Explore the Unseen with The Gunpowder Chronicles: Insights from the Frontlines

The Balkan Soap Opera: Serbia Pla
Kosovo burns, Serbia smirks, and the West serves a cocktail of hypocrisy: empty condemnations, arms deals, and ‘monitoring closely’ with tea in hand.

Kosovo burns while Serbia struts, torching infrastructure with impunity as the West offers nothing but limp condemnations and performative ‘monitoring.’ French Fighter jets, EU and US Money for Vucic, lectures for Kosovo, and a bridge that stands as a monument to diplomatic cowardice. Hypocrisy reigns supreme, with the EU, US, Germany and France enabling Serbia’s tantrums while scolding Kosovo for daring to exist. Sovereignty, it seems, is negotiable, if you’re not the West’s Balkan darling.

If hypocrisy were an Olympic sport, Western powers would have more gold than our beloved British Michael Phelps. And nowhere is this medal-worthy performance more on display than in the Balkans, where Kosovo, the plucky little republic that dared to dream of independence, is once again being slapped in the face with a soggy glove of Western double standards. Serbia bombs a water canal, grenades a police station, and sets fire to Kosovo’s critical infrastructure, yet the diplomatic chorus of Europe and the United States sings the same old tune: “Kosovo, darling, do calm down.”

Oh, but they’re “monitoring the situation closely,” you see. A bit like a neighbour watching your house burn down while sipping tea and tutting about how you should’ve watered your lawn more often. The US ambassador’s statement is a gem of the genre: “We strongly condemn this attack, and we’re offering support to investigate it.” That’s nice. Perhaps they’ll send a team of detectives armed with magnifying glasses to poke around the ashes, but only after reminding Kosovo to “not overreact.” Heaven forbid the Kosovars actually defend themselves; that would be uncouth.

Meanwhile, the Mitrovica Bridge stands as a monument to Western meddling and moral cowardice. A bridge within Kosovo’s own territory, but crossing it is treated like nibbling on the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. “Don’t bite the apple, Kosovars!” the West cries, as Serbian extremists plant their flags, barricade the streets, and declare the area a “no-go zone.”

The bridge, they say, is “sensitive.”

Sensitive to what? Kosovo’s sovereignty?

The rule of law?

Or just the fragile egos of Western diplomats desperate not to upset Serbia’s eternal tantrum?

Serbia: The Balkan’s Favourite Spoiled Brat
Speaking of Serbia, let’s give credit where it’s due. They’ve mastered the art of playing the West like a violin. Aleksandar Vucic and his band of merry ultranationalists can torch infrastructure, incite riots, and even flirt with outright terrorism, and what do they get? A slap on the wrist, followed by a pat on the back. Macron arms them with fighter jets. Scholz signs lithium deals. The EU mumbles about “regional stability” while Serbia dances a jig on the smoking ruins of its neighbours’ aspirations.

Let’s not forget that Serbia signed a foreign policy alignment agreement with the Kremlin in September 2022. That’s right, while the rest of Europe was sanctioning Russia, Vucic was pouring tea for his Moscow pals and offering up Serbia as a strategic outpost for Russian espionage and propaganda. The West’s response? A shrug and a sheepish grin. After all, it’s not polite to call out Serbia too harshly. Best to just scold Kosovo for being “provocative” by existing.

THE EXPOSE: In this 8-minute episode of The Exposé, I reveal Serbia’s alignment with Russia and autocracies, its role in regional unrest, and how

Kosovo’s Right to Defend Itself? Not on the Western Watch
The West’s favourite refrain when Kosovo is attacked is a variation of “turn the other cheek.” Serbia storms into Banjska with a militia that might as well have had “Russian Proxy” stitched onto their uniforms, and what does Kosovo get? Warnings from the US and EU to “de-escalate.” De-escalate what, exactly? Their sovereignty? Their right to exist? Imagine telling Ukraine to withdraw from Kyiv during the Battle of Hostomel. Oh wait, some of these very same diplomats probably considered it.

Kosovo is expected to uphold democratic principles, human rights, and international law, standards Serbia routinely wipes its boots on, but when it comes to defending itself, suddenly the rules change. The message from the West is clear: Kosovo, you can have sovereignty, but only the kind that doesn’t upset Serbia. You can have borders, but only ones Serbia agrees to. And you can defend yourself, but only in a way that doesn’t make us uncomfortable.

Grenell and the Circus of Sleaze
Then there’s Richard Grenell, the Trump-era envoy whose diplomatic legacy is a grotesque caricature of Western values. Grenell, who famously orchestrated the toppling of Kosovo’s elected government to install one more pliable to Serbian interests, has now re-emerged like a bad sequel nobody asked for. His call for an “independent investigation” into Serbia’s latest attack is as rich as it is ridiculous. Independent from what, Richard? Your bank account?

Grenell’s ties to Serbian and Russian sources are as transparent as his disdain for Kosovo’s independence. His tenure was a masterclass in undermining democracy while claiming to protect it. Grenell demanding accountability for attacks in Kosovo is like Dracula volunteering to run a blood bank. It’s a grotesque farce, and the fact that anyone takes him seriously is a testament to how broken the diplomatic machinery has become.

France’s Condemnation: Champagne and Hypocrisy
France. The nation that gifted the world liberté, égalité, and Rafale jets to authoritarian regimes. Macron’s condemnation of the water canal attack is particularly galling given his recent sales pitch to Vucic. A dozen fighter jets to a leader who refuses to recognise Kosovo’s independence, aligns with Russia, and dreams of a Greater Serbia? Bravo, Emmanuel. Nothing says European unity like arming a man whose political ideology is a Balkan remix of 19th-century imperialism.

France’s message to Kosovo is clear: “We stand in solidarity with you, but not enough to actually do anything meaningful. Here, have a baguette and a pat on the head.” Meanwhile, Macron’s arms deals with Vucic are celebrated in Paris as a triumph of diplomacy. If hypocrisy were a wine, the French would bottle this and serve it with foie gras.

Germany: Mining Lithium, Digging Graves for Democracy
Not to be outdone, Germany’s Olaf Scholz joins the parade of absurdity with his lithium deal with Serbia. Scholz, in his eagerness to greenwash Germany’s economy, is willing to ignore Serbia’s role as Russia’s favourite Balkan pawn. The Jadar mine deal, which threatens to devastate local communities and ecosystems, is a Faustian bargain that trades democratic principles for a few shiny batteries. Scholz condemns the attacks on Kosovo with one hand while shaking Vucic’s with the other. It’s not diplomacy; it’s duplicity.

Kosovo’s Forbidden Sovereignty
The Mitrovica Bridge stands as more than a physical divide; it’s a potent symbol of Western cowardice. For years, Kosovo has been cautioned to treat the bridge as a Pandora’s box, too dangerous to touch. Meanwhile, Serbian extremists have planted flags, erected barricades, and sought to transform the north into a Belgrade-controlled enclave, all while Kosovo’s police have been ordered to stand down. Western powers even enabled Kremlin-aligned propagandists within Kosovo to vilify its leadership, accusing them of endangering relationships with supposed allies—”allies” who were, in reality, working tirelessly to undermine Kosovo’s sovereignty and shield Serbian interests aligned with Moscow.

These same powers shamelessly showcased corrupt political figures, members of joint criminal-political networks who looted Kosovo for two decades, as viable alternatives after they were miraculously ousted by the will of the people. Western diplomats’ attempt to repackage these discredited individuals as Kosovo’s future didn’t fool anyone. Perhaps they were an alternative for Belgrade, but certainly not for Kosovars. Kosovo’s sovereignty, over the past two years, appeared to be something the West would only tolerate if it didn’t offend Serbia or create inconveniences for Western agendas.

Sovereignty, however, is not a privilege doled out by foreign powers, it is a fundamental right. Kosovo’s right to defend itself has been consistently undermined by the very nations professing support for its independence. The West’s treatment of Kosovo serves as a cautionary tale of how not to foster a young democracy, a tale of glaring double standards, empty promises, and spineless diplomacy.

The Balkan Truth Bomb
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the attacks on Kosovo today are the fruit of Western negligence. Serbia has been emboldened by years of appeasement, by arms deals, by lithium contracts, and by a refusal to call out its alignment with Moscow. The West’s strategy has been to hope the problem goes away while lecturing Kosovo on restraint. But hope isn’t a strategy, and appeasement isn’t peacekeeping. It’s time for sanctions, accountability, and an unflinching defence of Kosovo’s right to exist, not just in words but in actions.

Kosovo doesn’t need more empty statements or investigations. It needs allies who are willing to defend its sovereignty with the same vigour they demand from Kosovo itself. Until then, the West’s condemnations are nothing more than theatre, a tragic, darkly comedic play performed at Kosovo’s expense.