"Tonight, the government tried to finally provoke a civil war." (Social media post by a student protest group, quoted in the Financial Times.)
The Financial Times and the Guardian have urged European governments to demand accountability from Belgrade over its response to protests that have spread across the country. Is there a way to halt the rise in tensions and violence and move towards elections?
Join us for this compelling discussion with leading experts, including authors of a recent paper, on the search for a way through Serbia's worsening crisis.
This is a hybrid event. The discussion will be live-streamed on YouTube, but only in-person attendees will be able to address the speakers.
https://youtube.com/live/ELQtdYabwsM
Participants
Host
Edward. P Joseph, Senior Fellow at the SAIS Foreign Policy Institute
From Serbia
Dušan Janjić, Founder, Executive Board President, Forum for Ethnic Relations
Ivan Miletić, Member of Ad-Hoc Expert Team for Security and Stabilization in Serbia
Katarina Jovanović, Opera Singer and Professor, Faculty of Music, University of Arts in Belgrade
Katarina Popović, Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade
Dalibor Petrović, Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade
About the Speakers
Dušan Janjić gained his Ph.D. (1987) on the relations between state and nation and definitions of nation from the Faculty of Law at the University of Belgrade. Janjić specializes in Sociology of Nationalism; Ethnicity; Ethnic Conflicts and their Resolution; Human and Minorities Rights; Political Movements and Ideologies; Peace Making and Peace Building. He is also Senior Researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences in Belgrade and is the author of more than 100 publications.
Ivan Miletić is currently working with Crime Stoppers Global Solutions and Metravib Defence on business development in the West Balkans. From 2012 to 2022 he worked as an Executive Level Manager for the Australian Department of Defence on successful procurement and modernization projects for the Joint Military Police and Search and Rescue. He currently serves as an expert on defense and security for the Public Diplomacy Institute in Serbia.
Katarina Jovanović holds a Doctor of Arts degree in classical singing from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. She began her international career by winning the Grand Prix and the Audience prize at The Montserrat Caballé International Voice Competition in 2000. She also held the position of Artistic director of Opera of the National Theatre in Belgrade from 2009 until 2011, and in 2013 was awarded the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.
Dalibor Petrović is Full Professor at the University of Belgrade, where he received his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD in sociology. One of the leading Serbian researchers in the field of digital sociology, Petrović is the author of the first book on the social aspects of internet use in Serbia and has published more than 70 scientific papers as author or co-author. He has also participated in a number of research projects led by the European Commission, the London School of Economics, UNICEF, and others.
Katarina Popović is Secretary General of the International Council for Adult Education and Co-chair of the Education and Academia Stakeholder Group. Dr. Popovic has a PhD in adult education and lifelong learning, is a professor at the Department for Andragogy, University of Belgrade, and is a visiting professor for adult education and lifelong learning at several universities. She also serves as the president of the Serbian Adult Education Society and is a certified trainer in adult education.
Edward P. Joseph is a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute and Adjunct Lecturer at SAIS, specializing in Conflict Management. Edward served on the ground in the Balkans for a dozen years, including during the conflicts in each war-affected country. Edward earned his J.D. at the University of Virginia School of Law and his B.A. and M.A. from Johns Hopkins University and its School of Advanced International Studies.
Photo credit: Protest at Slaviji, June 28, 2025. By Mašina via Wikimedia Commons.