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Author

Valbona Zeneli

Chair of the Strategic Initiatives Department at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

Valbona Zeneli is Chair of the Strategic Initiatives Department at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies.

She is an economist with an interest in international economics, good governance and international security.

She holds a Ph.D. in international political economy from the University of Bari, Italy, a postgraduate diploma in international marketing from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. She also received a B.A. in business administration from the University of Bologna in Italy, where she graduated with honors.

Dr. Zeneli has work experience in public administration and the private sector. She has lectured at numerous universities and organizations in various countries. She has been widely published in well-known journals.

Articles by Valbona Zeneli

Italy: No Political Crisis, But an Economic One

The EU’s patience to throw Italy yet another lifeline after the current one is rapidly vanishing.

January 18, 2021

Coronavirus: A True Stresstest for Globalization

It is not too early for policy makers to begin examining why globalization did not work out the way its advocates either wished or thought it would.

March 24, 2020

Western Balkans: Europe’s Front Yard

An important decision will be taken by the European Council regarding the future of EU integration for Albania and North Macedonia.

October 14, 2019

China in the Balkans

Chinese investment could become a challenging factor for the European future of the Western Balkans.

April 9, 2019

North Macedonia: Progress in the Age of Nationalism

Why the prime ministers of Greece and Northern Macedonia may be on the road toward receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace.

February 12, 2019

Macedonia’s Make or Break Deal?

The failure of the referendum in Macedonia should send strong signals to the European Union about the decline of its allure in the Western Balkans.

October 2, 2018

A European Future for the Balkans? Detoured Yet Again?

The upcoming European Council Summit may well focus on migration -- rather than the enlargement issue.

June 25, 2018

Western Balkans: The Young and Talented Leave

Western Balkans policymakers often complain that their best minds are leaving. But they do so without offering any solution how to fix this issue.

August 2, 2017

Migration, Brain Drain and the Western Balkans

What must be done to make life attractive enough at home to not see everyone go abroad?

July 27, 2017

The EU and the Balkans: Parallel Lives Forever?

Pessimism is real, but scapegoating the EU for the slow transformation of the Western Balkans is unfair.

July 16, 2017

Western Balkans: Looking From the Outside In

What does the EU mean to people in the Western Balkans?

July 15, 2017

As Romania Battles Corruption

Corruption is the most underrated international security threat of our time.

February 15, 2017

Refugees: EU Victimizing Balkans?

Can the EU seriously drop the migration problem in the lap of the countries in the Western Balkans?

May 3, 2016

Western Balkans: Stalled on Europe’s Edge

Poverty is the main security threat in the Western Balkans.

June 10, 2015

The Greek Dilemma

The “Big Fix” for Greece and how not to waste a good crisis.

February 26, 2015

Why is China So Interested in Central and Eastern Europe?

The Middle Kingdom sets its eyes on Europe’s eastern half, to get a beachhead into Western Europe.

June 11, 2014

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights

Why is it right and smart to empower women?

March 7, 2014

TTIP’s Effects on the Global Economy

In uncertain economic times, TTIP means stronger ties within the West -- and with the rest.

February 20, 2014