Mitrovica Summer Courses 2008

SPARK  together with its local partners, is currently preparing the third edition of the MSC which will be organized from the 12^th  - 26^th of July 2008 in Mitrovica, Kosovo (1244). Intensive academic courses will be offered in the fields of international relations and conflict studies, among others. Rewarding each successful student with 3 ECTS. Each course will be taught by an international professor and a local co-professor.  Additionally, for each course an assistant professor is appointed who will lead workshops and homework classes in the afternoons. All courses will be taught in English. In some courses, translation into Serbian will be provided. Around 150 students will participate and there is no tuition fee. Books, readers, accommodation, and food will be provided free of charge for local and students from South East Europe. Travel costs will be remunerated. For International Students food and accommodation can be provided for a modest price.: around 130 euro's in total for 2 weeks. Besides an extensive academic program, exciting leisure activities such as parties, excursions, public debates, field trips and more will be organized. The deadline for application is the 30^th of may 2008.

For more information please see: http://www.my-program.org & http://www.spark-online.org.

 International Summer University Macedonia 2008

ISUM 2008 will be held from the 7^th of till the 20^th of July. This year it will be organized in Ohrid, a beautiful resort also known as 'the pearl of the Balkans'. 12 courses will be offered in the fields of Law, Economics, Business & Public Administration, Gender, Education Science and Teacher Training. Students who successfully complete their course receive 3 ECTS. Each course will be taught by an International professor, a local co-professor and a student assistant. 320 local and international students will participate. A small participation fee of 50 Euros is required but scholarships will be provided for 80 applicants from South East Europe. The scholarship will cover travel expenses, accommodation, and food.  Besides the rich educational program, a diverse recreational program with activities such as sports, excursions, course lunches, field trips and parties will be organized.

For more information please see: http://www.spark-online.org

 

Will the Real Serbia Please Stand Up?

INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP - NEW BRIEFING

Will the Real Serbia Please Stand Up?

Belgrade/Brussels, 23 April 2008: The international community should refrain from counter-productive intervention in Serbia's 11 May elections, including offering to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA).

Will the Real Serbia Please Stand up?,* the latest policy briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines the situation after Kosovo's independence and ahead of parliamentary and local elections. The vote is unlikely to change Belgrade's policy towards the new state, even in the unlikely event a pro-Western government comes to power.

"Public anger over Western support for Kosovo's independence is such that any attempt by the EU or US to support pro-Western parties prior to the elections risks strengthening the nationalist vote", says James Lyon, Crisis Group Senior Adviser.

Kosovo's independence declaration on 17 February 2008 sent shock waves through Serbia's politics and society. Rioting led to attacks on nine Western embassies, destruction of foreign property and looting. The government fell on 10 March, split over whether to pursue a nationalist or pro-Western path. Belgrade's efforts to create a de facto partition of Kosovo's north threaten the new state's territorial integrity, challenge deployment of EU missions there and complicate implementation of the Ahtisaari Plan.

There is a real likelihood the Serb Radical Party will win the elections and form a coalition government. If that happens, Euro-Atlantic integration would halt, and nationalists could be expected to support a more belligerent response in Kosovo, including use of low-level violence by Kosovo Serbs. The nationalists might also encourage Republika Srpska to leave Bosnia-Herzegovina and meddle in Macedonia. A backlash against pro-Western activists and increased media repression could likewise be anticipated.

Yet Serbia could also remain without a government until September. Kostunica would stay caretaker premier and continue to define Kosovo policy. He is likely to play a significant role in forming a new government, perhaps even as premier once again.

At best, the West will have limited influence for many months. Meanwhile, any attempt before the 11 May elections to pressure or induce Belgrade into more cooperation risks strengthening the nationalist vote.

"In the run-up to 11 May, Brussels and Washington would be well served to lower levels of rhetorical support for the pro-Western parties", says Sabine Freizer, Crisis Group's Europe Program Director. "In particular, EU leaders should not appease nationalist forces by offering a Stabilisation and Association Agreement before Serbia has met the long-standing condition for it: full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal".

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Contacts: Andrew Stroehlein (Brussels) +32 (0) 2 541 1635
Kimberly Abbott (Washington) +1 202 785 1601
To contact Crisis Group media please click here
*Read the full Crisis Group briefing on our website: http://www.crisisgroup.org

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The International Crisis Group (Crisis Group) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation covering some 60 crisis-affected countries and territories across four continents, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict.

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