By Andrea, Donovan, Jay, Li Qi, Tiffany
The Differing Perspectives
Summary of Blog Posts
EU
EU's perception of the region
In this post, Donovan talks about the European Union's perceptions on Bosnia and Herzegovina's complex political system, as well as on obstacles hindering their accession into the EU. He also covers how the EU perceives itself as target for the Western Balkans to strive towards, and why the EU wants to integrate the Western Balkans.
State
State's perception of external actors
In Jay's post, he talks about mismatch and agreements among the state's perceptions on both BIH's complex political system and the obstacles hindering their accession into the EU. He also covers their attitudes towards external actors such as the EU, China, and Russia, as well as their reasons for wanting to join the EU.
Populace
Local's perception of external actors
In Andrea's post, she covers the same mismatch and agreements in perceptions as Jay, but with a differing focus on the people on the ground. Focusing on the populace's perceptions, it serves as a contrast to the state's top-down view as portrayed in Jay's post.
NGOs and Businesses (Part 1)
Non-governmental organization's perception of the region
In the first of two parts, Li Qi analyses 3 different NGOs, and addresses mismatches in perceptions between them and other groups. His three main points include 1) The mismatch between Nansen Dialogue Centre and the State in terms of funding, 2) The mismatch between the Catholic Relief Services' need to scale up versus their need to appeal to the populace, and 3) The mismatch between UWC's aims and the populace's perception of them.
Businesses
Business's perception of the region
In the second of two parts, Li Qi and Donovan look at the mismatch between the aims of businesses and the EU. They achieve this through discussing the view of two professors (Dr. Zoran and Dr. Ratko), addressing the problem of business wanting to join the EU but being hindered by the state. They also cover a case study of AS Group Holdings, an example of an exception of a local company able to cope with the EU guidelines and their view of it.