Stability is the pre-condition for success in Central and Eastern Europe. As the region emerged from communism in the 1990s, the leaders of some countries quickly convinced the world that they offered safe havens for investment and were reliable business
partners. Those countries won political friends, reaped economic benefits and are now preparing to join the EU. Other leaders instead earned themselves a bad name for promoting an aggressive nationalism. Their countries, and those in the neighbourhood, sank
into conflict, political instability and economic decline. This was the fate of most of the Balkans.
A new generation of governments is now in place in the Balkans, elected by voters keen to see living standards improve and to join the European Union. To achieve these goals, the Balkan countries need stability. The catch is that the best guarantee of stability is improved
relations between countries which were until very recently enemies.
Few politicians in the region are willing to risk public disapproval by rebuilding relationships with neighbouring countries.