The Balkans on the Brink: Kosovo, Serbia, and the West
Join The Situation Room’s inaugural debate: Kosovo, Serbia, and the West. Evidence, clarity, and persuasion collide where audience votes decide Europe’s most urgent questions.
Date & Time: Wednesday, 24 September 2025 · 18:00–20:00 BST (doors open at 17:45)
Location: The Marquis of Cornwallis, 304 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 0AG.
Tickets: £15 (+ fee), includes one drink | Reserve your spot now.
The Balkans are once again at a crossroads. With weapons caches uncovered in northern Kosovo and Europe’s uneasy stance toward Serbia under scrutiny, the question is urgent:
This House believes that the Banjska attack in the Republic of Kosovo on September 24, 2023, is direct proof that Europe’s support for Serbia undermines democracy and security in the region.
This inaugural Situation Room debate will test that claim in a format unlike any other: sharp, adversarial, and grounded in evidence.
What to Expect
🎙 Expert voices: Diplomats, academics, and practitioners with deep Balkan experience.
🗳 Audience power: Vote before and after to track persuasion shifts.
⚡ Dynamic debate: No long speeches, just clarity, rebuttal, and pressure.
🌍 Context that matters: Every debate begins with a crisis briefing.
🤝 Engagement: Network with thinkers, journalists, policymakers, and peers.
Speakers
Dr. Aidan Hehir: Reader in International Relations, University of Westminster
Ian Cameron Cliff, OBE: Former British Ambassador to Bosnia, Sudan, Kosovo, and Croatia
Ilir Kapiti: Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the UK
Vudi Xhymshiti: Founder & Editor-in-Chief, The Gunpowder Chronicles
Moderator: Michael Sheppard, London Editor, The Gunpowder Chronicles
This is not a lecture. It’s an intelligence chamber where diplomacy, strategy, and accountability are stress-tested in real time.
⚠️ Only 60 seats are available. Once the chamber closes, it closes.
👉 Secure your place today and share this event with colleagues, students, and peers who care about Europe’s future.